On Jan 30, 2008 8:27 AM, Daniel R. Tobias <dan(a)tobias.name> wrote:
I find it interesting how often this random selection
comes up with
combinations of band names, album titles, and images that give the
impression of having some sort of deep symbolic artistic
significance... makes one wonder how many of the real-world arts-and-
literature stuff, about which people write academic treatises
discussing what they represent, were really just born of random
thoughts of their artists. I remember struggling in English classes
in high school and college (where I was great at more "rational"
subjects like math and computer science) where the teachers kept
expecting me to understand all the symbolism that was supposedly
there in the books and stories we read (the rocking horse isn't just
a rocking horse... it represents the lost innocence of childhood!),
but how is anybody to know what symbolism was really intended and
what is a figment of the observer's imagination?
I feel less lonely now. =) With training I've become marginally better
at figuring out where the symbols are, and taking a stab
("bullshitting", I call it) at what they represent, but I'm never
confident that I've done it right. Surprisingly I always seem to be
right, which only confirms my belief that I am bullshitting and
symbolism is bullshit.
Johnleemk