Respect Authority

It’s interesting how attractive imagery depicting weapons is in our culture. Guns, bombs, and knives are everywhere, from toys, to tattoos, to designer handbags, weapons are a very prevalent fixture in the barrage of pop culture stew we ingest every day. And yet, for the most part, if the average citizen were to see an actual gun pointed at them, they would more than likely stew in their fucking pants. Hell, I just farted and I was only thinking about guns.

So what is it behind the appeal of weapon imagery? Does the implied danger make us feel cooler? Or is it inherent that we feel magnetized to weapons due to subtle societal programming in a culture that glorifies war at every turn? Think of the constant slew of combat video games, countless movies depicting any number of historic battles, the board game Battleship, professional sports which are really only a metaphor for war in the first place, Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, any family gathering at which my uncle is present, and, of course, absurd wedding conflict shows to name but a few examples.

I ponder these questions as I polish my collection of antique brass knuckles and, unfortunately, I have no hard answers. We don’t live in a dystopian future (yet), and murdering people is decidedly not cool (unless you actually believe those infuriating US Army commercials); however, I can say with some certainty that these incredibly crafted paper weapons from the Paper Wars exhibition definitely are.

Paper Wars presents a selection of internationally recognized artists and designers contributing their talents to a unique project showcasing militia aesthetics within innovative and astoundingly accurate paper design. Either that, or it was just an excuse for these guys to do origami without being called nerds and never getting laid again.

Nonetheless, considering I once gave myself a nightmarish paper cut on my tongue while licking an envelope, I’d have to say even these artful replications pose a substantial risk to humans everywhere. Seriously, get a paper cut on your tongue and you’ll wish you had been shot with a real AK-47. Or at the very least, all your friends will after your constant complaining about it. I’d recommend you try it out just to see that I’m not kidding, but in good conscience, I really can’t.