As I said in my previous post, I consider myself a proud, patriotic citizen of the United States of America, however I can also see that not everything the US does is worthy of being proud of. In fact, I’m ashamed of many of the policy stances my government has taken and still takes, but most of all I’m ashamed of how the Trump administration behaved on the world stage. At first many didn’t take his words “From this day forward, it’s going to be only America first.” seriously. Remember all the “we want to be second” videos created by satirists worldwide? (You can click on an individual country on the map here to see its video)
Then the executive orders started. Remember Executive order 13769? Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States, also known as the Muslim Ban? Pixeladies (the artistic duo of which I am one half) were listening; we even created a quilt comparing Executive order 13769 to Executive Order 9066, which paved the way for US citizens of Japanese descent to be sent to concentration camps. You can read about that quilt here:
Some countries started to take notice. Then we dropped out of the Paris Climate Agreement, and the Iran Nuclear Deal. These policies didn’t just affect citizens of the US. They affected the world. So it’s no surprise that the favorability ratings of the US started to drop. I found an article with these graphs, and thought they might make interesting quilting lines.
After reading the article, I surmised that there was data from other countries that I could include. Of course there was, but not in a nice graph like the above. So I downloaded the raw data and created my own graphs. Yes, I compared my graphs with those in the article and they matched. So I felt pretty confident with using the raw data for my quilting lines. Of course not every country had data for every year, so I did the best I could with what I had.
The fact that the opinion of my country by other countries that I respect has fallen is yet another reason that I’m ashamed of the actions of the United States government between 2017 and 2021. Shame 2017-2021 is my attempt to depict my views. The flag is not flying high and proud, it’s backwards and a bit tattered. But there’s still hope.
Shame: 2017-2021
Deb Cashatt
Dimensions: 41”h x 20”w
Material: Digital Print on 80% linen/20% silk blend (My Fabric Designs) Wool batting, cotton backing.
Technique: Digital collage, machine quilted, raw edges loosely bound with blanket stitch.
I feel so bad for the USA and for millions of damned decent folk that live there.
This is a beautifully spoken piece and I love that little shred of hope that we humans keep in our hearts
Wow, a very political and deeply felt piece. And so smart to turn those graphs into quilting lines. Oh dear, I just drove to NY to get my shot. And saw my first Trump 2024 yard sign.
Very deeply felt emotional piece. This was immediately where my mind went when I saw CiC’s prompt “Shame”. You expressed that to the point. Bravo!
Thank you, LIsa.
Yes, it was painful to watch over the last 4 years. A really strong piece!
Thank you, I do imagine it was hard for those outside of the US to watch.
Insight and consideration, an open mind, and a strong commitment to the ‘State of our Union’ are evident in your work, Deb. This piece is a strong statement and I celebrate the message.
Your words are poetry. Thank you Bethany.
The spareness of your composition is so effective in conveying your sad and shameful message. The beauty of this grand country brought near to rags and tatters. So tragic to have come to this.
Well said. Beautiful piece.
Thank you for commenting, Susan.