Being seen, heard, and able to talk publicly

 

Flying a colorful 'non-binary' flag of sexuality, gender, and sex

Over and over a similar pattern can be seen in expanding civil rights customs, laws, and attitudes. This was true in the 1960s experience of African-Americans, parallel with women's rights, and a few decades later for disability rights, and most recently for refugees and asylum-seekers, as well as with regard to same-sex marriage laws and protections against discrimination and violent hate speech or actions of (domestic) terrorism. 

Advocates for a previously suppressed, persecuted, outlawed, or maligned group of people begin by raising up the visibility: celebrities, symbols, public protests and marches and teach-ins, for example. With more frequent visibility, it is natural to react and respond to the subjects that come with the subject. In other words, after increasing the visibility comes increasing the listening and speaking by prominent people as well as ordinary residents. Once a topic is visible and part of public discourse among authority figures and in popular culture (entertainment, education, consumer thinking) and non-governmental organizations (civil society), then it becomes an established and ever-present social fact, no longer mute or invisible. It becomes part of normal life; it is non-threatening, non-marginal, non-exotic or strange.

The reverse is also true. In the example of six months of invasion and war crimes by #PutinWarCriminal, making invisible and silent the awful disaster is a big part of the foundation for social control within the Russian Federation and in metropolitan Moscow in particular. Without outlawing independent journalism and blocking foreign sources of documenting and discussing the military invasion of #SlavaUkraina, it would be impossible to perpetuate the lies of Putin's insanity.

What begins in small acts and visual expressions, like the flag flying in front of this downtown Grand Rapids house, leads to normalizing the cultural landscape filling one's eyes. From there it is public discussion that engages individuals and allows personal reckoning with the subject matter. Back and forth the reactionary forces push back against the advocate forces in all sorts of lifestyle of culture wars. In 10 or 20 years, perhaps, there will be no need for this front-porch flag and instead the matter at hand will be Carbon Footprint excesses, habitat destruction, #ClimateChange reparations owed to the world contributing least and for the shortest number of years can be compensated for harm to livelihood and life itself. Until that day comes, though, it will continue to be important for advocates to inject visual reminders of the subject and not to be afraid, shy, or hesitant about talking up their subject, too.

Pop culture - The monkeys who see and hear and speak no evil

Bumper art: See no evil... [post code 49505 on 3/2021]

Popular culture takes many forms but always seems to flow from a prominent status source like religion, celebrity, or governing authorities down to the average consumer of mass-produced, mass-distributed, and mass-consumed iterations. The national flag can turn up on T-shirts, wrapping paper, or coloring books. The crucifix from various traditions of Christianity can be expressed in precious metal and gems as jewelry or it can appear on album art for secular music. And a piece of clothing first seen on Princess Diana in the 1990s could turn up in discount clothing stores a few months later.

This photo shows the space sometimes reserved for license plates in some countries or states being used here to express a point of view with a bit of pop art that may be purchased online, on demand (send your image file for producer to fulfill), or at shops selling automotive accessories. Since Michigan only requires a legally issued and up-to-date license plate on the rear of the car, some drivers attach something referencing the university they support or identify with for sports teams and/or personal schooling experience. Others choose logos for professional sports teams, vacation destinations, ethnic heritage, religious teaching, or a bit of abstract art. This one bears the "3 Wise Monkeys," as Wikipedia in English calls the ensemble.

Screenshot of Wikipedia "3 Wise Monkeys"

Without talking to the driver whose car displays the monkeys, above, it is impossible to say what is being expressed. It could be "whatever happens in my world or the wider world, don't hold me accountable; I did nothing" (deniability). Or maybe it is less about denying involvement and instead a nod and a wink to "live and let live; just about anything is permissible since I don't value a lot of the restrictions asserted as legalities" (give me liberty; don't give me responsibility). Then again, the bumper art could be a reference to a career as art teacher, aficionado of folktales, lover of monkeys, travel souvenir from Japan, or merely a way to honor the person who gave it as a present. In fact, more than one meaning can apply at the same time, layering the significance of putting the scene into public circulation on highways and city streets, wherever the car is parked. 

For the purpose of this article, though, this example illustrates how pop culture can take something from its original setting (mausoleum of centuries-old warlord Ieyasu in Nikko, Japan; and before that, a folk wisdom story from India) and reshape, repurpose, and spread it into wider circulation and new contexts where people can give it new meanings, such as this front bumper of a Japanese car, either imported by ship or put together inside the USA as a joint-venture product for sale.