EUPHORIA

CHILLOSOPHY

Old virginity with new holes, or why does a woman continue to be an extension of the male ego? Proud love of suffering. Or a discount on virginity-retrieval surgery.

- What does your tattoo mean? The cab driver asked, looking at my wrist shimmering with rainbows and rain

- That I’m in the minority, I answered and pulled my sleeve over my wrist.

If you leave, 50 more will come. I watched an interview with an elderly actress who talked about the pressing issue as a given rather than a problem. Even if I don’t agree I am always won over by a person’s ability to talk about an agenda the wrong way. She talked about the normalcy of sex for a role in a movie, about gratitude to the director and producer, about the betrayal of those who took what they were promised and then bit the hand that fed her. Yes yes, no no. You have a choice, this is not a situation where some devil jumps out from around the corner and rapes you, or the gift of a role, after being unexpectedly raped by a producer, this is a deal. You’re warned, you walk into a room knowing there’s no tale of the lion king waiting for you, you agree. It’s a problem of using power to satisfy your lustful ego. It must be said that it’s not just men who use their power, women endowed with resources often don’t miss an opportunity to bite off a tidbit during a party either. There are fewer of them, of course, but it is the power and ego, not just the sex of the man. Get rid of the inner victim, accept the fact that you were one of the parties in the signing of the contract. Violence is sex against the will. When you have a choice, it’s a different story. Basically, the power is with the one who got the part, not the one who gave it. The producer gets 10–15 minutes of sex and you get a famous name, magazine covers, and millions in royalties, so who’s the fool? Times have changed, getting something for sex has become a bad thing. Talking about the problem from different angles becomes the right thing to do. The louder we talk about the problem, the faster things change. But in any case, there will still be those who will do things the old way, because why not?

- No one can bring us to our knees. We are, and will remain, lying, Gerta quoted the famous writer, trying to get the frog out of the toy machine

People are like sausages, what they are stuffed with, that’s what they carry in them. Most accept the stuffing, tolerate it, don’t seek to change it, or at least find out what the stuffing is made of. It’s easier that way. The minority refuses to close their eyes and ears. The minority always suffers, but their names are forever in history. Their suffering is not meaningless as they try to stuff it to us. The Iranian woman who defended women who took off their headscarves in protest against the compulsory wearing of the hijab, who defended political prisoners, who were sentenced to death, at the cost of her life fought for the values she believed in while most shamefully averted their eyes. Are people who are in the majority stupid? More likely unhappy. Seeing beyond the reach is a rare gift, a difficult but amazing one. Having an opinion is a tremendous power. Defending one’s opinion is courage that has no boundaries. Running away from persecution for one’s opinion is not cowardice, but an opportunity to let yourself live a long life following your truth.

- Is Dostoevsky better to read when you feel bad or when you feel good? argued several scholars at the illustration exhibit

- When you don’t know how you feel, Robert said as he came out of the bathroom and headed for the exit.

After a few extravagant falls on bathroom tiles, the camera catches the balance and observes a most narcissistic manipulator with lost victim syndrome. The camera is a haughty witness to the artful masturbation for the benefit of a beautiful frame and the start of an antique silent movie about the world of someone who is a reflection of your inner world. Are you waiting for a heartfelt confession? Regret? Forgiveness? I’m afraid I can’t give you this pleasure, but I can do something else that will probably satisfy you too. I am here, laying in my bathtub and masturbating on camera. So began Marina’s confession. Once again, I am trying to get into other people’s brains; this is my thing, I guess. Do you think that you are tired? Are you tired? Cornered? Am I scared? Each of you will answer this question yourself. I can make another clue; I do not think there is one reason or it is obvious. You have not thought about it, have you? That there will be something obvious and predictable here? If so, you are idiots.

Man’s main task in life is to give life to himself, to become what he potentially is. The most important fruit of his efforts is his own personality. Erich Fromm, The Art of Loving