Signs of a Liberal Media: Yoko Ono Honorifics

One sign that a news outlet is liberal is how they can find nothing controversial in peace protests by long-time avant-garde hippies like Yoko Ono, the widow of John Lennon. The Washington Post greeted her latest publicity stunt in DC with an honorific article on the front page of the Style section headlined "Yoko Ono's Peaceful Message Takes Root." Jessica Dawson didn't mention how this alleged peacemaker caused the War Among the Beatles that broke up the band. Dawson could only produce awe for her celebrity and for her care for all humanity: "Yes, that was Yoko Ono whispering into the bark of a cherry tree at the Tidal Basin yesterday morning. The artist, performer and widow of John Lennon visited Washington on Sunday and Monday to bring her 'Imagine Peace' project to the city."

Ono encouraged public participation in art by having people write their wishes on a piece of paper and tie it to one of her peace trees. How scribbling a wish on paper is "art" is anyone's guess. Is it art if you bring your calligraphy pen? The Post account continued this press release for peace:

Ono promised to collect all the Washington wishes and add them to her cache -- she claims to have more than 100,000 collected from trees throughout the world. The papers will be incorporated into the artist's Imagine Peace Tower, which will be installed later this year in Iceland. Ono was vague about the structure's exact design and said it would be made of light.

Both the Peace Tower and the tree project are part of the artist's long-standing efforts to encourage public participation in artmaking and to promote worldwide peace and understanding.

Apparently, it would be rude in the middle of this flower-tossing tribute to note that Ono's "long-standing" efforts for "worldwide peace" included support for installing the communist regime in Vietnam that still oppresses the people in that country.

The AP version of the story by Ann Sanner is a bit milder in tone and headline, more about "art" than "peace" protest.

Artist Yoko Ono hung a wish for love and peace in the world from a tree she dedicated Monday at the Hirshhorn Museum's Sculpture Garden. Ono's wish read, "Let's cover the planet with our love and make it a peaceful world for all of us and our offsprings."

That would be the federally funded Hirshhorn Museum, so once again, the conservative taxpayer is offering their involuntary support for fuzzy-headed liberal art projects in the nation's capital.