Bea V. Larsen . . . .Commentaries

Bea V. Larsen is a Senior Mediator at the Center for Resolution of Disputes in
Cincinnati, Ohio 
Bea V. Larsen

For a number of years Bea V. Larsen, senior mediator at the Center for Resolution of Disputes in Cincinnati, Ohio [www.cfrdmediation.com], presented weekly commentaries on WVXU radio, both on her professional work as a mediator and on more personal or general experiences. These broadcasts reached thousands of listeners in a number of midwestern states and elicited many comments. This new series of online commentaries will continue that tradition, now broadcast to the world via the internet. Comments, which can be posted directly to this blog, are warmly encouraged. More personal background information can be read in the "Introductions" category below.
 

Pretending Not to See (Our Sexy Hero)

Print the article

This entry was posted on 5/28/2006 6:30 AM and is filed under Personally Speaking.

    I own a small sculpture which hangs on my office wall. It is a carved wooden face, eyes wide open. Splayed across the face is a hand with elongated fingers which cover the eyes, but the fingers are spread just far enough apart that the eyes are only partially obscured. One has the sense that the eyes can see while appearing to be hidden from view, or to be hiding from the view. To me, it artfully displays hypocrisy, pretending to not see or know what is actually going on right before our eyes, or within the core of our being.

    I was drawn to this sculpture in part because of the artistry, the texture, the composition. But it also spoke to me of all that we choose not to talk about or admit, day by day, of our hidden private thoughts, yearnings, imaginings and of course, shame. We seek to protect our private life, yet are often eager to secretly peer at the private lives of others. Who doesn't pick up People magazine in the waiting rooms of our lives?

    We've always liked our heroes handsome and sexual, our heroines beautiful with a thinly veiled sexuality. Throw in some power and the formula is potent. Yet when, some years ago, former President Clinton's sexual contact with a pretty, seductive young woman became front page news, many pundits predicted his down fall. A personal tragedy of huge proportion was said to be looming.

    Then, to the surprise of many, given a moment for the roiling seas to calm, Clinton's rating with the public actually rose rather than fell. His political "capital" surely then diminished, but today he remains a charismatic personage. Just this past week his photo appeared on the front page of the New York Times, embracing a smiling Hillary. His presence is in great demand, and met with adulation throughout the world, drawing huge crowds (and high fees) when he appears to speak. I'm not surprised.

    Isn't it plausible that as we are daily inundated by lurid tales of violence and abuse, our secret fears, we can also privately and silently cheer our sometimes irresponsible, handsome sexy heroes and heroines? What are our thoughts when we view a flawed but otherwise admired celebrity? Some, just forgiving, as Hillary appears to be? Do others frown with apparent disapproval, looking askance at a censurable adventurer, all the while being offered approbation and acceptance of who we might actually choose to be, if only in our day dreams?
 

What did you think of this article?




Trackbacks
Trackback specific URL for this entry
  • No trackbacks exist for this post.
Comments
    Display comments as (Linear | Threaded)

    • 5/28/2006 8:21 AM regine wrote:
      Clinton seems to be a person who transcends categeory ,both race and sex. and i think his appeal is that he is everyman at his best and worst. one of the things about judaism that gives me strength is our story is one of people just like that, flawed and struggling . With Clinton, it was in public, most of us in private, but that very struggle is what makes us human.
      Reply to this
    • 5/31/2006 10:03 AM Bob Black wrote:
      My reactions to your statement is rather similar to Regine's. Bill Clinton is such a mixture of qualities that I cannot categorize him. His brilliance, perceptions, eloquence, and humanity are all there, with his sexuality. Discipline does not appear to be there. Perhaps that adds to his attraction.

      He needs history (passage of time) to allow our current preoccupation with sexuality to cool off so that the whole man can be seen in full. I think he will come out with flying colors. Just take one thing: the federal budget was not only balanced during his watch. but he handed Bush a surplus. This and every good thing he did for the nation get swallowed up in the furor over his foolishness in falling for the sexual advances of a young woman. Meanwhile the country is being lead towards various disasters by a president who mouths religious platitudes and appears to be sexually clean. When will we learn to deal honestly and in a balanced way with the sexual side of our nature?

      Bob
      Reply to this
    Leave a comment

    Submitted comments are subject to moderation before being displayed.

     Name

     Email (will not be published)

     Website

    Your comment is 0 characters limited to 3000 characters.



      
    Copyright . http://BEALARSEN.COM. All rights reserved.