Reply #21: "L'Apres Midi D'Un Faune"

[saigon68]

Now standing in front of "L'Apres Midi D'Un Faune" which shows a prisoner daubed in his own excrement in front of a prison guard] "According to the Geneva convention, prisoners of war should be treated with respect and fed and clothed and looked after to a reasonable standard. I'm shattered and surprised that so much violence goes on…I never thought that was the case - I think there is the odd moment when somebody behaves badly, but it's supposed to be controlled.

Where are the officers , if there are any officers? Actually, we now know that this is a strategy, isn't it, in the war against terrorism? But I just don't buy the idea that prisoners were stripped in the Second World War or had things like this happen to them. This is so crude isn't it? Look how pathetic it is to make a man stand in front of you smeared with his own excrement, what a stupid bloody thing to do and how diminishing for you. It's quite interesting that the Iraqi had a rather beautiful and graceful body and even in his humiliation is graceful and the American guard has got his big beer belly hanging over his belt, a pointy head, an awkward stance and looks really as though he doesn't know what he's doing except that he's got a large truncheon and a pair of gloves



Link: http://poetes.com/mallarme/faune.htm



"If it's organized violence like an army and it's going to justify its actions then it ought to behave really well, especially if it has absolutely overwhelming power - they don't need to use whips and boots when they've got Napalm, surely?" --- Gerald Laing