Help End Mobbing With Art

Strength and dignity are her clothing...

Proverbs 31:25

Author's Note: I have been enjoined from sharing the details of my true romance adventure until such time that the other party is prepared to present her perspective on the affair arrangement...

On the second to last weekend of June, 2011, I had joined my fellow naturists at a gathering of the Naturist Society in rural Pennsylvania. The next day I left on a flight for Europe. By the end of the week I had unexpectedly met another naturist, a woman, who was destined to accompany me on a tour of Europe's great naturist resorts.

Call it an accident. Call it divine will. I was never supposed to meet Margo...if not for one man's random criminal act...another abuse piled upon humanity by a fellow human. A robbery. A purse-snatching of a purse that happened to contain a passport. An assault on the human body. One of society's bad habits that I had come to fight as an artist working for body acceptance.

I was American. Freshly arrived in Europe and the new owner of a '97 Ford Escort made in Germany. The only thing I had to complain about was the fact that the owner's manual was in German. She was from Poland, and a German-language owner's manual for a car bought in Poland wasn't the only thing she had to complain about. Something as small as that didn't even register.

As far apart culturally as we may have been, we spent 6,000 miles in one car. We spent over 40 nights in one tent. We started learning how to listen to each other. We started learning how to accept our differences and how to let them help us instead of driving us apart. Slowly but surely, we started learning how to beat the devils that abuse us.

One of Margo's pictures from our trip across Europe. — 6,000 miles across Europe with a complete stranger
**Day 12**
7/31/2011
⚔ 11༛♊²⁵/₂₄♀
Camping Trenta
Trenta, Slovenia
THE DISAPPEARING WOMAN, THE DISAPPEARING MAN...
a collection of modern art prints and posters
During our trip across Europe, Margo very bravely opened up to me and to the camera. It was a difficult thing to do considering the scars that she carries. I wanted to share with the world her often joyful, often sad, often angry but always liberating experience except that the Internet is full of pictures of naked women and men and full of trolls who abuse them.
I realized that what I really need to point out is not the openness that Margo and I cultivated between ourselves, but the darkness that continues to surround us. When I censor nudity, I do so in a way that does not compromise the integrity of the human body. In censoring the photographs that Margo and I took during our trip, I was quick to notice that in those pictures where Margo was at her most open, at her most unguarded and most relaxed, in a word, when she was herself and basking in the sun I was forced to blacken her completely.
Why does our society drive people into darkness? Why can we not accept ourselves as we are? Why can we not accept our bodies? Have we truly become eunuchs? Or are we capable of defying the sickness that pits us against each other? Together we could conquer the devils that abuse us.
Whether you enjoy being nude or not, whether you've been photographed nude or not, but especially if, for you, like for Margo, it's something you never thought you would do, consider submitting your own photograph to be published in a censored manner as a form of protest against the ubiquitous presence of the human body on the internet, naked or not, that is published and duplicated ad infinitum without context and without regard for the identity or the needs of the individual being depicted.

Previous Image — 6,000 miles across Europe with a complete stranger
**Day 12**
7/31/2011
⚔ 11༛♊²⁵/₂₄♀
Camping Trenta
Trenta, Slovenia
THE DISAPPEARING WOMAN, THE DISAPPEARING MAN...
a collection of modern art prints and posters
During our trip across Europe, Margo very bravely opened up to me and to the camera. It was a difficult thing to do considering the scars that she carries. I wanted to share with the world her often joyful, often sad, often angry but always liberating experience except that the Internet is full of pictures of naked women and men and full of trolls who abuse them.
I realized that what I really need to point out is not the openness that Margo and I cultivated between ourselves, but the darkness that continues to surround us. When I censor nudity, I do so in a way that does not compromise the integrity of the human body. In censoring the photographs that Margo and I took during our trip, I was quick to notice that in those pictures where Margo was at her most open, at her most unguarded and most relaxed, in a word, when she was herself and basking in the sun I was forced to blacken her completely.
Why does our society drive people into darkness? Why can we not accept ourselves as we are? Why can we not accept our bodies? Have we truly become eunuchs? Or are we capable of defying the sickness that pits us against each other? Together we could conquer the devils that abuse us.
Whether you enjoy being nude or not, whether you've been photographed nude or not, but especially if, for you, like for Margo, it's something you never thought you would do, consider submitting your own photograph to be published in a censored manner as a form of protest against the ubiquitous presence of the human body on the internet, naked or not, that is published and duplicated ad infinitum without context and without regard for the identity or the needs of the individual being depicted.

Samples of Fiction from Michal's Corpus

Michal's Fiction Corpus of Acceptance Literature (FiCAL) is presented under the Bare Bottom imprint. It is currently comprised of six bodies of work, each representing a different pillar of culture and incorporating a wide variety of writhing styles.

If you're wondering...

How do I use this?

Just click on a title to see examples of "fiction" from a particular work. You'll stay on the same spot on the page, only the Table of Contents will disappear. To get back to the Table of Contents just click next to the image of the Bare Bottom imprint where it says "Back to Samples of Fiction: Table of Contents."“And...?”

In the case of common words, a Table of Frequency and a Table of Collocation provide numerical information about how many times a word appears in its original or modified form and with which words. It can help to give you an idea of how common words are used and in what contexts. Find them in the "Common Words of English" part of the Education section.“Ok.”

Why a Fiction Corpus?

The popular understanding of the word "fiction" and its complement "non-fiction" is a reflection of the cultural influence of a classification system. The Dewey Decimal System is responsible for separating "fiction" from all other work and categorizing it by author's name. This has influenced the popular idea of fiction as a narrative that tends to be "untrue" and the product of an individual's fantasy, a bias compounded by modern art's century-long obsession with abstraction, surrealism and self-expression.“So...?”

My idea of fiction rests on the idea that art doesn't have to be factual to be a true reflection of our existence. Adam and Eve didn't have to exist as two individuals 700 generations ago for them to be true portraits of two human beings trying to work together.“And...?”

The Bible is a Fiction Corpus. It is a body of writing that isn't overly concerned with facts and yet its words carry weight. It was written by many different authors living in different places with different audiences in mind, yet everyone gleans something from it.“Right...”

In preparing my fiction corpus, I have striven to see the world through the eyes of others. Through the eyes of my Adams and Eves I hope that you too will glean some truth about our existence. At the very least you will learn some more about how one man can use the English language.“Ok.”

Who are you, Michal?

I'm just a guy who makes art. And if you're interested in making a solid investment in an aesthetic that supports our present and future welfare, then I will help you look for something that you can buy.“How...?”

Everybody makes. Everybody sells. Some people know how to protect their interests. Some better than others. Few people know how to listen. Listening to somebody means considering their interests as if they were your own. Going out and doing something to satisfy another person's interest is how we build a strong economy. Without a strong economy, democracy collapses.“And...?”

Buying 4Occupy is buying for democracy. Don't give your money to somebody who's ruining it. There's no such thing as cheap democracy, quick democracy, or easy democracy. There's good, solid, complete democracy and the tyranny of feudalism. Let's not mix the two. Let's not buy everything on the cheap. Let's not create another tyrant and enslave ourselves because it was easier not to think about what we were doing. Let's protect our interests. Let's listen.“Ok.”

Who's really behind this site?

Have you ever been to one of those post-it-yourself retail websites where there's a really attractive top-seller ready to give you tips on how you can be a top-seller too?“Uh...”

Have you ever been to a "job" interview where you sit in a line, walk through one door, get hired as a contractor and walk out another door, so that the other applicants don't realize that everyone's getting "hired" to work in the same market?“Maybe...”

The internet is full of people who are ready to exploit your ignorance. They are people who want to make money at the expense of our economy. They are cheats.“And...?”

I, Michal, am behind this site. Not some fat plutocrat exploiting my image. I like to do things the right way. I like to work with people who take the time to do things right.“Why...?”

I used to work for a company that didn't do things the right way. My labor was exploited because of mismanagement. That company was the United States Postal Service, an independent agency of the United States Government that is ultimately controlled by Congress. I'm mad because if the Federal Government can exploit labor, who is going to stop every other cheat from doing it?“Labor Unions...?”

Don't say labor unions. I went to my labor union and they did nothing. They ignored me because labor unions aren't democracies. Holding a free and fair election for a "representative" once in a blue moon does not equal people ruling. Democracy means open government. It means we the public need to accept the hard work. It's the only way to secure liberty and equality.“Ok.”

What's the difference between use and usage?

Definition-wise, not much. But the -age suffix is ultimately French in origin and with most things French, at least in American eyes, the immediate thought is that of something precious and arcane whose value should be judged very carefully. This is in contrast to the word France, which is associated with a beautiful place. Thus people in France or from France are beautiful, warm, kind people. Generous even. Unlike French people who suck. Unless you're frenching, in which case you're only sometimes sucking.“And...?”

Along those lines, usage means you're in bed. Use means you're just heavy petting. Also notice that common people, like common words, get used...whereas "proper" things make "appearances." Whether or not you are being exploited is a different story. Exploitation is what happens when somebody uses you or your property without listening to you. Listening is what happens when you consider another person's needs as if they were your own. You don't have to satisfy those needs. All you need to do is consider them. So many of us can't even do that.“So...?”

Help stop exploitation. Buy 4occupy. Buy a better world. Whether or not you feel you can afford to buy art, consider joining my protest. I want to guarantee every working man and every working mother on this planet a 15-day universal holiday. But I can't. Only we can do that. We have to work together. We have to accept the idea that everyone deserves time for himself and we need to build that time into a new kind of calendar. We have to give peace it's own day. We have to make love something you can't avoid. We have to make even the most miserly cold-hearted capitalist among us say that he cashed his check on Love Your Neighbor Day. There won't be any other way to say it once the Acceptance Calendar is widely adopted.“Ok.”

Back to Samples of Fiction: Table of Contents

Samples of Fiction from Death to McDonalds

An aerial view of Dodger Stadium in the foreground, with an imaginary partially submerged Los Angeles behind — A story bible for a comic book series set in a post climate-change California narrated by eight characters who live through a natural disaster that sinks Los Angeles and triggers a war with an expansionist Mexican government covertly supported by China.

Frame #2980

pandora's playing like an old lady. ive bet more on marbles. by the time we get outside itll be dark. which is probably the idea. romance.

JC Penney

28 August, 7:54 PM

Frame #2301

the car parked behind another car next to a chinese yacht. liberian flag. i cant read the name on the back. the romanizations too small.

Sprint "Iphone" Case

20 August, 4:06 PM

Frame #133

i cant tell if jcpenney likes me. obviously i dont mean in a romantic way. intellectually. first shes snotty. then she offer me a sandwich.

Justin Bieber

27 July, 9:50 AM

Frame #4021

i left the office just in time. beefcake dropped by. with a van. how romantic. hes an electrical contractor.

Sprint "Iphone" Case

24 September, 4:51 PM

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Samples of Fiction from The Gospel of Jesus H.

A picture of the planet Mars — An experimental science fiction Christology that makes Jesus the hard boiled narrator of his own early years on a bizarro earth made dark by volcanic ash and informally ruled by a man from Mars who sells bottled air.

It was said that the practice originated some time after the Second Coming of Yellowstone, when, for some reason, there was an epidemic of sarcoptic itch, or scabies, which, being caused by a mite of very small proportions, is transmitted by skin-to-skin contact. However, long after the threat had passed, the habit remained and became infixed in what is called 'the parochial imagination' as part of the sacredness and immutable tradition and righteousness of the Holy Roman Catholic Church. When the priest bade his congregation and all assembled guests to share the sign of peace, Jesus watched as Hitler Panzer-Tank extended his hand to his wheelchair-bound neighbor. The old grandmother was shocked. She nodded her head as brusquely as possible and turned it back around. Jesus chuckled, but it wasn't funny. Hitler Panzer-Tank the Third was genuinely confused. Holding his hand out, he didn't understand what had just happened. It took him several moments before he finally concluded that the woman in the wheelchair had just rejected him. By that time he was facing forward again, his arm was back at his side, and his face was expressing his extreme displeasure. Jesus caught his eyes and nodded. Your grandfather decided not to nod back.

– Verse 97 from the chapter called Vows

"I agree," said Jesus, "but it's not going to hurt us to keep in mind that Baron Cohen-Krupnik was probably assassinated on the orders of a Russian. Don't forget, Roman: experts - not average people - experts believe - and this estimate of theirs is conservative, mind you - that five thousand or so Russian agents are crawling around Poland and that thirty of them, at least, have high-level government positions in various ministries. We're not even talking about mobsters here; we're talking about government agents."

– Verse 212 from the chapter called Security

So we walked, looking for wild mushrooms - specifically: the boletus, which is what the Romans called 'the best kind of mushroom.' The Polish call it 'the borowik.' 'The noble borowik,' nicknamed 'the real kind,' was the most prized borowik, but the noble borowik's brown cap, its plump, white stem, were nowhere to be seen. We walked for hours - nothing. All we found was another kind of mushroom, the scabrous borowik: the boletus scaber, the rough borowik. It wasn't a noble borowik, but at least they were edible. We gathered them.

– Verse 13 from the chapter called Bohemia

"Swear it," said Stalin. Holding up the first two fingers of his right hand, he said, "I, Roman Stalin, swear to follow Jesus's command."

– Verse 311 from the chapter called Arms

"Very romantic," said Jesus. "Like this park. This whole southwestern slope is a park."

– Verse 448 from the chapter called Security

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Samples of Fiction from Sex for Children

A drawing of a man between a woman's legs in front of another man in a hospital bed — A literature book narrated by a pair of siblings on either side of the Atlantic whose profoundly weird sexual experiences pose a serious challenge to their traditional understanding of mathematicians, marriage, gay young men and God.

Now that I've organized my thoughts, I think I've discovered something: that which is purely love has a very specific nature, which is not shared by the many other things we associate with it. These things can be distinguished by their place of origin. Thanks to the body, we experience attraction, otherwise known as 'eros,' a feeling based on sexual desire that turns us into 'lovers.' Thanks to the spirit, or what we otherwise call the heart, we experience enthusiastic devotion, which springs from a combination of higher feelings, what we otherwise call emotions, which are based on personal ties. These feelings are the basis of 'romance,' which, out of all things associated with love, is the most subject to personality, and which, depending on what our personalities are like, turns us into 'spouses,' whether we espouse a person or a cause.

– Title 3, Regarding a Dream, Chapter 7, The Seventh Day, Part 1, Strength & Security Sector Reform, Section 2, Facing a Choice, Paragraph 3

ANDY: That's exactly what I'm trying to help you with: of all people, Macy, you should know how many different kinds of love there be in this world. Sex and romance have almost nothing to do with them.

MACY: ...

– Title 3, Regarding a Dream, Chapter 5, The Fifth Day, Part 1, Greenery & Land Reform, Section 2, The Risk of Being Labelled Insensitive, Paragraphs 51-52

Now between these two feelings, eros and romance, we have the stuff of poetry - or, at least, most of it - which leads us to the mind, with which we show 'attention,' the care and courtesy that betrays our feelings. This attention is based on ties of kinship, whether these be real or desired, and, consequently, attention is what makes us 'members of a family.'

– Title 3, Regarding a Dream, Chapter 7, The Seventh Day, Part 1, Strength & Security Sector Reform, Section 2, Facing a Choice, Paragraph 4

I know that I've always been playful, which is something that a modest person does not usually reveal until well acquainted with another. Perhaps it was the misguided intimacy - the forceful breach of inhibition - that tightened and then relaxed our excited bodies. I suppose not everyone enjoys being playful, but I believe that boy was thrilled, and perhaps he, thinking me a student, sincerely hoped for another, less ephemeral encounter. But I knew it would not happen, and he, poor fool, may have dreamt of it last night. I certainly have had dreams on less hopeful prospects. How odd it is, how strangely odd, that the basis for romance and friendship must seem so fantastically random, and the requirements which permit these things to blossom, the structure of tastes and considerations, being so irrationally determined, or else so deliberately particular, how odd indeed that any relationship take strong root and thrive at all.

– Title 1, Regarding Peaches and Bananas, Part 2, Section 3, Ambushing a Man, Paragraph 3

CHR: Is there any romance in your book?

ANDY: Oh yeah, plenty.

CHR: Good. Not too much I hope.

ANDY: Of course not.

CHR: Will I be in it?

ANDY: If you want to be.

CHR: Are you sure?

ANDY: Of course.

CHR: I don't believe you.

ANDY: Why not?

– Title 3, Regarding a Dream, Chapter 3, The Third Day, Part 2, Prayer & The Reformation, Section 10, Bringing Up a Sore Subject, Paragraphs 81-90

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Samples of Fiction from Tsiga Tsiga Tsiga

Bullets whizzing by a statue of Nikola Tesla — A collection of stories featuring a sexy Parisian ghost, a spooky Moon base full of vagina-faced aliens, a policeman with an Irish name, a truck full of watermelons, a flautist, and a man who has to see another man about a diseased horse.

The woman swallowed. "How do you do?"

"My name is Luka. I'm from Romania." The woman pulled her cloak tightly across her body. Luka glanced at Nike. He looked back at the woman. He said, "I will be your driver."

The woman nodded. "Thank you."

– from “Paris Is For Rapists, Too,” a ghost story featuring a desperate man

The passenger turned. I recognized him. It was my friend, Nike. He stared at me with wide eyes. It was a challenge. I sank into my seat. The eyes stayed fixed above, as if I had only been blocking their view. The driver turned. It was the man Nike introduced to me as Luka, the Romanian who married his cousin. They stared for a moment. Together, they faced forward.

"Last time I was here," said Nike, "the road was empty. The Reine was on her last legs."

– from “Paris Is For Rapists, Too,” a ghost story featuring a drug-dealer

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Samples of Fiction from Sorry Ms. Jackson

Chiseled letters from an ancient stone tablet hanging on a wall — A real play. With drama in it. Talk fast. It takes two hours. Set in a guest house. In a small community. After a murder. Lots of suspicion. The characters learn to listen to each other. It's funny.

(GREY GOOSE exits. ALICE and FLETCHER enter with scripts in hand.)

FLETCHER: Thank you for doing this. I appreciate it immensely.

ALICE: It's my pleasure. I love supporting new plays and new playwrights. Is this a comedy or a tragedy?

FLETCHER: I suppose it's more of a romance.

ALICE: Which part am I playing?

FLETCHER: You are Tera-ura. I'm playing Thursday October: Fletcher Christian's son.

ALICE: Cute name.

FLETCHER: He was named after his birthday, despite the fact that he was born on the third day of the week. I guess Wednesday October would've sounded more like a girl's name.

ALICE: Am I a Tahitian woman?

FLETCHER: You're not just any Tahitian woman; you're my ancestor.

– ACT II, lines 31-39

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Samples of Fiction from Miscellaneous Dingbats

The title of the book at the end of a string of miscellaneous dingbats — A story book full of short fiction stories. An interesting bedtime mystery. A fairy tale. Science fiction romance. Adult life. Uninspiring gay fiction. Horror.

Orbitz Número Dos laughed. "In this room there is only one person. We just exist in two seperate bodies." Orbitz Number One opened his mouth to speak. Orbitz Número Dos interrupted him. "I know what you're thinking," he said. "I'm flattered."

"Answer my question," said Orbitz Number One. "Are you saying I can't change my destiny?"

– from “The Death and Life of Captain Orbitz,” a science fiction romance written with Stanislaw Lem in mind, if you know who that is

Orbitz Nombre Trois stared ruefully. "It took me so long to know myself," he said.

"What about the other one?" asked Orbitz Number One. "There's supposed to be four of me."

Orbitz Número Dos gestured towards the corridor. "Shall we?" he said. The three of them walked to the nearest lavatory. Inside was Orbitz's dead body. It looked like there was dry vomit on the floor.

"What happened?" asked Orbitz Number One.

Orbitz Número Dos said, "I don't know, do I?"

– from “The Death and Life of Captain Orbitz,” a science fiction romance inspired by Stanislaw Lem, if you know who that is