guiliani and free expression

To some, the image of the holy Virgin Mary juxtaposed with displays of excrements and pornography may seem sacreligious , blasphemous, and in the words of Mayor Rudy Guiliani, "sick" and "disgusting". He is allowed freedom of speech to voice his opinions about this piece of art. The question brought to the table is why can't Ofili, the creator, have his views expressed as he wishes? His vehicle of expression just happens to be art. Regardless, each person should have the right to express themself freely. Guiliani is wrong and unjust in his actions against the Brooklyn Museum, which exhibits this man's work, as well as against the artist's creative expression. I intend to show that Guiliani violated these rights.

Art, as an entity, has always been hard to define. What some may consider art may be garbage to someone else. But no matter the content or color of the work in question, it is a personal expression of one's self. It can express something about the individual, a society, an issue, a controversy, or anything. In this case the artist chose to express his message with religion and sex intertwined, an offensive combination t

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It would be a different story if it were his money because it would be his problem and he'd react by pulling his personal funds to make a stand for the way he feels. Therefore, his basis for disgust is not grounded. He is treading on thin ice in regards to this moral issue. But he's taking an unjust stand and using the taxpayer's money to do so. Yet to a Hindu who has never seen the image of the Virgin Mary, this exhibit would not spark the same outrage. Clearly, he has violated Ofili's right to expression. This is an unjust situation that needs to be addressed. Moreover, he is on the verge of violating his entire city's right to public access .

Guiliani is also violating the people of NYC's right to access of public resources. He is being influenced perhaps by his own personal religious beliefs, while there are certainly others who can not relate to his outrage because they have no idea who or what the Virgin Mary represents. No one has stifled his voice regarding his outrage, so it seems ironic that he can do that very thing to the situation at hand. It also seems he is being affected due to the religious nature and tone of the art. Due to his outrage he threatened to freeze all funds to the museum that housed this exhibit. He's violating their right to see something they've already indirectly paid for.

Common topics in this essay:
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Approximate Word count = 794
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

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