I was in Indianapolis this past weekend, and, among other virtues, the city is known for its quantity and quality of monuments. They all pay tribute to great men/women/events without paying tribute to themselves or their artists. In short, they are dignified, just as we wish to recall the times or people memorialized. John Paul II was a dignified man, alive with the dignity of Christ. In fact, he spent vast swaths of his papacy spreading the Gospel message of the dignity of each human person; from the Poles under Soviet oppression, to the unborn, to the elderly, to the workers, and to young people. And, we repay his beloved and dignified memory with something that bears a strange resemblance to a door-less, green port-a-potty.
It may be "politically incorrect" to complain about the decline of Western civilization, but with "art" like this littering the streets, the fact of the matter becomes more and more apparent. Rampant and unchecked individualism, combined with an adolescent love of rebellion has lead to artists creating works that glorify themselves instead of object itself. Art becomes an "original product" rather than a thing of beauty. And we end up with things like this - the Vicar of Christ looking like something vaguely fascist and sci-fi at the same time.
Here ends today's rant.