topics: current healthcare debate, Benjamin Edwards, environmental concerns, lady gaga
While the current healthcare debate has many supporters, it also has a large number of people concerned about the changes it will bring. One concern is the possible decline in the quality of care we receive by medical professionals. With salaries limited by the government, fewer people will seek jobs in the medical field, in turn causing a decline in our quality of care. While i support the new healthcare plan, i do however feel that the majority of people are less willing to accept and make changes. We can all agree that change is needed, whether it be in a social, economical, or political area. The work of artist Benjamin Edwards touches on one of these debated changes, consumerism. According to www.tandempress.wisc.edu/gallery/edwards/edwards.htm "Painter Benjamin Edwards has spent the last several years exploring what he calls "the architecture of suburbia"---the structural and design forms found in strip malls, fast-food joints, gas stations, motels and familiar citadels of consumerism. Accompanying the architecture is what Edwards refers to as "the iconography of the roadway"---those commercial signs, symbols, colors and artificial elements juxtaposed with the natural scene or environment." While his paintings do not evoke a since of positivity or negativity towards consumerism, in myself, it still touches its significance in our life. One of the core issues related toward being environmentally conscious, is the idea that we as Americans consume more than needed. Change is needed, but without a push from those in the world that hold influence, change will never occur. One of the best ways to stimulate change, is by educating the youth of our country. Musicians and actors hold some of the most influence to these people, and by using their talents, change can occur. The popularity of these musicians, such as lady gaga, could influence their listeners to activate this change.
would these such people activate change? have some already started? What change do you think is needed in america?
I'm way to radical to truly open up and speak my mind on what should happen in America, but as a future architect I can suggest what I think should happen with the landscape of the landscape of america.
ReplyDeleteI feel that what once was the natural landscape has turned into this artificial backdrop for capitalism with propaganda full of subliminal messages and blatantly obvious messages that tell us what we like and what to do. The thing about being artificial is that there is a dependency on the non artificial, that I mean the natural environment and man(animal).
The natural environment is precious and she offers more than enough. I feel that being detached from the real and the natural just makes us unaware of these potentials. I feel that the environment we live in (I should say die in) has us socially deprived of a true culture, one where history is evident. Many buildings of the past, although different depending on what region of the world, all had one thing in common, their core principles, the ones driving their true form and function, didn't change, they may have been built upon and evolved but that's the beauty of life. As an Architect for Humanity, I would love to see buildings coming from places with culture and spirit embedded in them along with the eternal drive for reinterpretation and recreation. I feel that history is crucial because it can be built upon, without the foundation, the building would eventually collapse. I also feel that the community is vital for the process of mankind. If the landscape we live in could be fashioned in a way to unite both physically and spiritually, then problems in humanity could start being recognized reexamined and resolved.