Expanding Out By Dumbing Down

Expanding Out By Dumbing Down

NBC Universal is changing the name of its SciFi Channel to SyFy based on a myriad of considerations including everything but proper use of the English language.  In order to offer a “broader range of content,” and have trademark control of the brand, NBC Universal will make it easier for people to forget the proper origins of its (granted, abbreviated) name.  Just as doughnuts became donuts and drive throughs became drive thrus, sci-fi will only bear a scant trace of its original foundations, science and fiction. Soon enough, SyFy will enter the lexicon of blogs, texting, and likely find its own dictionary entry.  Make no mistake, this is entirely due to corporate policy, i.e. greed; the need for a brand to be “own-able, portable, extendable.”  And I have to say that I agree that it makes perfect business sense, you should be able to control your own brand.  But I have a problem with the collateral result of empowering a bunch of idiots who will have even further difficulty being able to spell properly.

I am not a fan of text-speak, questions beginning with contractions, or dumbed down abbreviations.  Moreover, I don’t find corporate creations legitimate additions to the language.  You will not ever see me describe something as gr8 when it is, in fact, great. Language is beautiful and sacred.  It is organic and evolving.  Lexicon changes based on oral expression, and further feed written language.  This is why we, mercifully for the sake of time, no longer express ourselves like Geoffrey Chaucer.  Just as “on the morrow” is replaced by the more direct “tomorrow”, slang terms like “trainspotting” and “hook-up” rightfully find their space in official dictionaries.  But corporate constructs and laziness do not represent linguistic evolution.  They serve to further devolve the language.  Though the trend will continue and be inconsequential to most, I will be happy to voice my opposition.

http://www.reuters.com/article/televisionNews/idUSTRE52F34W20090316

Rather Then Let It Crumble, Take It Down Brick By Brick

Rather Then Let It Crumble, Take It Down Brick By Brick

These days it is hard to look at the news without feeling daunted, dismayed, or disgusted.  Most stories, particularly anything involving financial services, cause us to feel all three.  I have been rendered inert by the preponderance of bad news flooding our society.  Revelations of corruption, extortion, and moral ambiguity by what were once seen as conservative pillars of responsibility have become so extensive that it is hard to know where to start.  Yet it is therefore a time when it has become more important than ever to be engaged and voice opinions.  Otherwise these travesties will continue on, and in greater number than they already have.  That is the lesson learned from the fleeting outrage brought by the collapse of Enron, Tyco, and WorldCom earlier this decade.  After only 5 years, we have been besieged by the complete pollution of the American finance, auto, and insurance industries.  Corruption is inherent in mankind and therefore eternal, but it can be tempered by an active society.  Technology has enabled us to find more forums, this blog being an example, but it has also allowed us to withdraw further into isolation with ipods, blackberries, and cell phones.  With multiple outlets, it is increasingly difficult to find a wide audience.  Major media outlets are all controlled by large corporations and have their own agendas, and when a comedian like Jon Stewart provides the loudest voice for journalistic integrity it is clear we are living in a state of decay.  But rather than succumb to the pollution that surrounds us we should root it out, reconstruct, and build anew.  This is an unprecedented time that requires renewed and profound vigilance.  All is not lost, there is still positive to be found, Jon Stewart being an example.  His frustration should inspire greater concert to us all to speak up and become involved.  Let the outcry shake out the corrupt in our government and our industries.  Let them hear from us on the streets and in our offices, as well as on the web.  This November marked a major step for change in our political system, but necessary work ahead will not be done solely by who in office.  We have to remain engaged for anything positive to take shape.  Prosperity will not be delivered, it is up to us to create it.

Closed? No, We Didn’t Mean It

It turns out the Rose Art Museum at Brandeis University will not be closed after all.  After heated public outcry, and impassioned letters by Brandeis faculty and Rose Museum staff, University President Jehuda Reinharz is pulling back on the decision to close the museum.  Clarifying his position, Reinharz offers contrition for the expedition and miscommunication caused by the board decision to sell of the Rose’s art collection, and is now stating that the museum will remain open.  Though certain pieces may still be put up for sale, the “crisis of confidence” caused by the board’s actions has led to a new path.
President Reinharz’s letter is available below:

http://www.boston.com/ae/theater_arts/exhibitionist/2009/02/brandeis_presid.html?p1=Well_MostPop_Emailed3

Art For Sale

Art For Sale

 

 

As higher learning institutions across the country are facing receding endowments, Brandeis is combating their losses by selling off a primary asset, their fine art collection.  The Rose Art Museum, home to a significant collection of modern art will be closed by late summer and transformed into a teaching facility and exhibition center.  Roughly 8000 pieces, including works by Andy Warhol, Walter de Koonig, and Roy Lichtenstein will go onto the auction block, with all proceeds being reinvested into the school. 

 

The art world will alternately wince and rejoice at the relinquishing of so many fine works.  For the prices they will fetch, Brandeis will prosper.  The economy should not hinder the number of suitors; they will be purchased by an echelon that is likely no more than inconvenienced by the current recession.   Of course, that means that each of these pieces will have a greater likelihood of going into a private collection and hang on someone’s wall, though a few will certainly find their way into larger museums and exhibition spaces.  But how many of us truly get to gaze upon original works?  How many have the opportunity to visit El Prado, The Hermitage, The Louvre, the Getty Center, and the Met in their lifetime?  And for those fortunate enough to do so, it is clear that it is only scratching the surface of the world’s great works. 

 

Art is an infinite language, and a wealth of it is held in private collections and residences.   We are exposed to much of it through textbooks, the internet and other media.  I’ve been to half of the museums listed above, and endeavor to make my way to the remainder.  Many of the world’s great works will never illuminate my own eyes, but they are out there to be cherished. My past moments of discovery in the centers above as well as The Carnegie Museum of Art, in the Reina Sofia, or le Musée d’Orsay still resonate in my mind as if they were happened only moments ago.  They always will.  The Rose Museum will close, and its works will be scattered, but they shall all live on future generations.  The loss is sad, but transient.  The art remains timeless.  

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/27/us/27museum.html?ref=us