The Arrow

_*The Arrow*_ An interpretation of Aesop's Fable _The Eagle and The Arrow_ Produced for JCCC course FMS-200 taught by Tonia Hughes November 5, 2024 *Artist Statement* People my age, as well as myself, have likely experienced a moment in time when they find themselves slouching on a chair, lying in bed, or something of the like and droning over seemingly endless amounts of media content. It leads me to wonder: what is this phenomenon? What is this state in which humanity can become so hypnotized by a screen in which their memory, focus, and lifestyle become destabilized? The Arrow ponders such thoughts, reflecting on the nature of exhibitionism and its effects on the viewer. In this instance, exhibitionism is to the detriment of the content layman; an individual fulfilled with their life and satisfied with the flow of existence. The life they live is their own, unburdened by parasites. That changes when media, especially modern media, is brought into their life. Attention is the focal point of an incredible number of media, which is designed to attract, shock, and crop the viewer’s vision and separate them from reality. This object, this weapon of sensationalism which corrupts and attaches itself parasitically to the production of media and its viewers, was fashioned from our own greed. Journalism is dependent on attention for funding, individual media creators rely on attention for monetization, and exhibitionism dominates all other motives of art. When this practice is rewarded and becomes competitive, the detriment to humanity only escalates. Thus, our cognitive defense has been whittled, and we are subject to the blade of sensationalism. The arrow which has brought humanity from the sky has been the one fashioned from our own hubris.