Comments for Read Write rather than Read Only http://williamstopha.wordpress.com ideas and research around bottom up culture production and interpretation. Sat, 17 May 2008 16:48:14 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 Comment on Project Production by williamstopha http://williamstopha.wordpress.com/2008/05/15/project-production/#comment-12 williamstopha Sat, 17 May 2008 16:48:14 +0000 http://williamstopha.wordpress.com/?p=47#comment-12 Why the Donkey? The humble beast Never the top, always the least But always somehow looking pleased With a wide smile, one of nature’s happier creatures Even if he has the more plain or uglier features, But hard working, and loyal as the day is long. He’ll say ‘no’ but do it Call him stupid; he looks it He’ll walk miles for a carrot on a string But this unassuming beast exists in folklore As the greatest journey companion you could ever wish for. A coarse and common creature of service But carrying a deeper purpose just below the surface Because while this mule plods on and takes the abuses It serves the ordinary and commonplace uses While he’s the butt of everybody’s jokes He’s dedicated to serving common everyday folks From Greek mythology to Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm’ Is there any end to this animal’s charm? From ‘A Mid Summer Night’s Dream’ to ‘Winnie the Pooh’ There’s no limit to what the donkey can do. So you see he’s quite contented, you don’t need to pity This dumb ass brought Christ to the city! So this humble beast of nothing status May just be the symbol that saves us So there’s no shame for me in being donkey branded I just hope I can live up to that high standard. William Stopha 2007 Why the Donkey?

The humble beast
Never the top, always the least
But always somehow looking pleased
With a wide smile, one of nature’s happier creatures
Even if he has the more plain or uglier features,
But hard working, and loyal as the day is long.

He’ll say ‘no’ but do it
Call him stupid; he looks it
He’ll walk miles for a carrot on a string
But this unassuming beast exists in folklore
As the greatest journey companion you could ever wish for.
A coarse and common creature of service
But carrying a deeper purpose just below the surface
Because while this mule plods on and takes the abuses
It serves the ordinary and commonplace uses
While he’s the butt of everybody’s jokes
He’s dedicated to serving common everyday folks

From Greek mythology to Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm’
Is there any end to this animal’s charm?
From ‘A Mid Summer Night’s Dream’ to ‘Winnie the Pooh’
There’s no limit to what the donkey can do.
So you see he’s quite contented, you don’t need to pity
This dumb ass brought Christ to the city!
So this humble beast of nothing status
May just be the symbol that saves us
So there’s no shame for me in being donkey branded
I just hope I can live up to that high standard.

William Stopha 2007

]]> Comment on Project Production by aftersparkmedia http://williamstopha.wordpress.com/2008/05/15/project-production/#comment-10 aftersparkmedia Sat, 17 May 2008 05:46:21 +0000 http://williamstopha.wordpress.com/?p=47#comment-10 What's with the donkey? Sam Barney <a href="http://www.mercenaryx.com" rel="nofollow">After Spark Media</a> What’s with the donkey?

Sam Barney
After Spark Media

]]> Comment on Project Development by Sue http://williamstopha.wordpress.com/2008/01/15/project-development/#comment-9 Sue Mon, 04 Feb 2008 11:27:12 +0000 http://williamstopha.wordpress.com/2008/01/15/project-development/#comment-9 Thank you for an interesting and thought provoking piece. It raises one question for me. Your comment that "recognising a crowd as a pluralism of potentially wise insights, is that “the collective choices of 100,000 may very well be better than the choices of 1,000 experts”. (Edery cited in Jenkins 2006)" has a couple of inherent value statements in it: 'potentially wise' and 'better than'. As you seek a wider and increasingly diverse environment to create an increasingly 'hostile' body for the antibody to work against, when and where do you decide what is actually 'wise' (as opposed to potentially), what is 'normal' as opposed to 'hostile' ? If free collective art per se is the antibody to attack commodification within the social body, does the actual content of the art itself not have to express the same values? And so what happens when the potential majority of the social body, captive as they sometimes seem to the media indoctrination of commercial wellbeing, either remain silent in their captivity, so potentially invalidate the true or full diversity of the collective contribution, or begin to express an alternative view, indeed a dominant view, which would undermine the antibody effect of art? Thank you for an interesting and thought provoking piece. It raises one question for me. Your comment that “recognising a crowd as a pluralism of potentially wise insights, is that “the collective choices of 100,000 may very well be better than the choices of 1,000 experts”. (Edery cited in Jenkins 2006)” has a couple of inherent value statements in it: ‘potentially wise’ and ‘better than’. As you seek a wider and increasingly diverse environment to create an increasingly ‘hostile’ body for the antibody to work against, when and where do you decide what is actually ‘wise’ (as opposed to potentially), what is ‘normal’ as opposed to ‘hostile’ ? If free collective art per se is the antibody to attack commodification within the social body, does the actual content of the art itself not have to express the same values? And so what happens when the potential majority of the social body, captive as they sometimes seem to the media indoctrination of commercial wellbeing, either remain silent in their captivity, so potentially invalidate the true or full diversity of the collective contribution, or begin to express an alternative view, indeed a dominant view, which would undermine the antibody effect of art?

]]> Comment on Project Development by Assissotom http://williamstopha.wordpress.com/2008/01/15/project-development/#comment-8 Assissotom Thu, 17 Jan 2008 11:14:25 +0000 http://williamstopha.wordpress.com/2008/01/15/project-development/#comment-8 A very interesting site with top design and contents! A very interesting site with top design and contents!

]]> Comment on Project Proposal – Performance and Poetry: Resisting the Commodification of Political Art. by Unwiply http://williamstopha.wordpress.com/2007/05/14/performance-and-poetry-resisting-the-commodification-of-political-art/#comment-7 Unwiply Tue, 15 Jan 2008 17:07:35 +0000 http://williamstopha.wordpress.com/2007/05/14/performance-and-poetry-resisting-the-commodification-of-political-art/#comment-7 hmmmm...very interesting! Thanks <a href="http://google.com" rel="nofollow"> google </a> hmmmm…very interesting!
Thanks google

]]> Comment on Project Proposal – Performance and Poetry: Resisting the Commodification of Political Art. by williamstopha http://williamstopha.wordpress.com/2007/05/14/performance-and-poetry-resisting-the-commodification-of-political-art/#comment-3 williamstopha Fri, 18 May 2007 13:25:23 +0000 http://williamstopha.wordpress.com/2007/05/14/performance-and-poetry-resisting-the-commodification-of-political-art/#comment-3 Thanks Scott... Broadly I agree with you, although does that mean that what you call 'genuine art' is always destined to be niche with small specialist audiences - in which case, how does art with a comment to make for the betterment of culture make a difference? Thanks Scott…
Broadly I agree with you, although does that mean that what you call ‘genuine art’ is always destined to be niche with small specialist audiences – in which case, how does art with a comment to make for the betterment of culture make a difference?

]]> Comment on Project Proposal – Performance and Poetry: Resisting the Commodification of Political Art. by Scott Hughes http://williamstopha.wordpress.com/2007/05/14/performance-and-poetry-resisting-the-commodification-of-political-art/#comment-2 Scott Hughes Thu, 17 May 2007 23:35:42 +0000 http://williamstopha.wordpress.com/2007/05/14/performance-and-poetry-resisting-the-commodification-of-political-art/#comment-2 I don't think spoken word poetry will be commodified. I think the corporations will focus more on the most sellable, namely music. Anyway, people interested in pop music and pop stars will find them in pop culture. Those of us interested in the genuine arts will always go out and find it. People who like music as an art don't listen to Brittany Spears. You might like <a href="http://spokenwordart.com" rel="nofollow">SpokenWordArt.com</a>. I don’t think spoken word poetry will be commodified. I think the corporations will focus more on the most sellable, namely music. Anyway, people interested in pop music and pop stars will find them in pop culture. Those of us interested in the genuine arts will always go out and find it. People who like music as an art don’t listen to Brittany Spears.

You might like SpokenWordArt.com.

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