On Pg. 120 is states that "If Burden had been killed or more seriously wounded he would not have become a hero of the antiwar movements, but would have been subject to more intense disapproval and ridicule". This quote strikes an erie expectation of American culture, as it stating that it is okay to cause harm to oneself in the name of art, which is promoting the act of violence itself. That then leads to the question of what is the line of appropriateness in art? Burden is supporting the anti-war movement, and his extreme act can be used to mobilize emotion, however he is supporting the very thing he is intending on ridiculing, violence.
Burden was shot in a controlled situation, true the impact of a gun shot wound is unpredictable but Burden was aware that the shot was coming and the impact it would create on himself, the shooter, and the audience. Typically when someone is shot their emotions are running rapidly as they do not expect the situation which would create a completely different environment than Burdens. Since Burden had meticulously planned out the situation of his shooting, would that even classify him as experiencing what its like to be shot? Of course he experienced the pain of the wound, but a major component of being shot is the emotional chaos that is occurring in that instant.
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