Скачать или смотреть Speaking of Seeing: Ridicule

What does it mean to ridicule, really? What is its source? And, how does it feel when we are ridiculed; what does it teach us, and can it ever be positive? Photographer Bill Wadman and I discuss the currency of shame and how it is weaponised against us and by us, leveraging power in even the most subtle of relationship dynamics. From the Ridicule Poles of Tlingit communities, to the new-classical paintings of French Merveilleuses, we consider how we use ridicule to overcome adversity, to thwart our enemies, and to assert our authority, binding us together in a collective of shame. It makes me wonder about our capacity to do anything other than seek dominance. I consider my own impulse to ridicule.
With thanks to Bill for his ongoing support for the Speaking of Seeing project.