Subject: Fwd:  Kinda missing the point (videotaping)

--- In burningcorn@y..., PAUL wrote:
Wow ! That thread sure blew up, didn't it ? Probably, most of you
don't remember me by now. I'm the one who did the first post.

Guys, I don't mean to be mean about this, this is just some honest
feedback. I think that some of you are so ready to play the
"persecuted artist" role, that you aren't really listening to what
other people are saying. You're just "running scripts", as they say
in assertiveness training.

Maybe this will clear things up, sort of. A little while back, a 
neighbor of mine planted a Boxwood tree. Any of you know what that 
is ? A great, big old tree, looks really beautiful when its full 
grown. And it's strong ! My neighbor's three year old son is watching 
him do this, and he's all excited. "Dad, can I put a treehouse in it, 
next year ?" The dad laughs, and says, no, son, you may have to wait 
a while on that. The kid looks a little crushed. He was really into 
getting that treehouse up. That treehouse was his passion.

Did the dad do that because he was a mean guy ? Did he think that 
treehouses were evil ? No. He did it, because he knew that next year, 
the tree wouldn't be much more than a sapling. Dropping a treehouse 
in it then, would kill it. You got to give the tree a chance to grow, 
before you put that kind of strain on it. Once it's strong, then you 
go for it.

Some of you are saying, "hey, people get photographed and videotaped 
at BM all the time, without being asked". But, guys, that's 
different. At BM, if you're running around naked, giving mouth-to-
mouth to your pet cockroach, or whatever, who cares ? You'll be 
one "freak" in a crowd of "freaks". You're a lot less likely to be 
noticed, and judged. Being on tape, if you're on of thousands, isn't 
likely to make you feel shy about getting in touch with your own 
personal freakiness, you know ? BM is like the mature boxwood that 
the dad knows his kids will be able to build their fort in, in a few 
years. Burning Corn is like that sapling. Somebody gets videotaped at 
B.C. being different, he'll be one of a tiny handful of people. He'll 
really stand out, and that makes people more self-conscious. So, 
guys, let's not act like this is about artistic freedom. It's not. 
It's about deferred gratification. It's about giving this sapling of 
an event a chance to grow and get strong, before throwing the 
videocameras at it.
Just my 2 cents worth. Paul.


--- End forwarded message ---