Conservatives have a problem with artists, just as most artists have a problem with conservatives. For example, there is a provision in Bush's Medicare program (the prescription drug boondoggle) that attempts to allow individuals to create their own sort of 401K plan for medical care. Catastrophic health care would be insured for them, but ordinary medical care would be covered by their own tax free savings.This sounds like a good idea. It gives people control over their medical care, their selection of doctors, treatment, testing, and so forth. Working people can manage this like they do their retirement funds. Everyone wins.Except artists.Artists have long and sadly accepted the general proposition that they cannot pursue their vocation in art and expect to be liquid or create much equity. No. Starving artist is not a misnomer or stereotype. People only get to become great (or very good) at an art by doing it full time. But doing so means they most likely scrape to get by. The trade off is that they get to do work they absolutely love instead of working on in the salt mines.
Look, I get this. I wanted to be a rock star when I grew up but my mother told me I'd meet more women if I was an accountant.
Those rock stars must be hurting for women.
4 comments:
Think of it, you could've looked like Eddie Van Halen!
Good point
Artists like the little guy. They sing songs about the victims, they do movies about poor the little guy fighting corporate america, and they publish photos of poverty.
If you think of it it makes sense. Even as a conservative, I would not find it appealing to watch a movie about Paris Hilton cradle to grave, born rich, dying rich. It would be boring. It's much more fun watching the poor girl slap the rich bitch. But that's staged fantasy, and it's based on the premise that there is good and evil and no overlap between the two. This premise makes it much easier to develop art that is appealing.
Problem is that artists cannot separate fantasy from their reality. And it affects their politics as they love to divide america into two groups, giant faceless corporations and the little guy whom those corporations victimize.
Never needing to make payroll themselves, artists take on no realization of the societal contribution made by big business, big oil, big pharm, big bank, big auto, big food, etc.
They do not realize that those entities are not just integrated with the people, they ARE the people. They hate business, but they unwittingly hate fellow Americans in the process.
Then there are those of is that do make the connection. We realize that broccoli doesn't just pick itself, fly into the kitchen, turn the stove gas on, heat itself and land on our dinner plate. We know that many would-be artists have chosen more mundane career paths to pick the broccoli, and truck it to the supermarket. Others became pipeline inspectors to ensure natural gas safely makes it to our heated stoves. Yet others have developed processes and systems to ensure efficient operations of these people. We have chosen these career paths, not because they are always fun but because they, literally, put food on the table.
The people who make this intellectual leap are called conservatives. Do we wish that life were more idealistic? Sure. But as the result of experience, we know that wishing for life to meet the ideal is not going to make it so. And spending too much time wishing for things means less time doing things. Many of us know that the best way to "give back" is to take care of our immediate households, feed our own children, pay our own taxes, so as not to create burdens for others to solve. Resources that are left over can be saved in the banking system where it is boroowed by other businesses putting food on others' tables. It really a great system.
Artists tend to see things far too much how they think things SHOULD be. When they see conservatives and their realism (and full bellies), they see someone with whom they simply can't relate.
They never make the connection that their career choice, not a conservative's realism, is why they are hungry. The few I have observed making that connection immediately packed up their easle, and paint brushes, went to work at Walmart. A little more boring of a job but food in their tummies.
Amen brother
Post a Comment