Byline: Masking The Way To The Top

Buford Youthward
stockcap@hotmail.com

In the comic books of our youth, heroes and villains wore masks, projecting multiple metaphysical implications. Quite often masks are found in horror stories, in graphic novels and on the faces of local graffiti writers.

Becoming and being, nature and history, if these elements loop culture and civilization in steady rotation, feeling the pulse, conveying the beat, is the work of demigods, heroes and the inner comic book editor in all of us. It's hard to be trigger shy when you're trying to troubleshoot, engaged in the process of figuring it out. At the end of the day when you fold up the flag, you gotta call the flagpole as you see it.

Notions of imperialism and policies of regime change share the same odor. Sniffing the spin is no great historical feat. Cultures can only be read when cracks are visible. Just as rivers and fault lines allow one to orient themselves with a map.

Perspective and context place life in three dimensions, completely engaged in the process of effecting possibilities. Rhythm dictates the properties of the species, limits and inward forms, formations and transformations. Becoming and being.

Adopting a will to life, a will to action provides equal consequence. Gambling with consequences is its own reward. Like Oswald Spengler believes, nature and history are archenemies.

Oftentimes, we choose shapes of least resistance, deciding which masks to assume by way of allowing the masks to assume us. Don't be deterred by the regimented ranks rising up. All imperialism begins with individualism. Infections spread at regulated intervals. We measure progress with nuclear clocks and atomic timetables. Hourglasses of blood and sand bottleneck and disperse, like riot gear and crowd control chemicals in periodic civil rights marches staged throughout civilization.

It's been a long, long time since wars have been waged in the name of the devil. The world is not ready to face itself yet, at least not without its proper mask on.

Read more in Byline

Art Crimes Front Page
Google
Web www.graffiti.org