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The Frame

Island Life

"Unless you frame yourself, others will frame you- the media, your enemies, your competitors, your well-meaning friends…All words in all languages are defined in terms of frame circuits in the brain. But, ultimately, framing is about ideas, about how we see the world, which determines how we act…" George Lakoff

For most of my life I’ve always felt that even though I was a part of a club, I never really felt like a member. This is why I have a hard time with committees- why I recently deactivated (love that term) from the Facebook. It’s not for lack of wanting to belong- it’s just that somehow that doesn’t seem to be in the cards. It has been a part of my difficult time in synchronizing with the OWS movement- the other minor problem being the fact that, in some circles, those three letters stand for open water swim. Besides traveling around for a number of Wendy’s aquatic endeavors over the past Summer, there is some significance to the realization that my life metaphor for the last ten years has been the troublesome, recurring private image of my trying to tread water while hanging on to two cement blocks- a near-drowning analogy that certainly propels a good many of the words and deeds and frames of the anti-Wall Street clan. But still, I was having a hard time connecting to that with some sort of Island relevance.

That was until I opened up the internets pages of the other Island newspaper recently to find out that I had become a bit more famous, or infamous, depending on which side of the Wall you are on. It was interesting visiting another frame of the action, not unlike tuning in to an episode of the Fox news. There was sensationalism, with the photo caption stating that "…the word "murder" was stenciled on the stump." There was fear-mongering, with the news that "the area had long been a site for loitering and drinking." There were twisted truths: "The eucalyptus….was in bad shape…". And there was concern that bird people were about to take over downtown Vashon: "…they plan to remove the railroad ties that now provide a perch for people." There was even the implication that cutting down the trees is a new cure for people afflicted by substance abuse problems, and one can hear an emphatic endorsement of this clinical procedure in a quote from the head of the Vashon Alliance to Reduce Substance Abuse, Luke McQuillin: "It’ll be a big visual improvement, for sure." Yes, doesn’t it look great without all those drinking vagrants- out of sight, out of mind. Now I see how this framing thing works.

The most interesting news for me was not that I’d done the deed- I’m drowning after all, not sleep walking. No, what I liked most about the article was the statement that I couldn’t be reached for comment. I don’t know what it’s like in your club, but when I hear or read those words it implies some kind of guilt and that the supposed perpetrator is hiding something. It’s true- I did it. What isn’t being said is that they had a week to contact me and didn’t. I can thank modern technology for that fact based truism, as there were no missed calls indicated on my cell phone or any emails from the other editor evident in my inbox. As with Fox news and the main stream media, if you don’t want an answer, don’t ask for it. What also isn’t mentioned here is that earlier this year the other editor had no problem sending me an email asking for any (free) pictures I had of bicyclists on Vashon. I believe they used one I sent.

So perhaps I am a member of the OWS club after all. Maybe with my one day performance piece and temporary installation I can claim some semblance of membership in the 99% by, for a short period of time on Art Walk Friday, occupying a park on Our Street. There is a certain irony in the fact that originally the idea for a small park in this space was to make the town a more inviting place. Now with the stated goal that "...it won’t be a park that encourages lingering…" , we can see the further sterilization of Vashon. If you aren’t here to buy something- bugger off. And perhaps if this "park with no seating" type of golden arches of green spaces catches on, we could find even more areas in town ripe for ethical and moral cleansing. Or not. There was the concession in regard to the murder stencil and candles in the park (they didn’t mention the crime scene tape) from one of the pharmacy owners that- "People can express themselves." Sounds like an open invitation to me, and when it happens- you’ll hear it here first.