# Sick of the Fucking Gates **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 14, 2005, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sick-of-the-fucking-gates/289961 "2005-02-14T03:35:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Tool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/df705f/32.png) [@Tool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tool)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2005, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sick-of-the-fucking-gates/289961/21 "2005-02-14T07:32:46Z")
Someone needs to Seuss that! ---
**Author:** ![BlackKnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eb8c5e/32.png) [@BlackKnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlackKnight)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2005, 8:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sick-of-the-fucking-gates/289961/22 "2005-02-14T08:29:15Z")
I don’t think they’re ugly or pretty. I just think they’re “meh” and pointless. Maybe I’m spoiled by having grown up in a wooded area, but I like my parks to be nature-like, not art-like. Y’know, trees instead of statues. Ponds and swamps instead of manicured greens and fountains. Obviously others disagree, and I suspect I’m in a minority on this point. But I’d rather have a large wooded area with a handful of tended trails on it than something that doesn’t look like it’s ever been wild, or, worse, something that is deliberately made to look domesticated. ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2005, 9:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sick-of-the-fucking-gates/289961/23 "2005-02-14T09:54:25Z")
I think they’re kinda cool. It’s Gotham City after all. Viva the gateless gates! ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2005, 9:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sick-of-the-fucking-gates/289961/24 "2005-02-14T09:59:38Z")
What are they gates TO? I’m going to take a walk in Central Park this morning, and I don’t want to end up on some world where the dudette from THE CRYING GAME is the Pharoah. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2005, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sick-of-the-fucking-gates/289961/25 "2005-02-14T10:42:24Z")
> [@neutron star](#): > > These guys think sheets hanging on gates are a technical miracle? Wait till they see the cotton gin! That quote is somewhat ambiguous - but I don’t think they’re saying that the gates are a technical miracle. _Other_ things that Christo has done, however, have most certainly been astounding technical challenges. ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Badger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/848f3c/32.png) [@Dead\_Badger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Badger)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2005, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sick-of-the-fucking-gates/289961/26 "2005-02-14T10:54:45Z")
Those things are just _begging_ to be turned into the biggest domino run in the world. Just one tiny _push_… tak tak taktaktaktaktaktakttttttttttwhhUMP. It’d be great. C’mon, I’ll pay one of you Noo Yoikers to do it, then it’ll be performance art. ---
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2005, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sick-of-the-fucking-gates/289961/27 "2005-02-14T10:56:01Z")
> [@yosemite](#): > > And on that note, think of how many people could be fed, clothed, and housed if the people who made _Lord of the Rings_ spent the production money on the poor instead of making the movie. Or, for that matter, if you used the money you spend on ISP fees (and in buying your computer) and gave that to the poor. And while we’re at it, do you _really_ need all those clothes? Some of them could clothe the poor. > > I get sick of this line of reasoning. People have a right to spend money how they see fit. When you start making sanctimonious comments about how much _better_ they could spend the money, you open your own spending habits (and possessions) to the same sort of scrutiny. Fun, isn’t it? The thing will last two weeks; 22 million to set up a two week art statement seems a bit steep to me. Besides the money spent on the LOTR movies was distributed among thousands of people, not two artists; it´s not the same. ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2005, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sick-of-the-fucking-gates/289961/28 "2005-02-14T11:23:12Z")
> [@GorillaMan](#): > > That quote is somewhat ambiguous - but I don’t think they’re saying that the gates are a technical miracle. _Other_ things that Christo has done, however, have most certainly been astounding technical challenges. It certainly reads that way. There are three types of “miracles” and they are assigned to “all their projects, including The Gates.” Granted, it’s just a silly little quote that I zeroed in on that seemed amusing to me at the time, and I can see how it could be taken another way. I’m just taking it the way that it’s worded. (And they also could have taken a little bit of time to clean up the numerous typos among their pages, but I guess that’s neither here nor there.) ---
**Author:** ![Idlewild](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8491ac/32.png) [@Idlewild](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idlewild)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2005, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sick-of-the-fucking-gates/289961/29 "2005-02-14T11:34:37Z")
I think they look absolutely beautiful and I wish I were there to see them. Wonder whether I can talk the husband into the brilliance of putting me on a bus to NYC next weekend. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2005, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sick-of-the-fucking-gates/289961/30 "2005-02-14T11:44:44Z")
> [@Ale](#): > > The thing will last two weeks; 22 million to set up a two week art statement seems a bit steep to me. > Besides the money spent on the LOTR movies was distributed among thousands of people, not two artists; it´s not the same. The money comes from sales of concept art, so the whole deal is self-financing. For that money, the people who shelled out got an actual physical work of art by a famous/notorious artist. So I’d say they are the ones voting on the merits of the work. This includes paying the city for cleanup and security for the duration. New York City only **gains** by the (slightly) increased tourism (as I doubt anyone is _not_ going to NYC because of the gates, but some people definitely are going just for them) Also, these pieces aren’t being handmade by the two artists themselves, so there’s fabric manufacturers, pole fabricators, erectors, maintainers and demolishers who are all going to be paid and will see a piece of the pie. As such, I think the LOTR analogy is very apt. It may not be thousands of people, or a six-year project, but certainly dozens were engaged, for several months. Personally, I think they are beautiful and I wish I could see them. I like them a lot more than some of his other installations. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2005, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sick-of-the-fucking-gates/289961/31 "2005-02-14T11:51:40Z")
> [@Hyperelastic](#): > > … > These wooden gates - they are painted orange, and have orange fabric hanging down. They are placed in Central Park over the sidewalks. They are, you guessed it, orange gates. They are Orange Gates. Just to nitpick, they are vinyl, not wood. ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2005, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sick-of-the-fucking-gates/289961/32 "2005-02-14T11:57:25Z")
> [@Ale](#): > > The thing will last two weeks; 22 million to set up a two week art statement seems a bit steep to me. That’s fine; don’t spend 22 million of your own money on something like that. But if someone else doesn’t think it’s “too steep,” that’s their business and it’s their money spent on the project—not yours. > [@](#): > > Besides the money spent on the LOTR movies was distributed among thousands of people, not two artists; it´s not the same. So what? Nobody forced anyone to pay the two artists. Nobody is forced to pay athletes huge salaries either, yet they still get the money. Personally I think a lot of organized sports are a tedious bore, but other people get great enjoyment out of them and think that the whole thing is worth it. So why should I begrudge them their enjoyment? The money spent to make it all come about isn’t coming out of my pocket. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2005, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sick-of-the-fucking-gates/289961/33 "2005-02-14T12:35:09Z")
As was pointed out, the vast majority of this money goes to local folks who have been hired to build and demolish the gates, as well as people you wouldn’t think of, police officers providing security. That is all paid for by donated money, and goes right into our local economy. Want to give your money away to a poor person, why not give him a job putting up and taking down a piece of art for that money? Drove past some of the gates yesterday, put me down in the “neato” column. ---
**Author:** ![Gadfly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/aeb1de/32.png) [@Gadfly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gadfly)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2005, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sick-of-the-fucking-gates/289961/34 "2005-02-14T12:45:26Z")
So an artist (Christo) makes a huge sum of money himself, simply by selling his work, not through donations or grants. He doesn’t hold onto it, though - he uses it to create a beautiful, almost surreal piece of art. The budget’s big, but so’s the scale. And most of the 22 million dollars (out of his own pocket) go directly to fabricators and people who work on the project. He then lets everyone see the spectacle for two weeks. He doesn’t claim that it has any symbolism, or any deeper meaning, he just intends it to be aesthetically pleasing. And people are offended… Why? ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2005, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sick-of-the-fucking-gates/289961/35 "2005-02-14T13:15:48Z")
Because some people are assholes… …and, I firmly believe, also secretly jealous of the creative talents of others… …or at least the attention paid to the creative talents of others. ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2005, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sick-of-the-fucking-gates/289961/36 "2005-02-14T13:17:49Z")
I imagine that they’re pretty neato to jog through in the early morning when it’s not too crowded. Not nearly as useless as [surrounding a bunch of islands in pick plastic.](http://www.christojeanneclaude.net/si.html) ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2005, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sick-of-the-fucking-gates/289961/37 "2005-02-14T13:18:21Z")
You gotta hand it to Christo - he has solidified his position as the outstanding “artistic” con man of modern times. For years he’s managed to get civic leaders and critics drooling over (or at least tolerant of) vast expanses of laundry flapping over scenes of natural beauty. The [online version"](http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/13/nyregion/13gates.html?hp) of yesterday N.Y. Times story has omitted some of the more hilariously mouthbreathing comments from “art lovers”, but does have this classic observation of Christo’s: _“Look at the light” Christo said. “Look, look.”_ Brilliant perception, Dr. Suess. If some unknown had draped orange sheets over an expanse of Des Moines, wonder what the cognoscenti in New York would have been saying? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2005, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sick-of-the-fucking-gates/289961/38 "2005-02-14T13:20:36Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Because some people are assholes… > > …and, I firmly believe, also secretly jealous of the creative talents of others… > …or at least the attention paid to the creative talents of others. Yes. Spot-on. Also, I think some have a pseudo “Dog in the Manger” mentality: “If I can’t comprehend it or enjoy it, nobody else has any business enjoying it either.” And there’s also this mindset: “If they claim to ‘get it’ or enjoy it, they are lying or just being pretentious. After all, if _ **I** _ can’t appreciate it, it’s inconceivable that anyone else could.” ---
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2005, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sick-of-the-fucking-gates/289961/39 "2005-02-14T13:24:54Z")
Oh bullshit. I just think they’re ugly and pointless. ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2005, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sick-of-the-fucking-gates/289961/40 "2005-02-14T13:35:00Z")
I think a lot of professional sports are tedious and pretty worthless, and I’m entitled to my opinion. As long as I don’t imply that those who spend money on sports-related things should spend money on something more “worthwhile” instead, or if I in any other way try to squelch or spoil their enjoyment, I don’t see a problem. Same here. It’s not the lack of appreciation, it’s the bitching and complaining about the money spent (and implying that those who enjoy it are fools) that’s bewildering. Not liking it is fine. But don’t rain on everyone else’s parade. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sick-of-the-fucking-gates/289961.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sick-of-the-fucking-gates/289961.md?page=3)