Holzer Response

Holzer’s truisms are an expansive list of short phrases that could be viewed as truths. They are especially powerful for two reasons: 1 – they are short, allowing for personal interpretation, and 2- their meanings change drastically with size and placement.

The concise nature of the phrases does not allow for explanation by Holzer herself. This forces the audience to apply their own beliefs to the phrases to give them meaning. For example, one of Holzer’s truisms is, “Sex differences are here to stay.” When I read this statement, I have the personal reaction of feeling of indifference to the statement. I do not necessarily agree with the statement, but I do not disagree with it either. This is due to my own personal experience with gender differences and my own beliefs about nature vs. nurture. Another person, who may be more progressive in their ideas about gender, may see this statement as being entirely sarcastic. Conversely, someone who strictly enforces the differences between men and women could see this statement as something to be agreed with. The fact that Holzer does not elaborate on this statement forces the viewer to fill in his or her own idea of what he or she thinks Holzer is saying.

The meaning of these phrases is also affected by presentation. For example, Holzer’s truism, “Pain can be a very positive thing,” would have very different connotation when placed on a poster in a gym than it would if it was written over a gory combat photo and marched through an anti-war protest.

The image I chose ("You all have talent - work on presentation") is one that I took at an art camp I went to as a kid. The way that this way presented in a discrete location in a peaceful place makes it a positive image for me. The same sentence could be superimposed on a photograph of an angry mom yelling at her daughter in a beauty pageant, and its tone would change completely.