BLM is a Marxist Movement and as such is in direct opposition to Libertarian values and ideals. I'm sick of the spinelessness of the Libertarian Party in choosing candidates and representation of people who understand Libertarian Philosophy. Yesterday I watched this Shea Show Video. I also watched as Shea broadcast live from the protest in question. Anyone claiming the BLM banner is a threat to communities like Detroit and pretty much ANY American Constitution-loving community. Last week I wrote a couple letters. Below you will find the text of these letters:
College for Creative Studies
attn: Mr. Donald L. Tuski, president
201 E. Kirby St.
Detroit, MI 48202
July 8, 2020
re: alumni concerns and current events
Dear Mr. Tuski,
In 2001 I graduated from CCS with a BFA in Crafts with a concentration in metals. My graduating class had the distinction of being the last class to have Center for Creative Studies printed on our diplomas. It was also the last official document to list me with my maiden name, Funyak.
I was a somewhat unusual student at CCS at the time in that I was neither from a super rich family that could afford to pay for whatever my heart desired, nor was I from a family so “disadvantaged” that organizations and institutions were throwing money at me for scholarships or grants. I came from a mostly middle-class family that for the most part viewed my college and choice of study as frivolity and useless…a good choice for a girl who they just wanted to push out babies and be a stay at home mom or primary school teacher. I was, however, awarded the alumni scholarship by CSS upon admission based on my in coming portfolio. The school recognized me as having talent worth letting in on probation. While enrolled my parents forced me to live at home with them in Rochester Hills, refusing to co-sign on any of my loans unless I did so. They also refused to pay for anything I needed beyond the food available to me in the house, supplies listed as required on syllabus’, and not charging me rent. I worked four jobs at over 60 hours a week to cover all my other expenses while taking the minimum number of credit hours I could and still be considered a full time student to remain eligible for my scholarship and as such be able to attend CCS. Because of this it took me five years instead of four to get my degree, a degree I fought everyone, my parents, boyfriend(s), doctors, employers, and CCS itself, to achieve. I barely had time to complete homework let alone have or make friends or have any type of fun. It is a degree for which I have respect and been proud to have achieved. The summer before my final year at CCS I married my spouse of the past 20 years, Omar Dahroug. My senior year I completed my course work, exhibition, and Capstone in spite of a difficult pregnancy, miscarriage, and nonconsensual abortion. (I had been carrying twins.) The day after my graduation in 2001 Omar and I boarded a plane and moved to California for his career, where we still live.
In the years following my graduation I have held a number of jobs, most of which have been Art related, but not all. Some jobs have simply been a means to pay for the supplies to create my work and pay submission fees to exhibitions I have rarely been accepted into. That is not to say my career has been without success. I have been published, held positions on boards, owned and operated my own gallery, produced shows, exhibited, facilitated Arts events of all sizes, met many interesting people, served the communities in which I have lived, and most importantly created Art work I believe is relevant, well crafted, and inspired, even if none of it has ever made me money enough to buy myself lunch from a McDonald’s drive through let a lone pay my bills. I have had millions of dollars worth of intellectual property stolen from me without recourse because no one has ever been willing to stand with me against such tyranny. I have faced scoff and contempt from fellow artists because I happened to marry a spouse in the tech industry with a job that could pay most of our bills. For the record, I married for Love, not money, not that it’s anyone’s business besides mine and Omar’s. While all this is the case, we are still no more than upper-middle class and the ONLY reason I was able to pay off the student loans my parents constantly threatened to not co-sign for was because Omar’s father died of a genetic cancer at 62 and left us enough money to do so. I only mention this because for the most part I only hear from anyone at CCS when I’m being asked for money. The last time I was invited with out monetary solicitation to visit with students or staff was to meet Mr. Anthony Spangler. After our meeting I returned home saddened that the school had someone who had no innate understanding of or personal experience in making Art and who seemed to have a targeted political agenda that I do not personally espouse or agree with acting as spokesperson of sorts.
I am a registered Libertarian. I believe in our Constitution, particularly the 1st Amendment (as an Artist and critical free thinker) and the autonomy of the individual. I am disgusted by Communism, Socialism, and Fascism even as I understand the roles they have played in the Arts throughout history. In my adult professional life, in addition to the pursuit of aesthetics, I have also been civically active in grass roots organizations and local politics where ever I have lived. Since creation of true Art is in large part dependent on freedom of expression, I believe it is impossible to separate Art entirely from politics, though I view as crude and vulgar Art that is made purely for the purposes of propaganda. In my opinion, such work is a perfect example of spiritual exploitation and prostitution. The most lasting, effective and celebrated Art has historically proven to be Art made from the perspective of Artist as observer and/or as hypothesis. It is not dependent on race, ethnicity, gender, or socio-economics to exist or assume identity. It transcends IN SPITE of those human assessments and flaws to reach toward and lean into the Divine, however one might understand such Divinity. True Art and it’s place in a healthy society is not to direct opinion, pique titillation, assault personal space or being, or even to educate. Such work lacks ethics and as such lacks integrity and in my opinion, value. The place of Art is to observe and assess, compare and contrast, to grow and to live, to express and stimulate free thought.
I write to you today about such matters because I was totally disappointed CCS, after all its history and the undeniable import of Arts Institutions to remain unbiased and supportive environments for all students to explore without the fear of persecution over lack of political correctness or differing points of view, felt it necessary to make any statement about the George Floyd incident, and what Mr. Spangler addressed as “anti-black racism” in his most recent email. I did not participate in the online alumni discussion. I had no interest in being attacked by self proclaimed “woke” individuals wallowing in their own self-loathing and the Communist Agenda instigated race-baiting that is currently so en vogue. While I fully support CCS’s efforts to re-open in the fall for classes, I certainly hope BLM rhetoric has not become curriculum. In my work I came in close contact with this group as it was forming. The group is overtly Marxist and as such against the Constitution and the rights so dear and essential to the process of critical thought essential in the creation and preservation of Art. I certainly would hope CCS would want nothing to do with an organization that values the destruction of any Art, but in particular public Art, regardless of the Art’s subject matter. The actions of BLM are in and of themselves racist and fascist, as Marxism is designed to be. In all honesty, I have never encountered “anti-black racism” but as a woman with Romani heritage I sure as hell have experienced race hatred directed at myself and my work throughout my life, particularly in the greater Detroit area, and I was regularly harassed on CCS’s campus while enrolled by a black female security guard.
Because of metro-Detroit traffic patterns and CCS’ attendance policy and requirements I used to leave my house in Rochester Hills at 4:30AM to assure I’d be on time for 8AM classes. Leaving at that hour assured that I missed rush hour and would be on time, but it meant that I arrived very early before campus was officially open. Frequently I would sleep in my vehicle in the student parking lot until campus was open, but sometimes I would ask the security guard to let me in so I could work, get in out of the bitter Detroit cold, or away from the weekly stink of the incinerator and slaughter houses. I never knew the security guard’s name, but the first time I asked her to please let me in the Yamasaki Building she asked for a bribe. All I had was the small amount of cash I had on hand for my lunch. After that she shook me down for my lunch money at least once a week. There were many times I went without a proper lunch because of lack of funds. I guess she assumed that because I was attending CCS and was not black I was in some way privileged and owed her something. Or maybe she was just a drug addict or a creep. There are creeps and addicts of all colors out there just as there are wonderful people of all colors out there. Three of the most influential Artists and teachers in my entire life have been Gilda Snowden, Lester Johnson, and Tony Williams. I Love them. I respect them and their work, and I am grateful for them in my life and as a beacon of goodness in this horrid World. I miss Tony and Gilda fiercely and I reiterate that I am deeply disappointed and offended by the decisive nature of the email sent to me requesting my thoughts on “anti-black racism”. I have repeatedly attempted to partner with CCS in the development of programs in my own career that would benefit students without access to funds…students who were like me, regardless of their skin color or any other bullshit category of arbitrary division…for summer enrichment and experience to no avail. I don’t have extra money sitting around to just send a check to the alumni scholarship fund and it costs me far too much to ship my work back for a one month alumni exhibition for the purposes of vanity. I am happy to discuss this with you further should you be interested, but don’t ever expect me apologize to anyone for not being black or claim that I have had an “easy time of things” because I’m not black. Such things are a waste of time and destroy everyone’s freedom of expression and the future of free thought, Art and Art institutions. How long until they start tossing statues into the ocean? Have we learned nothing from Art History or is Art preservation now passé and racist? Thank you for your time and look forward to your reply.
As I always am,
Larissa Dahroug
American multi-disciplinary Conceptual Fine Artist and co-owner of The Kitty Pants Ranch
cc: Anthony Spangler, alumni relations
AND
attn: Mr. Jack Dorsey, CEO
355 Market Street, Suite 900
San Francisco, CA 94103
July 8, 2020
re: suspension of my account, Spatoochna, and violation of 1st Amendment Rights
Dear Mr. Jack Dorsey
I have been an intermittent user of your social media platform for over a decade. I am not rich and famous. I am not a criminal. I am an American citizen, artist, resident of California, pro-choice Catholic, and registered Libertarian. Approximately six months ago my Twitter account was suspended after an exchange with some persons claiming to also be Libertarian, disagreeing on a woman’s right to choose. I have no problem disagreeing with others. I do have a problem with being stalked both online and in real life, and being censored. Around the same time I had the exchange in question I had also been contacted through Direct Messaging on your platform by a person or persons representing themselves as: Andrew Bogut, Prince Andrew, Jason Statham, one of the Saudi Princes, and a number of men claiming to be US military officers. I suspected all were hoaxes particularly after a person describing themselves as a representative of Andrew Bogut attempted to extort me for $1,500.00 USD in a private email exchange.
Originally when the interaction in question happened, Twitter reinstated my account with no stipulations. A few days later, for some reason of which I have not been informed, Twitter again suspended my account. I have attempted to contact Twitter many times via the internet and have received no response. Given today’s Supreme Court ruling about employers and women’s health care I contact you formally. I firmly request an explanation about why my account was suspended and why my First Amendment Rights have been violated. I am not incarcerated, nor have I ever been so. I am not mentally deficient, nor am I threat to myself or anyone else. I have made no threats of violence or harm against any person or group. Nor have I slandered anyone. In recent months celebrities such as Connor McGregor have openly made physical threats to others via your platform and have not been subject to consequence. Donald Trump makes false statements on your platform almost daily. Many people use your platform to disperse pornographic or nearly pornographic material for free as well as for profit. I do not. So, why have I been targeted and silenced on your platform? Is it because my husband is a Google employee and Twitter has bias or vendetta against Google? Is it because some ignorant Millenial has whined about my opinions and Twitter is so spineless that they are unable to stand up for law abiding citizens use of their platform out of fear of ‘Woke Millenial’s' immature and ignorant temper tantrums? Is it because someone in the US Government and/or some religious or political institution is targeting me because I engage in critical thought and understand the implications and impetus of Right Wing extremists in our Government and lives? Is it because I don’t matter because I’m not black or LGBTQ? Is it because some Entertainment Industry thief doesn’t want to admit to all the intellectual property they have stolen from me? Since your platform is public and free of charge to use, and I am an American Citizen who still has respect for our Constitution, in particular the 1st Amendment, I firmly request an explanation from you and your company as to why you are censoring me and who, if anyone, has lodged complaint against me and for what reason. I thank you for your time and prompt reply.
As I always am,
Larissa Dahroug
American multi-disciplinary Conceptual Fine Artist and co-owner of The Kitty Pants Ranch
cc: Sundar Pichai, CEO Google, The Googleplex, 1600 Ampetheater Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043
Enough is enough. I am starting my own Political Party. You are welcome to join me. This Party is called the Common Sense Party, inspired by Thomas Paine. Over the next week or so I will create a page with a detailed description of my Party's Platform, documents and literature that have informed my Platform, and a link to join. I will also be reserching what process I need to follow in order to formally establish my Party. For now, if you are interested in doing some reading I suggest: Common Sense by Thomas Paine, The Declairation of Independence and Constitution of The United States of America, April Morning by Howard Fast, Civil Disobedience by Thoreau, and Tar Baby by Toni Morrison. You don't have to accost yourself by watching Ben Shapiro or Candice Owens or anyone else from the "Libertarian" Party ANYMORE. Let's build a new house for those of us who still value the Constitution can live and utter the words: "My life matters and so does yours." and have no need to fear being harmed.
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