debenedi@yale-comix.UUCP (04/21/84)
I was watching the David Susskind program and there was a segment on Aesthetic Realism founded by Eli Segal (sp?). There were about four ex-gays as guests who said that the study of Aesthetic Realism had turned around their negative thinking and also turned their sexual orientation to heterosexual. They all thought a reversal of sexual orientation would never happen. Passing over the question of changing sexual orientation, it appeared to me that improving a negative outlook to a more positive one would be generally desirable. Does anybody know anything about this stuff? In particular, the Aesthetic Realism Foundation in NYC? "Bert"
sdyer@bbncca.ARPA (Steve Dyer) (04/22/84)
I don't know a whole lot about Aesthetic Realism (would like to know
more)--all I can see are its external signs, such as full-page ads in the
New York Times and the reported Susskind show. Apparently, it has
something to do with the recognition of the essential nature of the
"Universe" as being the conjunction of opposites; you know, Yin/Yang,
Men/Women (did you know they were "opposites"?), Good/Evil, foo/fum. When
one views life as consisting of such dualities, well, life gets real good,
or something like that. Sounds to me like the old Gnostic heresies of 2000
years ago! Anyone who knows more about this, please correct or add
to my comments.
Strange, however, that their "face" to the world consists mainly of the
cured homosexual line. They claim that same-sex relationships lack this
aesthetic element of the coupling of opposites, since men are Male and women
are Female. Even if we allow for their ludicrous reduction of individuals
to Aesthetic Icons, and their imposition of a single polarity on top of
multi-faceted relationships, I fail to see how "thinking right" has ever
changed anything. Sounds a bit like Christian Science to me. This is the
same line that organized religion has fed to gay people for the past few
hundred years, pray to be changed and you'll be changed. Prayer (or
application of Aesthetic Realism) might be able to help people suppress
homosexual acts, if that is what they wish, but I have never met anyone
who has changed sexual preference. Bisexuals, perhaps, who wish a bit
of simplicity in their sex lives, but never people who identify themselves
as gay.
So, I wish these converts to Aesthetic Realism good luck--they'll need it.
We can only wait to see if their change is permanent. Count me as one
of the skeptics.
--
/Steve Dyer
{decvax,linus,ima}!bbncca!sdyer
sdyer@bbncca.ARPA