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@liztai I agree with one of the links in your blog: an artist doesn't control what the audience sees in their art. So even if the intention was referencing a different painting, millions of people saw this as the Last Supper, simply because it's the most famous painting of that type.

Something else puzzles me: May I ask why you take referencing the painting of the Last Supper as blasphemous?

Elizabeth Tai | 戴秀铃 🇲🇾

@noam it's not the painting that is the problem but what event it represents, which is considered a very sacred event in the faith. It wss the meal Jesus had before He was crucified and where he taught us the communion.

@liztai I can understand how that would be upsetting. I guess I'm trying to get my head round it being blasphemous - as it's a reference to a reference to an important Christian event, and not even a direct comment on Jesus. If you don't want to discuss this further, that's fine, I don't want to step on a sore spot.

@noam I honestly don't expect non-Christians to understand. They often regard God as a concept or a philosophy, but to some people Jesus is a literal person they know, so they don't like it when their beloved friend is insulted. Just have to think of it that way and you will understand.

@noam though I am not that upset that they insulted/blasphemed as we kinda know to expect that, heck god even told us that's what will happen and we are pretty sure our God doesn't need defending. I am more upset about the gas lighting and how they are mocking the Christians for feeling upset 🙃 I mean if you wanna insult us, own your insult and don't insult our intelligence ya know?

@liztai I see your point. To be fair, I also understand people saying, 'actually, this isn't even about you', and 'you're only insulted when it's drag queens'. That's why I was trying to understand if there was something specific about this unintentional depiction which felt blasphemous, as the painting has been referenced often in pop culture.

@noam even if they replace the drag queens with straight people Christians will be insulted. Ah, the age of moral relativism and post modernism, when what was obvious before is no longer obvious 🙃

It's all in the context.
Last supper imagery - holiest moment for Christendom, now depicted as a debauched event with a man whose genitals were peeking out standing behind a kid.... Yea I am not sure how that would be taken! 😅

If they can't accept that pov it's too bad.

@liztai Thanks for explaining. This looks like an blown-out-of-proportion misunderstanding to me. The debauchery fits perfectly with the intended portrayal of Dionysus, and obviously at odds with the Last Supper. And I'm guessing that for some Western Christians, drag queens increase the sense of debauchery, at least subconsciously.

There were no genitals peeking out, BTW, just a rip in the tights at the top of someone's thigh.