Shepard Fairey and Sarah Palin

More ‘street’ than thou

I really appreciated Seth Combs’ take on what happened to the Shepard Fairey piece in Hillcrest [“Art & Culture,” Dec. 22]. I would hate for someone to do that to my public work. And if I caught someone doing that, I just might lose my cool and choke that person out.

But it’s important to remember that the thing that made a lot of these artists important is the subversive nature of their early work. What “polo Joe” did was ugly and didn’t take much skill, but at the end of the day, no one was hurt and it was a lot more “street” than doing a pretty mural on the side of Urban Outfitters that’s been commissioned by [a major museum].

Art is in the process. And the fact that the person most likely got up in the early hours of the night, filled a portable fire extinguisher with paint, somehow walked though Hillcrest with that thing, did that to Shepard’s piece and got away with it is at the very least kind of interesting.

Hopefully fellow artists in the future could appreciate cool murals in the city and not vandalize them, but as an art community, we have to learn to take the good with the bad.

Sergio hernandez, Lemon Grove

Look in the mirror

I can think of very few things as disgusting, libelous, dishonorable, irrational, unintelligent and downright opportunistic as your vicious attacks and pathetic attempts to lay blame on Sarah Palin and the right for the actions of a crazy man. If anyone is guilty of “wild exaggeration,” it is your paper.

Without a shred of evidence linking these murders to any perceived “climate,” or even a particular political philosophy, you jump on the chance to take the tragedy of 9-year-old girl’s death to mudsling, and yet somehow we’re supposed to view you as that reasonable ones?

You know, the most amusing thing was, I picked up the prior week’s CityBeat after the Tucson massacre and found it filled with violent vitriol and name-calling aimed at the Tea Party. Yet, somehow, you demand respect you and much of the left has not earned. Guess what: It’s not acceptable to call people “teabagger,” nor to point to legitimate views about “big government” (views as old as this nation, even older) and label them extremist.

Your editorial is absolutely no different than Palin’s map—which aimed at taking seats at districts, not to take out individuals. You, however, are just too smugly arrogant and absolutely craven to admit it. Your ugliness, you find, is just too cleverly snarky, so you wallow in your hypocrisy, blind to your own advice to others. People in glass houses should not throw stones, the pot should not call the kettle black, and hatemongers like yourselves should clean up your own act before taking aim (oh, look, another weapon metaphor—a pretty common one at that) at those holding opposing viewpoints.

But the fact of the matter is, hyperbole, insults and heated discourse have always been a part of politics. And anger is often justified and is often a motivator for positive change. It is a big mistake to confuse violence, anger and colorful language—and a bigger mistake to suggest some sort of correlation.

If you were really honest in suggesting we “cool our jets,” you should have cooled yours first.

Jason thornton, University Heights

Editor’s note: For clarification, our editorial did not lay blame for Jared Loughner’s crimes on Palin, the right or an inflamed political climate. Mr. thornton should read it again. And the “teabagger” stuff he’s referring to was in letters to the editor, not written by CityBeat writers.

This issue of CityBeat is brought to you by MSNBC fans who thought Countdown with Keith Olbermann jumped the shark on Nov. 8, 2008.