On the one hand, we shouldn't needlessly destroy our traditions and culture
On the other hand, we should always inspect our traditions and cultures and remove the vestiges that are no longer helpful. Sacred cows make the best burgers.
I'm well acquainted with this concept, but more for its metaphorical meaning of destroying existing standards in cultures and art forms, rather than physical destruction of objects.
I have considered myself to be fortunate to have been a witnessing viewer of the revolution in television animation during the 1990s and 2000s. Iconoclasm was the order of the day in the programs of that time; it had been forcibly suppressed for a long before that time, but the entrance of a new generation of animators with new standards changed things.
Then we have the Internet-enabled class of "disrupters" that have dominated the 21st century. "Move fast and break things" could easily be a definition of iconoclasm.
Physical iconoclasm doesn't have too many counterparts after the ancient period, with Savonarola's Bonfire of the Vanities in Venice being one of the more obvious examples. In America, it has occurred with the mass immolation of comic books in the 1950s, the burning of Beatles items as a backlash to John Lennon saying the group was "bigger than Jesus" in the 1960s, and other such "panics".
I remember how shocking some of those cartoons during the early 90s in particular really were. People today will watch something like Ren and Stimpy or Beavis and Butthead, and it really doesn't seem like anything shocking, but back then it kind of was.
They WERE shocking, and they still are, to me. I had grown up thinking cartoons were supposedly only family-friendly entertainment, and then THIS stuff comes along?? Even the old school theatrical animation cartoons weren't this....liberated in nature.
According to a Jewish legend, Abraham’s father was an idol maker. One night, the young Abraham entered his father’s shop and smashed all the idols. When his father seemed at him, Abraham said, “I didn’t do it, the idols fought amongst themselves.” His father said, “That’s ridiculous, they’re just statues of stone and wood.” Abraham said, “If so, why do you worship and sell them?”
Of course as humans fear itself is what drives us to do crazy things. The image itself or what you called iconoclasm, is so scaring. Not only the images of the past statutes or portraits but also what we draw of what will happen; have you walked in darkness? If you didn't imagine meeting the worst, you haven't yet to grope in darkness. Similarly imagery is so real; we carry the spirit of the portraits.
When I tried to destroy those mental icons when I was a kid, I was trying to destroy the ghosts of the past. Only we can allow the past to control ourselves, and it's up to us to make our own future.
Liked David said, makes me think of disruption which is used a lot in tech but now is getting thrown around a lot about the way to remake bureaucracies. DOGE'll fix it
I knew I was doing something cultural and deeply rooted in history like "iconoclasm" when I broke into my local museum with a sledgehammer and shattered a bunch of sculptures and a few dozen portrait paintings while yelling "You ain't pretty no more!" at the top of my lungs.
My criminal record now says "Property damage" and "Destruction of precious artifacts," but you and I both know I was merely being all iconoclastic and shit.
You should be my lawyer at the upcoming trial, instead of the current guy I have who's all “I'm sick of what you've done and hate to represent you” this and “Can you please stop showing up to our meetings naked?” that. Ugh, such a buzzkill.
Sorry, I'm booked by other nudist freedom fighters at the moment. When movements clash, nobody can really understand the butterfly effects! Nudists and freedom fighters are both iconoclasts in their own way, though, so I'll allow it.
On the one hand, we shouldn't needlessly destroy our traditions and culture
On the other hand, we should always inspect our traditions and cultures and remove the vestiges that are no longer helpful. Sacred cows make the best burgers.
Yeah, it's all about balance. Ew, boring!
I'm well acquainted with this concept, but more for its metaphorical meaning of destroying existing standards in cultures and art forms, rather than physical destruction of objects.
I have considered myself to be fortunate to have been a witnessing viewer of the revolution in television animation during the 1990s and 2000s. Iconoclasm was the order of the day in the programs of that time; it had been forcibly suppressed for a long before that time, but the entrance of a new generation of animators with new standards changed things.
Then we have the Internet-enabled class of "disrupters" that have dominated the 21st century. "Move fast and break things" could easily be a definition of iconoclasm.
Physical iconoclasm doesn't have too many counterparts after the ancient period, with Savonarola's Bonfire of the Vanities in Venice being one of the more obvious examples. In America, it has occurred with the mass immolation of comic books in the 1950s, the burning of Beatles items as a backlash to John Lennon saying the group was "bigger than Jesus" in the 1960s, and other such "panics".
I remember how shocking some of those cartoons during the early 90s in particular really were. People today will watch something like Ren and Stimpy or Beavis and Butthead, and it really doesn't seem like anything shocking, but back then it kind of was.
They WERE shocking, and they still are, to me. I had grown up thinking cartoons were supposedly only family-friendly entertainment, and then THIS stuff comes along?? Even the old school theatrical animation cartoons weren't this....liberated in nature.
I remember it well. I think you had to experience those "before times" to really get how shocking this time was. Context is huge!
It means a lot- without it, you can't describe things properly.
According to a Jewish legend, Abraham’s father was an idol maker. One night, the young Abraham entered his father’s shop and smashed all the idols. When his father seemed at him, Abraham said, “I didn’t do it, the idols fought amongst themselves.” His father said, “That’s ridiculous, they’re just statues of stone and wood.” Abraham said, “If so, why do you worship and sell them?”
I do enjoy a good punch line based on logical deduction.
Of course as humans fear itself is what drives us to do crazy things. The image itself or what you called iconoclasm, is so scaring. Not only the images of the past statutes or portraits but also what we draw of what will happen; have you walked in darkness? If you didn't imagine meeting the worst, you haven't yet to grope in darkness. Similarly imagery is so real; we carry the spirit of the portraits.
When I tried to destroy those mental icons when I was a kid, I was trying to destroy the ghosts of the past. Only we can allow the past to control ourselves, and it's up to us to make our own future.
Liked David said, makes me think of disruption which is used a lot in tech but now is getting thrown around a lot about the way to remake bureaucracies. DOGE'll fix it
Move fast and disrupt society!
See?
I knew I was doing something cultural and deeply rooted in history like "iconoclasm" when I broke into my local museum with a sledgehammer and shattered a bunch of sculptures and a few dozen portrait paintings while yelling "You ain't pretty no more!" at the top of my lungs.
My criminal record now says "Property damage" and "Destruction of precious artifacts," but you and I both know I was merely being all iconoclastic and shit.
It's ultimately freedom fighters like you who will preserve true history, not the "history" those written records seem to indicate happened.
#smashthepast
You should be my lawyer at the upcoming trial, instead of the current guy I have who's all “I'm sick of what you've done and hate to represent you” this and “Can you please stop showing up to our meetings naked?” that. Ugh, such a buzzkill.
Sorry, I'm booked by other nudist freedom fighters at the moment. When movements clash, nobody can really understand the butterfly effects! Nudists and freedom fighters are both iconoclasts in their own way, though, so I'll allow it.