Our work in fighting the Aesthetic Realism Cult
by Michael Bluejay • Last update: March 2025
This website
Of course, our main work is publishing this website, showing what the media says about AR, providing the experiences of over a dozen former members, and revealing secrets about the group that they’d prefer stay hidden. The site prevents potential recruits from getting sucked into AR (if they Google AR, this is one of the first sites that comes up), and beyond that, the site helps many former members come to terms with their experience. They send kudos such as these:
"Your site is a great source of comfort and excitement to all of us, probably more than you can tell from the silence of most."
"[When I found this site], I was so thrilled to read the stories by the former students and kept finding myself saying out loud, 'YES! YES! THAT'S HOW IT WAS!' I could hardly sleep that night out of happiness for the existence of this site. I kept reading passages from the site to my wife long into the night. "
"Just want to thank you for your continued excellent work on this website. I seriously think of you as an American hero for standing up to the bullies at the Aesthetic Realism Foundation."
The Sign Bike at AR’s headquarters and at the park
Between 2007 and 2012 I occasionally rented a pedicab converted to display billboard advertising, made signage for it, and parked it right in front of the AR headquarters at 141 Greene Street, to the consternation of the Aesthetic Realists. I also sometimes took it to popular places like Union Square Park. Beyond just annoying the Aesthetic Realists, other former members came up to me, eager to share their stories. I was able to provide answers to people who had always wondered what the deal was with AR.
Ambushed them at the Queens library
AR tried to quietly plan a presentation at a library in Queens (they didn’t list it on their website), but I found out anyway, and I was ready for them before they arrived. I rode the sign bike out there and parked it right in front of the library, so that’s what greeted them when they showed up. Inside, I'd made brochures for the attendees explaining the cult aspects of AR. The ARists arrived (late), gave a short presentation, refused to take questions (I asked, and they said, "NO!"), and rushed out with their tails between their legs.
Surprised them at a Manhattan Library
At another library presentation, knowing they’d recognize me, I sent an agent. After the presentation, during the Q&A, he asked this question:
“Before I came here, I was reading on the Internet about [AR’s founder] Eli Siegel, and how he said that homosexuality was born of contempt and selfishness. Did he ever recant that before he killed himself?”
The AR presenter, Dale Laurin, then lied and said that Eli Siegel did not kill himself, and thanks to my agent secretly recording the exchange, we have that lie on tape.
Got their funding revoked
I found out that AR had been awarded $4000 from the NY state budget by a NY assemblyperson, Felix Ortiz. (In New York state, a legislator can dole out small grants directly to non-profit groups, without the whole legislature having to vote on it.) I alerted the media which did some stories on how the state was funding an alleged cult, and as a result it looks like that funding has now been pulled. Score one for us! And thanks especially to the other former members (like Adam Mali) who agreed to be interviewed, and greatly aided this effort.
For the record, I'm not too hard on Assemblyperson Ortiz, since he really didn't know about the darker side of AR. And as a staunch supporter of free speech, I believe that AR has the right to promote themselves and their philosophy as they see fit—they just don't deserve taxpayer money to further their private agenda.
Here are the media stories:
- A Brooklyn assemblyman's earmarks are political surrealism (Village Voice)
- Grant recipient alleged to be a cult (Albany Times Union)
- Assemblyman funds anti-gay group (Gay City News)
- "Anti-gay cult" gets four grand from NY (Queerty)
Did interviews for the media
The press doesn’t cover AR very much any more, as AR has become increasingly irrelevant, but when there is a story to be done, we’re the first ones they call, and we always oblige. Besides the interviews mentioned above, we helped with these:
- I Joined NYC’s Most Boring Cult (VICE)
- Aesthetic
Realism is still preaching, a bit more quietly, the principles
of Eli Siegel (The Villager)
Letters to the editor
ARists used to write lots of letters to editor to newspapers and magazines to try to promote AR. Now, it seems they’ve largely given up. But when they did, I’d occasionally send in my own letter to explain the truth about AR, such as this one in Staten Island Live.
Forced them to admit that Eli Siegel killed himself
I was the one who broke the news that AR founder Eli Siegel killed himself. Before that, it wasn’t common knowledge. After all, in the NYT’s obituary of Siegel, they noted that the ARists “refused to give the clinical cause of death.” After I spilled the beans about Siegel’s suicide, the ARists went crazy trying to deny it, with B.S. like this on their website:
“A final misrepresentation I want to refute here is the manner in which those attempting to discredit Eli Siegel have portrayed his death. The twist they give to it could only have been conceived by persons with a malevolent purpose.”
And, as mentioned above, we secretly recorded an AR leader telling the public flatly that Siegel didn't kill himself:
But after repeatedly hammering them about this, and their fiercely denying it, lo and behold, they finally admitted the truth:
“Eli Siegel died with dignity.... What death with dignity means to people today, thanks to the Hemlock Society and other Death with Dignity organizations, is that one has died by his own hand.” (source)
So now that we got them to finally admit it, do you think they’ll
apologize for calling me a liar for what they themselves now admit
is true? Don’t hold your breath.
Poking with a postcard
On the website AR set up to try to refute me, they schizophrenically vacillate between naming me for the purpose of trying to discredit me, and then not naming me at all to try to minimize me. As an example of the latter, they once referred to me as, “a certain individual who has made something of a life industry of attacking Aesthetic Realism.”
So I sent them a postcard, saying:
“I saw on your website where you referred to me as ‘a certain individual who has made something of a life industry of attacking Aesthetic Realism.’ It’s not really a life industry, it’s more like a hobby.”
Attended a presentation
Once I went to a public presentation at their headquarters. I didn’t do a damn thing other than to sit and watch the program, but their nervousness about my simply being there was palpable—which was the point. It was amazing how much distress I could cause them just by sitting in a chair.
Challenging Arnold Perey to a debate
For years I had an open offer to debate the Aesthetic Realists, with generous terms: The debate could be held on their home turf, at their headquarters, and I’d pre-agree to one of the two debate resolutions. Of course, they ignored me.
Then, Aesthetic Realist Arnold Perey had the temerity to proclaim on Wikipedia, “Apparently, Michael Bluejay is afraid to debate.” Oh God, that’s rich.
So, I confronted him after a program at the Aesthetic Realism headquarters, and repeatedly told him I’d like to debate. He didn’t acknowledge me, just hurriedly got in his car and sped away. Of course I have the whole thing on video.
But supposedly I’m the one who’s afraid to debate.
Wikipedia
Circa 2005 I tried to get the Wikipedia article about Aesthetic Realism to be objective and to include that independents generally regard them as a cult. I failed: The Aesthetic Realists essentially took ownership of the article and turned it into cheerleading for the group. Various other independent editors noticed how the article was one-sided in favor of AR and tried to make improvements, mostly to no avail. So, score one here for the Aesthetic Realists.