As a general rule, I can't stand motivational quotes or posters. There really isn't a legitimate reasoning behind my disdain, these types of things have always just felt insincere and arbitrary to me. Probably this is just an off shoot of my general cynical nature in the end, believing that these are a pointless "show" of people attempting to better themselves. I was quite happy when I stumbled across the Onion announcement that the "hang in there" cat fell off his branch from a while ago. Justice. But every once in a while, I do come across a phrase that will cause me to at least pause and ponder before dismissing it. When I found this sticker I was far more intrigued by the possible angles than the phrase. Upon reviewing my photos later on I decided I didn't completely hate the message and was curious as to group behind it. Unfortunately I wasn't able to come up with a particular group that is attached to this. On the other hand I was rather surprised at the fact that the phrase itself came up rather quickly. At no point before researching it last night did I make any connection to the phrase though, which is probably a ding against my musical fan cred. For those who aren't musical fans, or also haven't made the connection, this is a lyric/ song out of Rocky Horror Picture Show. Granted this is one of the final songs and not a big fan favorite, so my ignorance is a tad justifiable. In the midst of a rather frantic ending, you have this one song that looks to give the audience a message of self-acceptance. Dr. Frank N Furter sings about his distress as a child that he couldn't be as fabulous as his heroes of the silver screen. But rather than be held back or confined by societal norms, he lives his dreams and allows himself to truly be who he is. While this song and the message behind it is definitely interesting, what makes this sticker unique is the pictures that are juxtaposed with it. There is a group of children and pets happily pulling or riding along in a wagon. This obviously presents the idea of innocence and the future. But then you see the Anarchy symbol on the child's flag. Anarchy is often associated with negative ideas of dystopia and lawlessness however it ultimately is the idea of opposing the traditional forms of government and control. Generally anarchists hold their ideas up as the ideal system of society since it would be run by people volunteering their services and expertise for the good of all, rather than the use of force. So many different ideas and movements tend to fall under this mantel at different times in history. The Big Idea Store, a radical and anarchist bookstore over in Bloomfield, carries a wide variety of subject matters that are looking to create social change. Along with these ideas of creating the future we want to see, whether for the children or for the betterment of society, there is that small detail of the child in the wagon that I can't quite make my mind up about. It seems like the child has horns, which is typically a Satanic association but doesn't quite fit with the rest of the message. Although I could just be misinterpreting that part of the image or the ideas behind this in general. But whether it's a message of hope and acceptance or something that's a little darker, it's certainly one of the better versions of an inspirational quote I've seen.
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Maggie Ondrey
An amateur photographer and writer capturing a small portion of the city. Archives
August 2017
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