February 22, 2003
Greetings Accumulators!
We are back from Florida and very glad we missed the giant storm that
blanketed a good portion of the country with snow measured in feet, not
inches. He Who Is the Light Of My Life spent a good amount of time watching
The Weather Channel, pointing at the TV screen, and saying
"Hahahahahahahaha". We did get to visit some antiques shops while we were
in Florida and my observations about them are very similar to what I
noticed in Nashville. There were lots of overpriced items in the malls and
group shops, and they were all sitting there gathering dust. Even in a good
economy, I can't believe people would pay some of those prices. Artie and I
also visited some very high end importers, folks who bring in container
loads from Europe. We looked at many $22,000 desks and $50,000 tables and
they were just sitting there too, in shops devoid of customers. In fact,
one shop we were in was dark. The owner stayed one room ahead of us so he
could turn on the lights. Can't imagine that would be happening if they
were doing any business. What I'm saying is that dealers will just have to
hunker down until the economy picks up. Antiques and collectibles ar indeed
luxury items and, with a bad economy and lots of uncertainty about a
looming war, luxuries are the first things people decide to forego.
FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF VERY TOUCHY SUBJECTS
Now, there's going to be some politically incorrect language in this story,
so if it's going to upset you, move on to the next paragraph please. A
California-based organization called the National Alliance for Positive
Action (NAPA - get it?) claims to have asked eBay to stop the listing of
items they say are racially offensive and demeaning to black people. I say
the claim to have approached eBay because eBay says they are unaware of any
such request. I doubt very much whether they are actually a national
organization, but that has nothing to do with it. The group is offended by
items that depict blacks as having "large red lips, dark skin and rolling
eyes" a caricature depicted on a mechanical bank. They say the "n" word was
used to describe the bank. This is utter nonsense. The bank, made in the
late 19th and early 20th centuries is called "The Jolly Nigger". It was
made at a time when the word was socially acceptable. And that's the bank's
name. Is the group actually advocating that a seller change the name of
something so as not to offend them? I've seen auction listings for the
bank, where it's called "The Jolly Black Man" and that always struck me as
silly. I think I'd be offended if I saw the bank described as "the head of
a nigger". That would be insensitive at best. But, the item has a title,
and "Jolly Nigger" is it. Let me just add something you probably all know:
it is common practice for people of color to call each other "Nigger". It
is, apparently, a term of endearment. Is it not racism to forbid people to
use the word even when it is a factual name for something? I'm sorry, but
is it not racism to forbid one race of persons to use a word that is
perfectly acceptable when it is used by another race? Is it right for us to
rewrite history, to rename things because of an offense taken centuries
later? Does using the actual name of the object mean one condones the way
things were? I think not. Nevertheless, I find the word ugly and cruel, so
I don't use it. Except when someone says, "What do you call that mechanical
bank over there?" Then I say, "It's called The Jolly Nigger Bank." I think
there's more to learn about prejudice by being accurate. There's more to
learn about the history of our country by observing how things actually
were than by sanitizing things and making them inaccurate. Changing
historical reality is a slippery slope, and I don't want to go there. This
oughta fill up my mailbox!
THOSE WILD AND CRAZY DUTCH FOLK DEPARTMENT
Some of you may be too young to remember the sixties. Then again, you may
have heard of the Plaster Casters, young women who went around making
plaster casts of rock stars' - um - privates. Before they did the actual
casting, the young ladies were rumored to have assisted the musicians in
looking their most - um - upright. A Utrecht book show has made plaster
casts of the genitals of Dutch writers and is trying to sell them. Some
prominent authors, both male and female, have apparently agreed to "sit"
for the casts. Show organizer and author, Vrouwkje Tuinman, said it was not
an easy task to make the casts. "You have to sit for at least 20 minutes in
a rubber mould", he told a local newspaper, "and all the time a possible
erection is not allowed." Just think about football, Guys. If the plaster
casts are not sold, organizers want to offer them to the Literary Museum in
Den Haag. Mr Tuinman said: "I expect nobody will buy our genitals and by
the end the Literary Museum won't accept them either. But anyway, it's a
very funny thing to do." Yes, the Dutch are famous for their uproarious
sense of humor. No word on whether collectors want to touch the casts, much
less purchase them.
SITES TO SEE
Underwater Discovery - Yes, the unseen world beneath the sea houses
artifacts, lost cities and sundry objects, items that provide a unique
glimpse of history. The Franck Goddio Society preserves and reveals this
history for all to see. Goddio has discovered more than ten historically
important underwater sites, including Napolean's sunken fleet. Here they
are displayed , along with ongoing missions, in photos, mission reports and
maps. Galleries show artifacts, exploration equipment and startling
undersea images of work in progress. Don't miss it!
LINK
Art By Elephants.Com - Yes, they've been painting for years, and some of it
is wonderful! Go look at the elephant art presented by The Western Forest
Elephant Conservation Project in Thailand. You can even enter a contest to
win an elephant painting. LINK
Great Speeches - Think Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" or Lou
Gehrig's farewell speech and you'll come to realize that speaking the right
words at the right point in history is an art form. This art sometimes
changes the world. The History Channel's Great Speeches site is a powerful
place. Search politics and government, science and technology, arts and
culture,
war and diplomacy to listen to such gems as Prime Minister Tony Blair's
speech on the loss of the "people's princess," and Anita Bryant's 1977
forgiveness speech after being smacked in the face with a cream pie by a
gay rights activist. LINK
Accumulators, I love the time I spend with you, but I haven't unpacked yet.
I've been at this computer trying to catch up with work since 6:00 AM. So,
I've gotta go. Wishing you a fruitful, enjoyable week. Until we meet again,
Happy hunting!
Best,
Judith
© 2003 Judith Katz-Schwartz. All rights reserved.
Antiques and Collectibles Newsletter #209
U.S. Library of Congress
ISSN 1520-4464
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Your comments, as always, are welcome. If you have something to say, write to me.
To subscribe to the free short weekly email newsletter, send a blank email to subscribe-judith@topica.com.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
RETURN TO INDEX OF NEWSLETTERS