auto da fe

Nobody expects the Spanish inquisition.
Least of all, not us. We are, after all a civilized lot.
"Auto Da Fey" refers to the religious ceremonies and trials of condemned blasphemers, ultimately leading up to their grisly torture and execution in Europe through the middle ages and into the Renaissance. Nothing sells popcorn like a long slow, public humiliation. (Oh, we still hold Auto Da Feys, which translated means "Acts of Faith.") Only now we do it through celebrity gossip shows, American Idol and mass-media trials.

Even more insidiously, we commit inquisitions on our selves, letting our doubts and weaknesses eat us alive. Raise your hands if you understand.

Do not be entranced by the macabre impact of this stylized image without thinking for a moment about how we, as a culture and as individuals, put ourselves on trial. We are the condemned. We are the spectacle.

This digital image from trickstero is an image of us.

But here is the question:

Are we the flayed victim, or are we the tormenting, judgmental hands?