I'm not going to make this another journal about the 'love unites' contest. What I am going to make this journal about is some side thoughts that occurred to me today in the shower after reading various comments and journals about it.

Are we, a global community of artists uniting in the common vision of sharing our creations with the world at large, inclusive or exclusive?

Do we widely accept other artists for their range of talents in various mediums? Or do we exclude certain artists because of our moral/religious beliefs?

Let's expand on that for a moment. Were you ever bullied at school for being too short, too tall, too fat, too thin, too clever, too dumb, too geeky? Didn't feel good to be excluded did it? If you were bullied at school, for whatever reason, do you now find yourself more accepting of other people, or less so? Are you inclusive or exclusive?

Were you ever declined for credit? For a job? By a partner/girlfriend/boyfriend? Didn't feel good to be excluded did it?

As a community of artists, you would think that the community as a whole would be more inclusive. Given the fact that artists (on the whole) are more in touch with their feelings, their emotions, their creative outlets, you would think that they would be more accepting of other artists and people in general.

I was absolutely appalled and horrified to read many of the comments left on the news article about the contest, and also the comments left on the blog post at #hq. To find such absolute loathing and hatred against gay people amongst an art community quite honestly rocked me to my core.

I'm not going to make this about Shepherd Fairey and whether what he did or didn't do was right or wrong. As far as I'm concerned, that's for a court of law to decide. Not a public hanging at noon by popular opinion.

I just find it extremely saddening that there are so many people so filled with hate and bigotry amongst this community. It doesn't feel good. At all.

As @leaf-lover stated however, it is rather uplifting to see many people with religious beliefs being in support of the contest and its ideal, and being of their belief that their god is about love (inclusive) rather than hate (exclusive). It's heartening to know that those people are out there, spreading the good word.

At the end of the day, we are all humans. We all have hopes and dreams and aspirations. We're all trying to make it through this world in whatever shape we can. Can't that be enough?

I think from all this, I've really only come to one conclusion. I think 'love unites' is perhaps the wrong phrase. Because quite clearly, this community has shown that it doesn't. At all. I think perhaps a better phrase would be 'love should unite'.

That's really what it's about. Trying to find a way through this with love. Love for your fellow man and woman, regardless of what gender they are, regardless of what sexual preference they are.

Can we try to be more inclusive? It's the 'feel good' way to live.