Dr. Carolyn Lee reflects on a different cliché each week. Recently, in her blog “Are We There Yet?,” she looks at our need for attention. This week Carolyn explores the idea and cliché, that one’s man trash is another man’s treasure.
Learn more about Dr. Carolyn Lee on her biography page or investigate 29 more clichés in her latest book, Keep Your Eye on the Ball And Other Clichès to Live By.
One Man’s Trash Is Another Man’s Treasure
Hanging above the chest of drawers in my guest bedroom is something that I think might have been the lid to an old wooden barrel. A friend of mine found it by the side of the road one day and thought it looked interesting. She brought it home and cleaned it up. The green paint was peeling from it, and nicks and cracks appeared everywhere. She decorated it with two lines of upholstery tacks, and now it is the “art” that adorns my bedroom wall. Someone thought it was trash and threw it away. My friend saw it as a treasure that would improve my home décor.
“Found art” has been around for ages. It is defined as “art created from undisguised, but often modified, items or products that are not normally considered materials from which art is made, often because they already have a non-art function.” In 1914, Marcel Duchamp invented the term, “readymade” to describe the sculptures he made from found objects. He didn’t always change the objects much; he just designated them “art” and presented them in galleries. His most famous work, which he called “Fountain,” was nothing more than a standard urinal, which he signed and dated, “R. Mutt 1917.”
As you can imagine, this piece was the subject of much controversy. Duchamp submitted his work to The Society of Independent Artists who were bound by their constitution to accept all members’ submissions. However, they rejected “Fountain,” calling it “indecent” and pointing out that “it may be a very useful object in its place, but its place is not in an art exhibition and it is, by no definition, a work of art.” Little did they know that this piece would become a game-changer in the history of art and that it would one day be voted the most influential artwork of the 20th century by 500 selected British art world professionals. Artistic vs. indecent, treasure vs. trash.
I’m always amazed by the vastly different, polar opposite opinions expressed by people who are looking at the same object or considering the same subject matter. The other day I was looking for a recipe for a pasta and ground beef casserole. The first two reviews I came across were these:
“Just like my grandmother used to make. I changed nothing in the recipe and the family loved it. Thank you for sharing this recipe and bringing back so many memories of my grandparents.”
Followed by-
“This was absolutely disgusting. I would not serve it to my worst enemy.”
We’re talking about the same casserole here! Opinions about this particular entrée ranged from “scrumptious” to “repulsive.”
I recently read Barbara Kingsolver’s Pulitzer Prize winning novel, Demon Copperhead. The five-star reviews by Amazon readers included these: “This is the greatest novel I have read this year,” and “Such brilliant writing that it’s humbling.” One reader put it this way: “I haven’t read a book that touched me right to the bone for a long time. I was so thirsty for a book like this. Barbara Kingsolver at her absolute best.”
But, of course, there were also the one-star reviews in which people said things like, “I don’t like quitting a book, but for my emotional well-being, this one is going in the trash.” Or there was this offering: “Bad writing style and horrible grammar make this book a chore to read. Don’t waste your money.” So one person’s “best” and “brilliant” is another person’s “horrible.” This is a little bit different from liking or not liking a recipe or saying “I prefer this taste over that taste.” These remarks deal in the “good” or the “bad.”
These differences and disparities are interesting and baffling, sometimes annoying, occasionally even amusing. But widely varying opinions that occupy opposite ends of the political spectrum are a different matter. They, too, can be interesting and baffling and annoying, but they are almost never amusing.
I have a Facebook “friend”—actually somebody I barely know—who is a very prolific poster of opinions. Many of her posts are of a religious or “patriotic” nature; some are profoundly political. She has repeatedly expressed opinions about Joe Biden, Donald Trump, abortion, immigration reform, gun control, LGBTQ rights, the war in Ukraine, Black Lives Matter, foreign aid, and Affirmative Action. She uses words like “divinely ordained” and “in league with the devil.” Her remarks go way beyond just “I prefer this to that,” or “I believe this product is superior to that product.” Her comments go from trash vs. treasure to good vs. evil.
I can say, without qualification, that, on every single one of these topics, our opinions are exactly the opposite. Try as I might, I cannot begin to understand her point of view. All I can do is accept her stance and refrain from responding unkindly or engaging in a senseless debate.
Trash vs. treasure, superior vs. inferior, good vs. evil; right vs. wrong; potayto vs. potahto; tomayto vs. tomahto. All these choices could confuse and overwhelm us. The Gershwins suggested, “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off.” I don’t think that’s the answer. What is? I guess people would have vastly different, polar opposite, firmly held opinions about that.
Want to Read More?
Check out Dr. Carolyn Lee’s blogs on her website, she features a new cliché each week or you can order her new book, Keep Your Eye on the Ball And Other Clichès to Live By. Want to know more about the woman behind the words? Read more about Carolyn here. We hope you enjoyed this article learning more about the cliché, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.
