Thursday, May 28, 2009
Thousand words
A few weeks ago Polistra wrote a long piece on the decline of small towns.
This picture on Shorpy.com illustrates the point perfectly. Yes, we still have county fairs, and we still have County Demonstration Agents or Extension Agents. But they don't matter now.
These Vigo County girls mattered, and their preserves were worth the effort of displaying artistically. (And undoubtedly worth the effort of eating reverently. Yum!) And Miriam Retherford mattered. Her artistic calligraphy and artistic arrangement helped to preserve the whole event for posterity.
In a globalized and televised world there are no small ponds. Your efforts don't matter unless you can make a big enough splash to move the ocean. Quality, slapdash, all the same. No point in preserving, no point in artistry, because your job will be handed to a fucking Chinaman tomorrow. ¶ 9:04 PM
This picture on Shorpy.com illustrates the point perfectly. Yes, we still have county fairs, and we still have County Demonstration Agents or Extension Agents. But they don't matter now.
These Vigo County girls mattered, and their preserves were worth the effort of displaying artistically. (And undoubtedly worth the effort of eating reverently. Yum!) And Miriam Retherford mattered. Her artistic calligraphy and artistic arrangement helped to preserve the whole event for posterity.
In a globalized and televised world there are no small ponds. Your efforts don't matter unless you can make a big enough splash to move the ocean. Quality, slapdash, all the same. No point in preserving, no point in artistry, because your job will be handed to a fucking Chinaman tomorrow. ¶ 9:04 PM
