Michelangelo’s 16th century “David” sculpture “pornographic".

[Jimmy W]

Yep, Florida.

The principal of Florida’s Tallahassee Classical School is out of a job after parents complained that their sixth-grade children were shown Michelangelo’s 16th century “David” sculpture, with one parent calling it “pornographic,”

The principal of Florida’s Tallahassee Classical School is out of a job after parents complained that their sixth-grade children were shown Michelangelo’s 16th century “David” sculpture, with one parent calling it “pornographic,” the Tallahassee Democrat first reported.

The now-former principal, Hope Carrasquilla, told HuffPost the situation was also “a little more complicated than that,” noting that the usual protocol is to send parents a letter before students are shown such classical artwork.

Due to “a series of miscommunications,” the letter did not go out to the sixth-grade parents, and some complained, Carrasquilla said.

One parent was “point-blank upset,” Carrasquilla continued, and “felt her child should not be viewing those pieces.”

The board of the charter school decided Monday to give the principal the choice to resign or be fired after less than a year in the job. She was the school’s third principal since it opened in the fall of 2020, per the Tallahassee Democrat.

The move comes as conservatives in Florida and elsewhere battle to step up their input in primary education.

Michelangelo’s marble sculpture of the Biblical figure David was crafted between 1501 and 1504, originally commissioned for display inside an Italian cathedral. It now resides at the Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence.

https://news.yahoo.com/florida-princ...162441446.html

[gypsie]

Pornographic...

send a letter before showing classical artwork....

Choice to resign.....

Which bit is the worst bit?

[Jim Bow]

It’s called Tallahassee CLASSICAL School. I’m confused.

[rbgarr]

The historical ignorance of this is stunning and shows that some should have no sway over education or at least know something about what they are so concerned about.

There WERE pornographic sculptures and depictions at the time when the David was created. In those examples the male genitalia were excessively large and were intended to convey a barbarism of sexual aggression. In other cases the genitalia were small (like those of the David) often covered and thus regarded as demure, demonstrating a masculine dignity and appreciation for intelligence. There were objections to it at the time of its creation but not for any reasons about any pornographic nature. Such aspects of the sculpture and its place in Florence's history are described here: https://graylineflorence.com/blog/5-...angelos-david/

But of course now even invoking the word genitalia (AHHH!!) evokes howls of abject sexual panic on the part of many adults here in the US.

[garland reese]

Given the current accessibility of images on the www, I’d guess not one kid was shocked. Holy smokes! Even some of the most biblical sculptures are pretty are physiologically very revealing…and wouldn’t knowledge of physical differences ease the natural underlying curiosity of adolescents? We move onward in a backward direction here at home. Sadly.

[Jim Bow]

Would the mom be upset to learn that Jesus of Nazareth had a penis? Or does she think he was a Ken doll?

[David G]

Given the current accessibility of images on the www, I’d guess not one kid was shocked. Holy smokes! Even some of the most biblical sculptures are pretty are physiologically very revealing…and wouldn’t knowledge of physical differences ease the natural underlying curiosity of adolescents? We move onward in a backward direction here at home. Sadly.

"When there is anaccumulation of money and power into fewer and fewer hands, peoplewith the mentality of gangsters come to the fore. Power tends tocorrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely" -- Lord Acton

Yes, in some ways we are moving backward. This dynamic that Lord Acton first mentioned in maybe the 1860's contains a variety of symptoms of dysfunction and regression... across the board. And we're definitely in a period when this Acton Dictum malady is in the ascent.

[CWSmith]

Hasn't this always been the way? You need only look at the list of historically banned books such as much of Mark Twain's writing because of a word that offended people to understand the simplicity of their thinking.

It's like the SCOTUS saying, "We can't define pornography, but we know it when we see it." Well, they really don't and the line between the two is constantly in motion.

[Tom from Rubicon]

Is reactionary woke a thing? Pud knockers abound.

Tom

[Joe (SoCal)]

I saw several Davids in Florence I would think Florida might have a bigger problem with Caravaggio

Self portrait in drag as Medusa

EB8E1C92-CD34-4032-86A3-015999D8C043.jpg

[skuthorp]

America…………… Not with a bang but with a whimper…….

[Joe (SoCal)]

America…………… Not with a bang but with a whimper…….

This is not new, religious zealots and nuns chopped off hundreds of marble penises in the 16th century because ...................

[skuthorp]

Yeah, humans are like that. Maybe our demise would be a good idea. Make room for another species to have a go?

[wizbang 13]

Jesus on a torture device with nails poppin out his hands and feet is cool though .

[WX]

Jesus on a torture device with nails poppin out his hands and feet is cool though .

Imagine if he had been impaled?

[bluedog225]

But you still can’t post a female nipple on wbf…

[George Jung]

Yeah, can't cure 'stupid', and of late, they're strangely empowered.

In around 1980, when I was a resident in a large SD hospital, and fancied that, perhaps, photography might be fun, I entered a photo I'd taken of David in a small contest put on by our hospital. SF,SD has a large 'copy' of David, which was displayed along a park in downtown. One of only a few, as I recall. But.... a medical student, undoubtedly of the same ilk as those Floridians, raised a stink about my 'pornographic' photo. Unbelieveable, right?

I took down the photo. The controversy didn't end there - some residents in Sioux Falls were upset about the 'pornographic' statue. One city councilman wanted to put a diaper on it. The city ultimately removed the statue, put it in storage, until sufficient public outcry, to re-install - but at a less obvious location.

[Garret]

Jesus on a torture device with nails poppin out his hands and feet is cool though .

But you still can’t post a female nipple on wbf…

This exactly. A church near me had a gory picture of (white & blue-eyed) Jesus nailed to the cross complete with blood dripping off out in front of the church. A number of people complained that it was inappropriate & needed to be taken down. They were told that it was protected by the first amendment, so someone asked the town fathers if they started a church that celebrated woman & therefore required a naked woman displayed out front, theey were told "Don;t be stupid".

Much religion in the US just plain sucks.

[Gerarddm]

More stupidity from the bovine gaping primate crowd.

Much religion in the US just plain sucks.

MAYBE not the UU or the Bahai, but everyone else...

[Garret]

Jesus on a torture device with nails poppin out his hands and feet is cool though .

More stupidity from the bovine gaping primate crowd.


MAYBE not the UU or the Bahai, but everyone else...

You have a point. To anyone who is religious - I was not referring to you, but to organized religion.

[TomF]

I think they're afraid that Michelangelo was a groomer. I mean, centuries later, and David's willy is still hard as rock.

The DeSantis crowd must be really threatened by that kind of staying power.

[Osborne Russell]

heh heh

[wizbang 13]

Imagine if he had been impaled?

Or hung… and I don’t mean like David , his followers would all wear nooses around their necks.

[Osborne Russell]

They used to want you to say "limbs" instead of "legs".

Shame shame shame, shame on you. Original and eternal. A fallen angel in a fallen world. Let that shame burn the "pride" out of you until you are disposed to take direction from us. We use everything from tsk tsk to convert or die.

This "pride" is especially your plain animal joy in living. You should not feel it! You should punish yourself if you do -- we'll help. Then repress yourself heavily, we'll help with that as well. It's Satan. Shame on life and shame on you for being alive.

MEM is anti-life and anti-nature. Fallen angel, fallen world. The Fall, get it? All of creation. The Fall of all, everything.

Of the three Christianity has the best chance of breaking out of the prison.

[Osborne Russell]

Or hung… and I don’t mean like David , his followers would all wear nooses around their necks.

Making the sign of the cross would be different. How would you do impaling, or hanging? Picture everyone approaching church pulling off such a manuver

[TomF]

It was indeed utterly repulsive in the ancient world when Christians adopted the sign of the cross. Exactly for the same reason that it would be repulsive if today a group adopted the sign of an electric chair, or a gurney with an IV of deadly drugs.

If anything, it was more repulsive, because crucifixion was about the spectacle of a publicly humiliating death, rather than a merciful and dignified execution.

We've grown so used to the symbol that we've stripped it of its original shocking character.

[rbgarr]

It's been done before in DC: https://www.deseret.com/2002/3/2/196...f-jokes-in-d-c

[Joe (SoCal)]

There is a whole lot going on in the David sculpture from a art and historical perspective and it’s freaking marvelous.

The Statue of David embodies the city of Florence, symbolizing independence and strength in the perfect image of youthful beauty. Michelangelo's David took on new meaning shortly after its creation as both a symbol of the Renaissance and a representation of the city itself.

David pre-dates Michelangelo: it was merely a rough slab of marble for ~35 years, deemed unusable for a sculpture until Michelangelo “released” him from his bonds of marble.

David was intended to be viewed from below, Michelangelo eschewed ideal proportioning and instead carved the head, arms, and hands much larger than the torso and legs. This creates the illusion that David is alert and poised for action, especially when viewed from below. The deeply furrowed brow is exaggerated, and the right hand is especially large, possibly as a nod to David’s biblical nickname manu fortis, or strong hand.

The whole gangly essence of the sculpture it to show the moment that David emerges from a boy to a man at the moment just before he fights Goliath.
Michelangelo chose to break with tradition, instead showing the moment before the battle. David is alert and concentrated, standing in classical contrapposto, with a surprisingly small and inconsequential slingshot over his left shoulder—a nod to the Renaissance ideal that man’s victories are due to intellect and confidence, not brute strength.

Unlike Caravaggio‘s David with the Head of Goliath which in very Caravaggio style is brutally gross and violent with the head of Goliath. The head of Goliath is actually a self portrate of Caravaggio, and David is actually his studio assistant and most likely his lover

19348140-6692-418C-BA7A-B6B9C7A4C963.jpg

[Canoeyawl]

Does anyone really think Christ was nailed to the cross with a loin cloth?

[john welsford]

Yep, Florida.

The principal of Florida’s Tallahassee Classical School is out of a job after parents complained that their sixth-grade children were shown Michelangelo’s 16th century “David” sculpture, with one parent calling it “pornographic,”

The principal of Florida’s Tallahassee Classical School is out of a job after parents complained that their sixth-grade children were shown Michelangelo’s 16th century “David” sculpture, with one parent calling it “pornographic,” the Tallahassee Democrat first reported.

The now-former principal, Hope Carrasquilla, told HuffPost the situation was also “a little more complicated than that,” noting that the usual protocol is to send parents a letter before students are shown such classical artwork.

Due to “a series of miscommunications,” the letter did not go out to the sixth-grade parents, and some complained, Carrasquilla said.

One parent was “point-blank upset,” Carrasquilla continued, and “felt her child should not be viewing those pieces.”

The board of the charter school decided Monday to give the principal the choice to resign or be fired after less than a year in the job. She was the school’s third principal since it opened in the fall of 2020, per the Tallahassee Democrat.

The move comes as conservatives in Florida and elsewhere battle to step up their input in primary education.

Michelangelo’s marble sculpture of the Biblical figure David was crafted between 1501 and 1504, originally commissioned for display inside an Italian cathedral. It now resides at the Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence.

https://news.yahoo.com/florida-princ...162441446.html

And this within the country that produces ( and views) around 75% of the worlds porn.

John Welsford

[Garret]

Does anyone really think Christ was nailed to the cross with a loin cloth?

Nope - I always figured they used nails.

[Andrew2]

And this within the country that produces ( and views) around 75% of the worlds porn.

John Welsford

Maybe one is a reaction to the other, not sure which way that works...

Here, rather less hung up. La Rochelle has a yearly erotic exhibition. Well attended and advertised in the local press.

As someone in the other thread quoted a movie actor. "Kissing a nipple is 'X' rated, hacking the breast off with a sword is only 'R' rated." There is something very wrong with that.

[CWSmith]

I'm not sure whether this is real or a ploy to make a point, but it does illustrate that the difference between art and obscenity lies in the eye of the beholder. There is no law that says the beholder needs to have a grain of common sense.

Holy Bible or Holy Smut? A Utah Parent Challenges the Book

A Utah parent wants the Bible banned from school libraries, claiming it violates a new state law that bans “pornographic or indecent” materials in schools.

The parent, who remains anonymous, filed a petition to the Davis School District on Dec. 11, arguing that the Bible contains “incest, onanism, bestiality, prostitution, genital mutilation, fellatio, dildos, rape and even infanticide” and has “no serious values for minors” under the law.

The law, enacted in May 2022, prohibits materials that include “explicit sexual arousal, stimulation, masturbation, intercourse, sodomy or fondling” and other erotic descriptions or depictions.

The law also requires school districts to establish committees to review any materials that are challenged by parents or guardians and to remove them if they are found to be pornographic or indecent.

The Davis School District has 15 such committees that have received more than 250 complaints since the law took effect. Some of the books that have been challenged include titles with LGBTQ content and themes.

“We don’t jump to conclusions, we go through the entire process. We don’t blow off one request because we think it’s silly. This has been very time-consuming,” said Chris Williams, a spokesperson for the district.

The challenge to the Bible has sparked controversy and debate among parents and educators in Utah and beyond. Some see it as a legitimate application of the law, while others see it as an absurd attempt to censor a sacred text.

“The law is meant to protect children from unrestricted access to explicit sexual content in k-12 schools,” said Nichole Mason, president of Utah Parents United, a non-profit group that has advocated for the removal of certain books. “None of the passages from the Bible meet the Bright Line Standard for pornographic content.”

The district has not yet made a decision on whether to ban the Bible or not. The process usually takes about 60 days, but Williams said there is a backlog of requests.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/ho...a51e9058&ei=31

You can read about it in other sources:

https://nypost.com/2023/03/23/utah-p...-pornographic/

https://www.foxnews.com/media/utah-s...-materials-law

https://www.newsweek.com/christians-...le-ban-1790200

https://thehill.com/homenews/3915357...rents-request/

[Joe (SoCal)]

Fixed it

[Garret]

I'm not sure whether this is real or a ploy to make a point, but it does illustrate that the difference between art and obscenity lies in the eye of the beholder. There is no law that says the beholder needs to have a grain of common sense.

I hope they win the case. That might (might) knock a bit of sense into some heads.