A mother and her two children sculpted a replica of Venus de Milo's famous nude from snow in their front yard. Though many passersby praised their creativity and skill, one good Christian neighbor complained to police who told Eliza Gonzalez and her children they must either cover the work or destroy it. Gonzalez complied by dressing it up with a bikini top and sarong, but noted she thought that "objectified and sexualized" it even more.
A willing ignorance toward art, culture, science, and general knowledge and education cannot be tolerated, even if it is in the name of religion. The Constitution gives us the right to religious freedom, but also the right to personal freedoms, and the two should not cancel-out one another; the neighbor should not have the right to oppress others based on his/her religious or moral convictions. How do I know this Good Neighbor was a Christian? Well, I don't - s/he could just as well have been a Muslim; I know it was one of these religions - one associated with the Judaeo-Christian mythology - because this is America and that's how those people work!
It is certainly no more inappropriate for children to see this piece than it is for them to be ashamed of the human body. There is no denying this is a work of art - not just because it is the recreation of a world-famous piece of art - and the family should have the right to display it as it was intended without fear of reprisal or censorship.
© C Harris Lynn, 2010
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I should have added that it's always possible the cop himself was "offended" or decided he best "nip it in the bud" before someone actually did complain and made-up the story about a neighbor complaining. Either way, it's embarrassing to America.
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