The Cancellation of a Brazilian Artist
thecritic.co.uk> I am a Brazilian visual artist — or at least I was until I was cancelled in September 2021. My crime?
I don't understand. Did the police stop her from making art or did she choose to stop because nobody cared?
These "canceled" pieces always shoot themselves in the foot by not leading with tangible damages. I frankly do not care if the internet bullies you for sharing an opinion, I put up with that on a regular basis and I'm not even an artist myself.
Maybe read past the first sentence - all will be explained.
I did, until I reached the part that claims "In Brazil, currently, no one in the mainstream media challenges gender theories." and realized that I was reading a fiction story.
It's not a fiction story. It's a first-hand, viscerally personal account of a female artist who was bullied out of her profession for expressing views the bullies disagreed with.
Good thing she didn't try a career in politics, huh?
I don't understand what point you are trying to make.
Well I guess there's a pretentious, poorly-drawn XKCD comic for every occasion.
Harassment, intimidation and violence are not "consequences" to be celebrated or excused.
Again, had she tried running for office then she would have been democratically put out of a job too.
It's tough business, having an opinion. It's like having an asshole; everyone's got one, and we all think yours stinks.
She's not running for office, so that hypothetical is not even relevant.
Do you have any other knee-jerk reactionary comments to offer? If so perhaps keep them to yourself.
Good luck, to her. She's going to need to grow a backbone if she wants to sell her opinion to one of the world's largest queer population centers.
Shame her whole career in art didn't work out. Sometimes it's just the audience, yunno?
She details what happens.
> I lost count of how many people were harassed for following me on Instagram and reported unfollowing me out of fear. They even looked up followers’ employers on LinkedIn. I had to delete all the online photos where I appeared with friends. Pages replicated my name with the adjectives transphobic, racist, and even Nazi. Death threats flooded my inbox, always graphic, with much hatred directed at my vagina and my mouth, calling it “dirty pussy” and worse, threatening to “cut your tongue, take out your teeth”. The profile of the gallery that represents my artwork was sent countless messages, with artists asking for my work to be burned or at least for the gallery to stop representing me. They flooded my daughter’s Instagram profile too.
> People threatened others via inbox if they had anyone among their followers who still followed me. Curators threatened artists, artists threatened curators, and negotiated curatorial and art texts written as payment for the heresy of having given me a supportive “like”.
Then she lists some of the consequences of this harassment:
> While I don’t receive as many threats today, the invitations for projects have dried up. Jobs in the art world are rare, if not non-existent, and associating with me seems to be considered criminal. I keep trying to hold my head high, but it’s increasingly difficult.
> After everything I’ve given to art, I now find myself unable to invest in my daughter’s education, the one thing my family did for me. It breaks my heart. It hurts even more to know that, for her safety, she denies being my daughter when asked on the street.
Tough on her. Maybe she should call Brendan Eich and ask him how he recovered his career.
It's tough business, protesting populist causes and court rulings. After a certain point you kinda get why the John McAfees and Jordan Petersons of the world are considered radioactive by HR.
Because they threaten, harass, boycott, and stir up bad PR? You're suggesting the only recourse for people like Aleta would be to defame, boycott, and threaten violence against these people even further. It's medieval.
Medieval is right.