Artists nationwide say they’re being put to an ideological litmus test. ‘It felt like somebody holding a gun to my head saying: your integrity or your life’s work.’
I used to go to movies, have season tickets to the Atlanta Broadway series and season tickets to the Atlanta Symphony. I quit them all because the appallingly glaring political slant.
Two weeks ago I was gifted tickets to “Hadestown” a Tony award winning musical. The politics were so obvious. There was a song about a wall and how bad it was to keep us safe inside and the others out! In the play the devil worked hard and the heroes thought they were above working. Oh, and climate change was what made them poor and hungry sending them to hell to work. Craziest play. What a birthday gift. Rogers and Hammerstein please come back!
Bottom line. I’m done with the arts. And I’m sad about that. Someday someone will see that there are a lot of people who would support art. Just art. No politics. I’m going to donate to the ballet theater mentioned in the piece.
Same with fashion and culture. I stopped reading Vogue and Vanity Fair long before the summer of ‘20. I’ve stopped watching my favorite TV show, CBS’s Sunday Morning. On and on. Nothing but propaganda. Flip through an issue of Teen Vogue and it will make the hair on the back of your neck stand up - molding good little Marxist’s under the cover of the latest make-up trends.
I quit two of my favorite comedy outlets, Cracked and The Onion, when they turned into nonstop bashing of conservatives. Coincidentally, also became uncreative and not funny at the same time.
And the Left either can’t understand satire and irony or they just censor it as they did on Twitter - Wokeism is the most humorless political religion ever
Everything is politically woke today. Free Press commenters are often largely in agreement on FP's reporting on the disasters in every US institution. And it is good that so many of us have stopped supporting these now-woke entities.
But I believe FP must provide more leadership going forward. The brave people who are standing up to the woke tyranny need more help. There are a few politicians who will fight for them, but this political leadership must be known to us. FP - please find and show us any brave leader who will help lead the fight against the woke tyranny.
I'm moving to Florida because I've been looking for that leader for years and DeSantis is the best I've found. But I agree, I've read far too many articles complaining about the situation, and none giving me any kind of actionable advice on what to do about it.
During the riots of 2020, I made a decision to buy another home in a more conservative state. That state now has a much more conservative governor, and I am happy with that. There are very few politicians as courageous as DeSantis. You are wise to move to Florida. I have many friends who have left Calif for Florida. I believe the FP must go further than simply providing an endless supply of essays on the destruction of our institutions and the brave people who try, always in vain, to fight back.
As of now the march to a cruel society that will affect all of us appears inevitable. Leadership is desperately needed.
Moved to Florida in 2021 for similar reasons. You are probably going to be very happy here (as most everyone is). DeSantis strikes me a a once in a generation (or generations) leader who exemplifies the old adage: Watch what they do, not what they say. He is not a blowhard pol seeking votes but rather initiates real action. I suspect that soon Florida and Texas will be the new NY and CA in terms of quality education, innovation, and arts.
The governor represents the voting population who elected him. People leaving states like Washington and California aren't leaving because they dislike their particular governor, but because a majority of their populations keep electing them and other politicians like them. Florida just reelected DeSantis by a landslide. That says something about other politics in general in Florida. It's got me looking into moving there. And I love the west, where I was born and lived most of my life. He had me at Martha's Vineyard.
I used to love VF, reading Hitchens and Dominic Dunne, etc. Those guys would turn over in their graves if they saw what has happened to this magazine. Shame on the new cabal of writers and editors.
Same. Was disgusted. Allrecipes seems to have stayed away from wokeness for the most part, but the second they fall into the trap I'm cancelling that too.
Editors of Teen Vogue are Men with Women's names and they've been all in with writing about Trans Ideology for years. It must be the ultimate sexual high for the fetished but not good for teen girls.
Lucy Diavolo is the News + Politics News Editor for Teen Vogue. She helped found the Transfeminine Alliance of Chicago and facilitates its regular meetings. She also plays bass in the Chicago-based band The Just Luckies."
Yes. Several decades ago, I went to the midnight screening of Pink Flamingos and the Rocky Horror Show. Those movies were campy and tacky delights designed to make you laugh at their silly outrageousness. But today, the left wing world has turned into those two movies, but without any humor. And if you dare laugh at the ridiculous creatures on display, it's off to the Gulag with you.
I used to enjoy CBS Sunday Morning, too. But there have been some good segments by David Sedaris, which can be watched on YouTube. (I recommend the Honestly podcast episode with him as well, from December.)
He is SO FUNNY. I got an Audible subscription only to listen to David Sedaris books because you need to hear him tell the stories. He's a national treasure.
I did the same re: Vogue and Vanity Fair. The New Yorker, too. And I loved those publications and got a lot of pleasure out of them... until they became so biased and political. What a shame.
I'm not one to use Twitter but it saved me, literally SAVED me, during Covid. The only place where I could find people who were sane about the pandemic (well, until they got banned.)
I subscribe to CNN & MSNBS/ABC/ect. youtube channels. Often in watching them I have to ask not are we living in the same country, but are we living on the same Planet?
There is something I posted sometime ago on a small site 'm a member of (the Right Reasons.net), that I think applies to today'
Culturally, Politically seeing less & less room for live and let live...lose today, there another battle tomorrow. The tribes are sorting themselves out. The Tribes are not Left/Right, Rich/Poor/Republican/Democrat, Minority/Majority, Religious/Non-Religous. Not sure how to describe Our Side from Their Side, but of this I am sure there are US & THEM. I am fairly sure who is an US and who is a THEM. The way I have been looking at politics/culture may not be valid anymore, or are becoming Less Valid.
________________________________________________
"There's Something Happening Here, What It Is Ain't Exactly Clear."
Stephen Stills (For What Its Worth 1966).
Being just a little to the Right of Attila The Hun I should NOT be giving money to Bari Weiss. Yet...Here I Am.
Town & Country, too? Oh my goodness! Have you ever read Air Mail, the weekly digital newsletter/magazine that's edited by Carter Graydon, who used to edit Vanity Fair. I think it's all right compared to the woke garbage other magazines now offer. Airmail subscriptions can be had for as little as $20 per year when they run specials. I think it's pretty good.
It would be great to have an art review section here. I’d love to know about more organizations that remain true to their art and to merit. I plan to buy tickets for an ACB performance next time I visit LA.
Nothing racist or wrong with saying "black" or "whites."
I find it interesting that we don't extend that to other skin colors. We don't say browns, reds, or yellows. Or even brown people, red people, or yellow people. I wonder why that is, and why whites and blacks are socially acceptable but the others are not?
Agree, Shane. Nothing wrong with blacks and whites.
It's a good question. It might be that "Black" (capital B) stands in for a distinct ethnic-cultural group that is different from people whose skin just happens to be black (or dark brown in most cases, really, right?) If I recall back that far, Negro was usually capital N. So just as we can say, "the Irish", we could say "the Blacks", referring only to Americans descended from African slaves. Talking of Africans, we wouldn't say "the Blacks" because they aren't/weren't slaves in the Western Hemisphere, even though they cheerfully and avariciously sold their brethren into that slavery. The are "the Nigerians", "the Somalis", "the South Africans". And for them we could say, "black (not Black) South Africans", "colored (i.e., mixed race) South Africans", and "white South Africans" (or Boers, I suppose.) Specific tribes and languages, like "San" and "Zulu" take upper-case, but not black to describe them generically.
We don't need to say "brown people, red people, or yellow people" because they all have more accurate ethnic descriptions. To you, a "brown person" might by a Latino or Hispanic. To me, he is a South Asian -- that's what Indians in Canada call themselves in personal ads (lower-case b always, as in "married brown girl seeks same for afternoon mtgs.") Healthy Native Americans don't actually have red skin -- the name comes from vermilion war paint worn by some -- and yellow people come from distinct countries all over the west Pacific rim. But there is really no other expression for American descendants of African slaves, except Black. African-American is cumbersome and never caught on except in exquisitely woke circles.
I personally can't bring myself to capitalize names of colours unless it's somebody's surname, like Joe Black. So for me, it's blacks and whites especially when some officious prick wants me to use capital B...or to say "black people." If they can call me "Whitey" or "settler", then I can call them anything I want.
Whites! There I've said it. Does it make anybody uncomfortable. It does me. I am squirming in my seat. How could I have said such a thing? Please forgive me!
Hi Ben, thank you for trying to help. The thing is - language is always a moving target and no one can stay on top of it. I remember when I referred to people as "black" at work some years back and some people were mad at me because the right word was "African American" (it might have been white liberal people and not black coworkers - I can't remember - I was so startled.). My parents remember when using an N word was the right /polite word, as in the United N College Fund. So, if "blacks" sounds disparaging now and "whites" does not - the problem is still what is in people's hearts, right? I try to pay attention to what the intention of a person is - whether they mean to give offence or not. And, I truly hate phrases like "dog whistle" where people pretend to know what others intend.
Anyhow, I am only a substacker over the Trans Travesty - but I think that CRT leads kids to want to identify as anything not "advantaged" - hence the hundreds of genders leading to drugs and mutilation with Gender Ideology. So many profit off of that - making lifelong patients.
Oh so if the woke left goes too far, it's our fault for not using the right shibboleths that you prescribe? Really, Ben.....I think we have other methods to rein in the Left.
I don't care if you think I'm a racist. It's a term I just don't give uptake to. It's an accusation for which there is no defence: stating it is to convict the person you accuse, in your mind. So why bother responding to it? It's like calling me ugly. Or fat. Or disrespectful. I can't prove I'm not any of those things, so there is no point being upset when someone like you accuses me. Simple. Much simpler than remembering to say "people" every time I say "black."
And - I expect - this is what will happen throughout the arts. Most people will stop paying money to see it. They'll probably stop attending it even when it's free. Then the people making a living in it will look for increasing government support - and support from the private foundations that are into this kind of non-performative discrimination. It will end up like art was back in the old Soviet Union.
I once knew a Russian pianist who had escaped from there. She turned me on to a Russian pianist - Maria Yudina - one of the most famous inside the Soviet Union, she said, but almost unherd of outside, where she had never been allowed to travel. Stalin loved to hear her play. But there was a problem. She was a devout Orthodox Christian, which was illegal under his regime. And when she performed she always wore a cross pendant on a necklace. This was at a time where public thumbing your nose at Stalin and his government was a ticket to a gulag camp. In her case, he let it go, making a joke about it. Lucky her.
Shostakovitch went for years without audiences after refusing to write his ninth symphony the way Stalin wanted (grandiose and patriotic).
It used to be fine when the communists just made all of the ugly looking sculptures, but now they run the Fortune 500 and the DOJ so it’s kinda not great.
As a Kindergarten teacher in Brooklyn, I saw it all decline. I decided no more shows for our field trips. We put on our own plays in the classroom and I played classical music, as well as Miriam Makeba and son cubano. The generation coming up will be culturally illiterate.
Interesting. We are play goers in San Diego but I got tired of every work being twisted to political motivation.. Just went back after a two year hiatus and saw "The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci". While not a great piece I left happy they didn't find a way to make it political!
They could have their cake and eat it too, if they weren't hacks.
Anyone played the video game Red Dead Redemption 2? Several subplots touch on slavery and treatment of indigenous peoples.
These subplots were personal & nuanced - the characters felt like people, not stand ins for particular groups. And guess what? Some of these stories actually made an impact on me.
Ditto on all the replies here. But it’s not just movies, theaters, etc. it’s simpler forms of creativity too such as podcasts! Before that infamous summer of 2020 I had so many non-political podcast favorites! I love story telling. They all became unbearable. I haven’t listened in almost 3 years. Everything has been ruined for those of us who do not subscribe to race essentialism.
We used to donate to several arts organizations, but no longer do so because of the politicization of those organizations. I would love to hear about groups that will support the arts without any regard for political/social standards. I would donate to them to support groups that will not concede to the social dictators. Are there groups that will offer grants to the arts without social considerations?
Interesting you bring them up, since they were practically canceled after criticizing Bush and the Iraq war. Another instance of artists not toeing the line, even though in their case it was voicing opinions unrelated to their music at the time. Which is also fine. I don’t even know their songs but conservatives can’t critique woke cancel culture and then celebrate the cancelling of the Dixie Chicks.
I agree with you completely - canceling them was absolutely not something to celebrate.
Their capitulation isn’t either. Bending over for the woke totalitarians was, I think, a combination of backlash against their critics, and a practical recognition that no one is immune from the woke mob.
(I was responding to the earlier comment that said:
“ It would be the death of country if it ever went woke - ever hear of the Dixie Chicks 🤣🤣🤣”)
I run a not for profit arts organization, all of this is spot on. My organization is straight up barred from the vast majority of private foundations in my area because our board is too “white.” The FIRST questions on most foundation applications are about how I identity as the director, down to my gender identity. I’m toying with becoming a they/them, because in 2023 being just old gay is nearly as “bad” as being straight (after all gays reinforce the dreaded “gender binary” by virtue of the fact that we’re only attracted to one gender).
And what this DEI initiative has done to arts organizations and artists is disgusting. It’s full scale brain washing. Cultural organizations are devolving into nothing more than amen-corners for the church of woke; echo chambers for radical leftists where no diversity of opinion is allowed, and dissent is punishable by losing quite literally everything.
I am someone who is entirely self made in my field, I have no family or generational wealth, which means I can’t afford to say anything that goes against the grain. I’m being purposely vague on what sector of the arts I work in, because if this heresy ever got tied back to me, I’d be finished-- we aren’t allowed to have any position other than the most Marxist, extremist, Orwellian views on DEI-- Peace be upon it.
It is a crime that we’re in this space. We have allowed our universities to be completely taken over by extremist leftists, who are turning out waves of completely brain washed, radicalized Marxist foot soldiers. That is the core of our problem. We used to just say, oh well the college campuses are crazy and not pay it much mind, but those inmates are out of the asylum now, and they’re seizing power at all of our institutions, and the old guard liberals are all folding like wet rags to their demands. As the saying goes we all live on campus now.
This life time democrat is now a closet independent. I voted Republican for the first time in my life as a protest against the crazy coming from my side. The gop makes me sick for its own crazy problems (Election deniers, trump, etc.) but the democrats have gone equally crazy in the other direction. Where’s a sane person to turn?
In today's world a liberal is not really liberal. I wrote a rather splendid essay (I'm being sarcastic) on this BBS on why the left is no longer liberal. Liberalism was founded in the 1800s as a champion of free speech and thought. That is no longer true today. Today it is far left rigid group think designed for lemmings. Disgusting!
During the Sixties the leftists were openly Marxist and well-educated about all the various sub-cults, Leninists, Trotskyists and so on. My Marxist friends would get into heated arguments and an occasional fistfight even, over which one of those guys were right. It seemed likely that if one of their factions had won out, all the others would have been coerced into that ideology.
I often comment on the death of liberalism. I went to high school and college in the 70s and relativism and live and let live had a certain attraction as I learned more about the world and the people in it. In my own mind I often couldn't agree on one thing or another. The debate raging in my mind could offer as many counterpoints on one side as the other. I was disposed towards conservatism, mostly because true conservatives (IMO) see value in allowing freedom to all and their many ways of living.
But as I grew and cared for my family of 8, I came to see political liberalism has little connection to the ideal. I saw Great Society programs destroy inner city families and marginalize young black and Hispanic men. I saw single moms as the norm. I saw education cheapened to the point there seemed little reason to show up. Kids could learn as much watching Sesame Street as they could in some schools. I see some families receiving $40 thousand and more in government handouts. I hear of less than 1/3 of adults in minority households working, despite a thriving market for labor.
Now that it has become obvious the $trillions spent by Democrat-run cities to "combat poverty" has failed to combat poverty, "thought" leaders on the left decided the problem all along was "systemic racism". How could they ever expect to win when the game was rigged all along? It's quite beautiful, when you think about it. The scheme worked so well when the left came up with blaming "climate change" for all man's woes they used the same idea with black's failing to succeed. Blame it on the white guys driving big cars and creating the resources to raise billions around the world from poverty.
Anyway, liberalism. As a concept I think the idea still exists, but it has nothing to do with leftist Democrat partisan thinking. As is their wont, when challenged, Democrats fall back on dictionary definitions, in this case, of being liberal. Yet they use newly made-up concepts when laying out their plans. It's all gone.
You're not alone. It's bad in journalism too. I worked in it for 25 years and have been out for 4 and just can't bear to think about going back. I mean, look at Bari...
“I am someone who is entirely self made in my field, I have no family or generational wealth, which means I can’t afford to say anything that goes against the grain.”
Look into Solzhenitsyn, or more recently dreher’s live not by lies… I’m not gonna judge you, I promise, but the people in those books with the most intimate experience of totalitarianism all say this is the wrong approach. You can’t afford to stay quiet, the truth will set you free…
Not that it specifically applies here, but the tendency of conservatives is to go along, eventually. We simply don't have the unlimited supply of emotional energy required to sustain fights like this with the Left, and they know it. There are really only two possible outcomes (either/or binary thinking!), and neither of them is good, but you can only swing the pendulum so far before it comes back the other way, with more force than ever before.
Mike E - Yes, this. We normal people are not ideological warriors who wake up every day thinking about the next phase of our crusade or revolution. However, when the balance does tip...it will be a messy response.
It can also cause you to lose a needed job, or earn less than you could by maintaining a pretense. I wonder how soon it will be necessary to treat woke Americans like an army of occupation. Some people resist by speaking out, but that can also become a path to martyrdom if not enough other people will step up.
Hey friend, good comment, but you do need to know...the 2020 election was rigged, on multiple levels. The suppression of Hunter's lap top is only the tip of the iceberg. Don't forget: the same people pushing DEI are basically the same ones who told you that the election wasn't rigged.
I used to do a lot of volunteer work with the Dems and stopped after like the 10th time i just had to "listen and learn" while someone said something hostile to me. I still volunteer just not in politics and people that are still in act like I'm some asshole who is now actively making the world worse. They honestly believe 1. that I owe them my time, 2. that I have to accept any kind of treatment, and 3. that only their pet cause is worthy.
Liberal Not Progressive - great post. Good luck and hold on. DEI has turned into social monster enveloping and devouring all and everything in front of its path. A dark spreading stain where one's personal gain is matched by another's personal pain. We can call it The New Order. What perhaps might have started out as a college affirmative action campaign suited for this new century, adapted for all fields from the arts to the corporate world, it has now morphed into a tool for a resegregation of sorts. It can politely be called mission escalation. And now, poison. People are divided by colour and ethnicity again, some included, others excluded. Regardless of talent or skill. The door is open for some, but not for others. It's Jim Crow and old style anti semitism all over again but with the roles reversed.
I find the irony so blindingly obvious that I'm surprised I don't read too much in mainstream media into how we're turning into a Black Mirror image of this country of a hundred years ago. But now combined with a groupthink mentality based on the rewriting of history to suit a growing prevailing view of the present, with all 'incorrect' thinking to be whited out, censored and barred from the new catechism.
It seems though that it is still primarily powerful white people engineering all of this. The true believers among them seem genuinely eager to inflict punishments and blame upon themselves, while others prefer to persecute others, but one way or another they mostly focus on white people. It is very disgusting to see white corporate executives using DEI initiatives to intimidate and terrorize their employees. I live in an ultra woke, predominantly white, highly educated city, so my observations may be biased by my context.
Praise the Lord for people like Jordan Peterson who are trying hard to fight against what is going on in universities. https://youtu.be/hkXKZ6Tl_Fc. UATX is another option and of course you can't go wrong with Hillsdale College...slowly but sure change WILL take place.
I work in Hollywood. Exact same issue. I was once at a group dinner, and made people "uncomfortable" by not being anti-Trump enough. And I don't even like Trump! I think he's crazy. I'm just anti-marxist (came from a Soviet country).
You must have lots of stories. From my perspective here in Dixieland, I imagine that the replacement for “saying grace” in Hollywood must be everyone at the table condemning Trump and hoping their children, if any, decide to “transition” soon.
You know what's crazy? I really don't. It really is just the extremes. But if you bump into an extreme, and they have an issue, nobody wants to stand up and counter act it.
Ultimately, in the two party system we have (Tweedle Dee vs Tweedle Dum) we have to make a choice for the least bad. Republicans are it right now. So, though yours was a protest vote, thanks for that vote against totalitarian ideological insanity. And I hope they don't discover your Wrongthink!
While the first several paragraphs were informative (though not surprising), the last paragraph hits home.
I am in a very similar position. Liberal, not progressive. Did vote for an R for senator this year because the D was unacceptable. First time in decades. Won't be the last, but I'll take a sane R over a progressive D every day of the week.
To those R's out there, stop putting forth crazy nominees, and you might just get some surprises in who gets elected. There's a lot of folks ready to cross party lines but won't if the other side is just as nuts.
There's a lot of reason to push electoral change, which enables better representation than what comes out of closed primaries. Center for American Progress wrote an interesting (non-partisan) piece on this earlier this week on this. Alaska is a state which has already benefited from it.
Ranked voting often elects the more extreme marginal candidates. Lots of places that have tried it reverted back to regular understandable voting when it bit them in the ass. Be careful on that one.
You are pretty new to realizing the consequences of the progressive/leftist/woke ideology. I would only say this regarding "election deniers," the picture you have of them is crafted by the same people who bring you all the tragedies you write about. One must go much deeper into the evidence hidden from you. Most people are unfamiliar with the sources for this. And these sources are drying up just as classical music is drying up. If you no longer accept the woke's view on the arts, know their dishonest bullying is consistent across the board - even on Trump and election deniers. Read Bari Weiss's co-workers at twitter who are exposing the incredible corruption of the media and our woke government in The Twitter Files. Bari, Matt Taibbi, Michael Shellenberger are providing the evidence for what those of us who have been "red-pilled" longer had concluded a long time ago - the woke disaster destroyed virtually every American institution, starting with the mainstream and social media. Be skeptical of everything they preach.
Thank you for this post. I was always an Independent - voting for whoever seemed the least bad each time - Dem or Rep. Now, the only Dem I'd vote for is Tulsi Gabbard and she's become an Independent. And, I will not vote for any Republican who is uninterested in "culture wars" and does not speak out against the cult of Gender Ideology. I'm a big fan of DeSantis right now.
Along those lines, please do not put yourself down as a "they/them". It is so destructive to the young to indulge this cult religion. No one is "assigned sex at birth".
I live right down the road from Madison, WI where The Pleasant Co was founded. I'm so disgusted by what they have done to the brand. Once upon a time it was a wholesome company. And you're right, no one is ASSIGNED sex, it's observed. It's pretty obvious. SMH.
I wrote a letter to Rowland Pleasant, the founder of American Girl dolls! I think I even sent her a copy of my memoir. No one should put pronouns in their bios, emails, letters &etc. No one is a "they/them." I just wrote a letter to a local "woke" activist, telling her I no longer call my ex-husband any kind of "she," since discovering the second fraud he committed to get out of paying child support. (did not submit complete financials, he was in an equity contract, became COO of his tech company, but listed his job as low level data entry) As an acquaintance in his database management area wrote me, "his coworkers talk about a meanness and spitefulness, all hidden beneath a veil of inclusivity and tolerance." I'd say that goes for just about any man who says he's female. Thanks, LovingMother!
Thank you so much for writing to Rowland Pleasant, the founder of American Girl dolls, Ute. I appreciate that very much. Right, no one is a "they/them/non-binary" and no one is "assigned" a sex at birth - such harmful gibberish! How did we ever get there? We've got to dispense with that language. If a fella wants to wear a dress and grow his hair long - that's his thing - but he is no kind of woman. I am so alarmed that we have a justice on the Supreme Court of the United States (a respected institution) who cannot say what a woman is!! Eeeeeee. Your ex husband sound like a narcissist - like so many - like that guy who wins women's cycling contests, "Rachel" McKinnon. They seriously Do Not Care about others. The crazy thing is that our society is fine with this and enables them. One of the worst cases are the men who take a hormone concoction in order to "breast feed" using non-mother's milk to feed a baby. The "milk" is bad for baby and using the baby as a sex toy is bad for baby. This is not a male "mother". Meanwhile, actual mothers, like those of us on the PITT substack, would die to save our daughters. Wake up America!
"his coworkers talk about a meanness and spitefulness, all hidden beneath a veil of inclusivity and tolerance." I'd say that goes for just about any man who says he's female." Amen to that. - LM
I volunteer for a tiny arts nonprofit here in Georgia, have written grants for it and am working on one now. I am required to answer how we serve underserved communities. We serve fine artists and know from our personal experiences that we make up a very minute minority of the general population in the first place.
I'm a cellist who works on Broadway, I've been working there for more than two decades, and hiring practices there for musicians these days has become almost exclusively based on one's race and gender, followed closely by one's public declarations of only the most liberal political identity.
New York City is ground zero for idiocy. A city of precocious fools kept together by more sensible working men and women who are consigned to the outer boroughs and suburbs.
The wife of a family friend is a Lighting Designer on Broadway (and similar places). Another acquaintance is pretty senior in IATSE #1. They both work hard, and yes, I am impressed. And I used to go to Broadway occasionally and buy "house" seats.
But at a recent holiday gathering, I related that I have much less interest in spending $100+/ticket, because a) NYC has become a much less hospitable place, and b) I am tired of having leftist/woke politics continually shoved in my face.
In 2015, she became the target of _massive_ outrage because though she was a white woman, she identified as Black—to the extent that she became president of the NAACP chapter in Spokane, Washington.
I personally didn't see what the issue was. I mean, if you accept fluidity around gender identification, why can't you accept fluidity around race identification? In fact, there is _more_ justification for fluidity around racial identity since most biologists agree there is no scientific basis for race because race is not grounded in genetics.
I argued this point _ceaselessly_ with my progressive friends. And got shot down every time.
"WHY is it different?" I'd ask.
And they'd never address the point. They'd say stuff like "OBVIOUSLY, it IS." And get very huffy with me. 😀
There is no logical answer to any of your (quite reasonable) questions, because logic and reason have nothing to do with their tirades. Like an overtired three year old holding a butcher knife, they are exceedingly dangerous and completely out of control.
Hi Peter, and thank you for the view point. Question: when you started on Broadway, were the hiring practices more technical or were there covert guidelines?
While what you state is certainly true and infuriurating, I suspect that there has always been some practices. It is never about talent alone; am I incorect in thinking that way?
Being hired as a freelance musician had always been a combination of talent and ability in a range of genres, ability to sight read well, and the ability to work well with others which is usually expressed as the "reputation" one gets from doing their work. You do some work, you build your reputation, and then you are hired as a result of your reputation. There is simply not enough time or money for auditions for every single gig, and hiring by reputation solves that problem while at the same time engendering a sense of having a stake in the community and the local union. Certainly that system also could and did occasionally have results where not the absolute best players were hired, whether because of a contractor wanting to hire a friend, or a composer insisting on a particular musician, etc, but at no time were those considerations ever (in my experience) about race and gender and political affiliations. These days, the hiring is based exclusively on race and gender and political affiliations and the random musicians being brought in have no stake in the community or the union, not to mention that they mostly can't play very well. It's become the same across Broadway, from finding producers, to the material being presented, to the casting, to my still being asked to test and mask at work even though it's 2023 and the pandemic is over.
The best pen name of all? William Shakespeare who was actually Edward de Vere, Earl Oxenford. Just dip a toe into the subject and you will be convinced. A fascinating story!
My son is recent graduate from the Manhattan School of Music in trumpet performance. He is good. I have tried to explain the DEI and the rising influence of this ideology in art and music performance and how this might influence his opportunities, but he is not listening.
I know several professional trumpet players in NYC. Good guys. The most important thing is still professionalism - be dependable and prepared, and take direction - but I wonder how long that will stay true.
So no white actors can portray animals in the lion king. But all white historical figures must only be played by non white actors in Hamilton? (Other than the “baddie” king who is white)
When I read that they were having auditions for Hamilton but no whites were welcome, I decided then and there that I would never spend one dime of my money on it.
To ban someone because of race is against the 1964 civil rights law. A law that was filibustered by the Democrats and only passed because of Rep support, something that is conveniently forgotten by the left.
The man who filibustered it was a Democrat senator and KKK member Robert Byrd. He was rewarded for his efforts by the Democrats by being elected Senate Majority leader and later Minority Leader. God bless the Democrats, hypocrites all.
The very same. Billy Clinton eulogized Bobbie also. He thought Bob was just peachy. If history is to be a guide, the Dem/Soc Party is not the feminist party nor the party that fought for the rights of minorities.
It is the tyranny party that fights against freedom of speech. If they are the party of the black man or woman, how come they support the burning of our cities by Marxist thugs but say nothing about the tens of thousands of black people murdered over the last twenty years in the inner cities?
"If they are the party of the black man or woman, how come they support the burning of our cities by Marxist thugs but say nothing about the tens of thousands of black people murdered over the last twenty years in the inner cities?"
Hey, you can't say that! I don't care how true it is!
I do feel obligated to recall that while Bobby Byrd was quite the Klansman in his younger days, at the end of his life, as US Senator from W VA,, he was one of the (few) voices decrying the trashing of constitutional liberties by the GW Bush administration. Quite prophetic, really, given where we are now.
And Hilary's self-described mentor. But, you know, he "changed" so all good. Imagine if Trump had ever had one photograph taken with, say, SC Senator Strom Thurmond...
As I have mentioned previously, Byrd was not merely a member of the KKK, but founder of the West Virginia chapter, and served as its highest ranking official.
Please, get history correct. Byrd was kkk at one time and called it an terrible mistake. Shortly after the law passed, the Dem party decided to become the leader in civil rights, the R party in segregation. Byrd went to the right side of history. The Southern Dems became Republicans and have been among the worst of society for decades.
“As a young man in West Virginia, Byrd recruited members to a local KKK chapter and was elected to the post of “exalted cyclops” according to his 2005 autobiography. Later, in 1964, when Byrd had become a Democratic U.S. senator, he stalled and opposed major civil rights legislation.”
I’d say Byrd was among the worst of society when it counted most.
This feels like a throw-away but gets more to the point: not only are non-leftists blacklisted in the industry, but we are blacklisted even from attempting to enjoy art. DEI is KKK 2.0
Unfortunately, this great article confirms what many of us already know: if you want great opera, go to France or Italy; if you want great music and theater go to England or Germany; if you're wondering where this all leads, go to China. I'm just grateful we have YouTube because I for one would not spend one dime on these fools.
Todays China has nothing to do with one from Cultural Revolution, but is extremly meritocratic society.
Entrance to top universities in China is managed purely on academic performance (trough Gaokao =>National College Entrance Examination). There is no DEI, no essay or some other affirmative action. Also if you show talent in sports, arts or anything else, you will be provided every opportunity to excel. Even to become member of CCP, person need to be in to 5% of your university class, only then you get invitation to join.
Chinese in China cannot fathom, that in US selection to top universities is not fully based on academic merit, but on some arbitrary parameters as one heritage or skin color.
Uyghurs are less then 1% of Chinese population. On scale of Chinese population even with direct discrimination of them problem is non existent, since from 100 studens, only 1 is might be Uyghur. Majority of Chinese population have never met or seen Uyghur.
For sistematic discrimination you should look at affirmative action and legacy admissions, that directly discriminated against Asian Americans who are 7% of population
So no preference is given to the children of high party officials? It is purely an egalitarian system and even Uyghurs are not discriminated against and admitted to universities. I do know they are admitted to the world's largest prison.
- preference is given to the children of high party officials. => Not, they also have to take Gaokao, and have same chance as rest. There is more corruption in our admissions through whole legacy & donor admissions than in China.
- Uyghurs are less then, 1% of Chinese population. Even if they are directly discriminated, on scale of China problem is so miniscule. But even they take same Gaokao and have same Chances to get in, since evaluation and rating of Gaokao is public.
Well you know, from the pics I see, Chna is overwhelmingly monochomatic, racially speaking..."diversity" over there is kind of a moot point. But yeah, I can believe that at this point, aspects China's system are more legit than ours.
China is not monochomatic (this is trope that is shown in western media), but very diverse, there is lots difference between Chinese in north, south, east, west of country (not only how they look, but food, culture). Large parts of country have their own dialects of Chinese language.
China is an overtly racist country, where only the Han count as real Chinese. Yes, there are many ethnic groups and dialects, but they are not treated equally. This is a fact. Verifiable by things like the removal of Africans who were kicked out of quarantine hotels during the pandemic, kicked out of McDonalds. An ad for laundry soap where they put a black man in a washing machine and he comes out Chinese. I do not blame the Chinese people, but the ideology of their tyrannical Stalinist government. Anyone who lived through the Cultural Revolution would have been traumatized. And that is what this article in the Free Press is about: the signs of that type of tyranny, the scaffold for building a nation based on fear and division.
"China is an overtly racist country, where only the Han count as real Chinese. Yes, there are many ethnic groups and dialects, but they are not treated equally. "
Probably true, but still better than in west. Where did all us German/Italian/French speaking population went ? 100 years ago there were plenty of vibrant communities that spoke other languages than English. Where are they now?
What about languages of natives in US? Were they allowed to thrive in liste 200 years or brought to brink of destruction, by active actions by Fedaral and local governments?
"Still better than the West" ?? Untrue. In the category of language, sadly, Mao destroyed much of the rich cultural heritage of Mandarin in his attempt to 'simplify' the language into what has been described as a crude version that lost nuance and literary value.
You are speaking to a language teacher. Yes, languages still thrive in many communities in the USA--often through churches, temples, mosques and community organizations. French in Massachusetts and other New England states, for example. Spanish is widespread in the USA as that is the current language of more recent immigrants. BTW, note the prevalence of Mandarin and its availability in High School as a study language. The U.S. and many 'Western' countries are leaders in diversity, equity and inclusion--to an extreme degree as you see in the article that prompted this .discussion.
I figured you would come back with some such comment...yeah, it's a big country, so you are going to have some "diversity"of culture...but last time I checked (this morning) China is 90% plus Han Chinese....so they fail the "diversity" test.
Han Chinese are very diverse among themself (culturally and how they look).
Last time I checked majority of population in US were Americans and speak English's language. US fails diversity test, there is more similarity between Ney Yorker and person from Los Angels, than between Northern and Southern Chinese (Culturally and linguistic ).
"Han Chinese are very diverse among themself (culturally and how they look)."
You know what? So are "white people." But you would never know that from they way we talk these days.
You have, perhaps inadvertently, revealed the fallacy underlying the (as you would say) diversity "trope": even the most seemingly monochromatic groups are quite "diverse."
Nope, China fails the Diversity Test, at least in the way we use the term today.
Let me know when "diverse" China opens its borders for decades to migrants from all over the world...then we can (maybe) talk about "diversity"in China.
Heh heh...you must not know much about the US...Los Angelenos are basically Left-Coast New Yorkers.
But it is true that the distinct regional and cultrural variations that were once so prominent in the US have been honed down by techno-mono-culture...one nation under Tik Tok/Instagram... sigh...
Country is 92% Han (Incl Hui => Muslim Chinese). Next largest Minority are Zhuang People with 1.3%, on second place are Uyghurs with 0.84%. Becides Uygurs majority of other minorities have no issues.
Thus "preference for Han" is not really something that exist, since vast majority of population identifies as Han. For every 100 students in China there are 8 Minorities, even if there was "preference for Han" this would be negligible, what benefit would it get, 1-2 more Han?
Fair comment. Now, do the % of Han in the top leadership of the CCP. China is a Han nation, though there are millions and millions who are not Han. Also, China isn't stupid enough to allow millions and millions of legal or illegal immigrants that will never assimilate.
do the % of Han in the top leadership of the CCP => Sure, no problem, Country is 92% Han+Hui, Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party that runs country and CCP has 24 seats, how many minorities should be in this body and which minority should be included?
What probability is there that 92% of population will yield more talented people (in absolute numbers) than 8% of population?
So should China do affirmative action and have fixed numbers of Minorities in their government?
Wu mao much? I'm sorry, but this constant need to affirm what is one of the most oppressive governments in the world seems highly suspicious. Echoes of the fifty cent army. I appreciate conversations of depth and would like to return to the points made in this article.
Do we want freedom and equal opportunity based on our minds-and-spirits or division based on our 'bodies' and our raised fists?
It boils down to this: do we base our artistic decisions on the concept of a Higher Unifying Principle drawing individuals to be their best and to forgive and love one another or on a crude and terminal materialism that sees only unthinking masses of Black and Brown or white 'Bodies'?
Note that in China they have no problem putting their troublesome minorities into concentration camps for re-education. Or rape and murder. Is that what we want?
As an opera lover, I haven't noticed a degradation of the quality of opera in the States, at least not with respect to the Metropolitan Opera. The quality is as good as ever, and I've also noticed a small but significant uptick in the number of Black singers, especially in secondary roles, at the Met. The recent productions of "Porgy and Bess" were fabulous. The outsized quantity and quality of Black singers on that stage was impressive, and I couldn't help but ask myself why I hadn't seen many of these talented individuals before. Lately there have been a lot more Black singers on the stage, and whenever somebody has the opportunity to sing a solo, even a small one, it's always noteworthy. And now we have the addition of two new operas by Terence Blanchard that give Black singers a greater chance to shine in a modern vernacular.
In some respects, being a Black opera singer has never been harder, because to the woke, opera is Exhibit A of white Colonialism, replete with every possible sex, class and race stereotype you can think of. This sets up Black opera singers to be viewed as race traitors. And yet, some of the greatest opera singers in the world are of African descent. For instance, there's Latonia Moore, a powerful Aida specialist as well as a sensitive interpreter of modern works, Lawrence Brownlee, a wonderful actor and brilliant Rossini-Donizetti tenor, and the magnificent Jeanine De Bique, originally from Trinidad, who has made Handel her own. These singers are not concerned with fashion or political correctness. They are artists.
Just my opinion, but I think opera is alive and well in the United States and the current efforts made to include more great Black singers in the mix can only be a good thing. Opera is an Olympian art form. "Equity" won't help the singer who can't keep up.
Addendum: One correction. The three artists I mention above do not work only in the States. They are world citizens of Opera.
Lawrence Brownlee is incredible. My son (who is in Graduate school for Vocal performance which includes Opera) showed me some videos and I was amazed what he can do with his voice. He is legit. I pray that opera keeps the high bar for its performers and pray even harder that my son can meet the high bar. To get to that level it’s not just Talent people don’t realize how much work goes into it. Thanks for the insight.
Patrick, I wish your son all success in his ambition to make it as an opera singer. You are exactly right: it's a demanding, highly competitive field that requires great sacrifice and commitment. There's a reason why we admire the virtuosi of opera, which includes wonderful artists like Lawrence Brownlee. Without that "high bar" that you refer to, there could be no opera. Mediocre performances are not worth listening to and the field would disappear if the talent were to dry up. Fortunately, I don't think the talent will dry up as long as we stay loyal to the canon of great operas of the past (and occasionally of the present). People want to sing that music and other people want to listen to it, because it is so beautiful. Obviously, I'm prejudiced, but in my opinion there's nothing like great opera.
I agree - to a certain extent. The quality of the voice is what matters most. My problem is the subtle de Christianization of certain works, and what I call "recession opera", not the race of the singer. Some of that has been rectified but Peter Gelb is not my favorite manager. I think the current "Hansel and Gretel " is a disgrace for example as well as the new "Lucia Di Lammermoor" Call me old fashioned but when I attend the opera I want to see GRAND OPERA - new productions are fine and I am open to artistic reinterpretations, but for me there is a limit. PS: I was a child when I fell in love with opera. My grandmother introduced me to a recording of Il Trovatore with the legendary Leontyne Price , as well as Richard Tucker and Leonard Warren ( my favorite baritone next to the late Dmitri Hvorostovsky). I long for the Zefferelli days. If they ever redo La Boheme I will riot. ;)
I’m glad you responded. I’ve been shocked by all the likes on my comment, given that it’s so far afield of the point of the article overall.
I’m not familiar with the changes to Hansel and Gretel. What did they do to it? I also was not impressed with the modernization of Lucia, using gimmicky sets, costumes and video to distance the audience from the performances. However, Sierra’s singing is extraordinary and the cast as a whole was tremendous, so I let it slide. A certain amount of experimentation is inevitable and mostly it’s going to stink. And yes, there is no substitute for Zefferelli, that’s for sure, and nobody will ever replace Hvorostovsky or Price. My god, we got to hear them live!
I try to be philosophical about experimentation in staging and the productions of atonal, terrible modern operas where there’s not a single discernible tune to be heard. I marvel that singers can even memorize that stuff. And I agree, there is a limit to how far we can go and still respect the art form. Optimistically, if we can hold onto the canon while nurturing great talent, hopefully we’ll make it past the corruptions of wokism. Lastly, I’ll be rioting with you if they touch La Boheme (my favorite opera).
They make think it’s a religion, but it’s actually speech/think enforcement by the socialists on the left. This is 100% racial discrimination and I hope they all get sued, and lose.
Spot on! Leftist zealotry is what people who would have been burning witches and preaching temperance in the past now use to fill those holes in their lives.
The Supreme Court will eventually get baited into taking this on, and when the "wrong" verdict is rendered the Left will act predictably. They were not able to expand the Court this time, but they will not miss another opportunity.
Not religion as in the commonly held vision of a God concept. Rather religion in the sense that there is some ideological position revealed and then received on faith and followed blindly with proselytizing of whomever is met next. The last piece to make it a religion is the controlling priest class who gains enrichment and power from the followers that have been convinced to receive the word on faith. It is a form of social organization and control rather than a statement of the content of the belief.
It seems to me that if society continually portrays POC as victims and policies are made to therefore rectify by implementing discriminatory practices against non-POC we perpetuate racism into a never ending cycle of oppressors and victims. When enough of the white leftists are adversely affected by their own ideology things will change. At some point we need to get to the point of race neutral policies, but I fear it will not happen till pain is inflicted on all.
Yes because - and let's be very clear about this - underlying it all is a sense of paternalism and the deep belief that POCs are really not up to it and cannot succeed on their own. In other words, the very definition of racism.
But it also can convert someone who was tolerant and accepting of POC under the old model (where it was believed that we do not judge a person by the color of their skin….) and make them intolerant. Backfire so to speak. Converting an ally into an enemy.
Which is exactly the point - economic class divisions don't work in the West since they are fluid, but races cannot be exchanged so that is a more "successful" avenue of division. One which Marx himself would have clearly implemented if Europe and Russia hadn't been all white.
Exactly. At what point do we have a level playing field, which was originally the goal of affirmative action? Right now one side is standing on an artificial embankment, while the other stands in a trench and just keeps on digging.
I can’t help but think that blacks & the black community will be the downfall of the USA. The reduction of standards & merit and the excessive inner city violence will the the country’s undoing.
I do not ascribe to the belief that POC are the lowest common denominator at all and find that statement to be offensive. It appears you do and that position is equally responsible for the mess we are in. It is the white leftists and progressives that are pushing the DEI to the detriment of POC and the country together with those espousing your sentiments. Politicians seize on those two dichotomies to fund raise and retain office all the while we all suffer.
Here's the good news (for me). My kids are all grown and my two daughters have kids of their own. They all (to various degrees) regard this as patent hogwash. It's the little ones that I worry about. Do my best to share love of country and try to inculcate in them the courage to speak the truth about our country's goodness.
That ("perpetuat(ing) racism into a never ending cycle of oppressors and victims" is, I believe, exactly the motivation. As long as there are people who believe "help, help! I'm being oppressed!", there will be support for corrupt people to claim to be the answer to their problems. Without that, the entire leftwing establishment would crumble.
This is also happening in academia, law, medicine, government, business as well as the arts. It is a full on assault on every aspect of our society. It is astonishing in its seemingly organized manner, dangerous and scary.
In medicine, in particular, it has perverse consequences. A trans person must be treated as the gender they claim, not their biological sex. Imagine an ectopic pregnancy in a shemale (or is it trans man?); it would be ignored as impossible.
The leftists have 'jumped the shark' to use an old meme, and many, many people will be paying the price for this until society restores sanity.
I have read of convoluted complaints from persons who have transitioned about their insensitive treatment by health care practitioners, impolite notices about topics such as breast cancer screening, access to menstrual products (this last being a demand for dispensers in men’s rooms). It appears almost impossible for the remainder of us to avoid putting a foot wrong.
It is straight out of Kurt Vonnegut's short story, Harrison Bergeron, which I did read in high school a long time ago. (It wouldn't be allowed now.)
Everyone must be the same. You can't have any above average abilities. Equal outcomes are mandated by law. There are NO individuals, only groups. Of course, you can't make everyone excel so everyone else must be handicapped. But even this dystopian short story didn't have the added layer of race on top. What is even more fitting, the story highlights ballet dancers and their handicaps. Story here: https://archive.org/stream/HarrisonBergeron/Harrison%20Bergeron_djvu.txt
My awakening was Anthem by Ayn Rand in junior high school 60 years ago.
“In that was left of humanity there was only one man who dared to think, seek, and love. He lived in the dark ages of the future. In a loveless world, he dared to love the woman of his choice. In an age that had lost all trace of science and civilization, he had the courage to seek and find knowledge. But these were not the crimes for which he would be hunted. He was marked for death because he had committed the unpardonable sin: He had stood forth from the mindless human herd. He was a man alone. He had rediscovered the lost and holy word—I.”
We need to stand forth from the mindless human herd.
I didn’t read Anthem until my mid-20s, but there is one passage that was indelibly burned into my brain:
“The word ‘We’ is as lime poured over men, which sets and hardens to stone, and crushes all beneath it, and that which is white and that which is black are lost equally in the grey of it. It is the word by which the depraved steal the virtue of the good, by which the weak steal the might of the strong, by which the fools steal the wisdom of the sages.”
Jim, I read that in high school too. In fact, high school was so long ago that I had confused the Harrison Bergeron story with Anthem. A quick search showed that the ballet dancer wasn't in Anthem and I had misremembered. I finally found the correct story. (The ballet dancer seemed so pertinent here.) But Anthem really hit me back then too. I should reread it. Here is a free Gutenberg version. https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1250
I erased my original comment about Ayn Rand and rewrote it. I think if you even brought one of her books into a classroom nowadays you would be excommunicated! I can't believe we actually read it in school! After this fiasco of "I am science" and the silencing of critics, it should be mandatory in any free thinking school, just so they can weed out people who are willing to engage in controversial thought (unbelievable!) and those that demand to be protected.
Great call on the Vonnegut story. Of course, you wouldn't be reading it in today's HS classroom....more likely it would be "Genderqueer: A Memoir," replete with tales of same-sex pedophilia.
Kurt Vonnegut also wrote an interesting story about the government assigning every citizen a set of handicaps, to level the field, so to speak. I didn’t think much of the story when I read it about 50 years ago; but now it feels a lot like “equity”.
The world was shocked when, in 2001, the Taliban destroyed the Bamiyan Buddha statues. It has taken less than 20 years for our new cult to bring the same insanity here.
"You either fit in or perish," or you do your work outside of the institutional mainstream and find alternative sources of funding. Artists don't have to undermine their integrity to do their work. It is possible to step outside of the bubble, an action artists used to take as part of their responsibility to the world: Be fearless and dedicated to your vision no matter what.
Sure it is possible to “step outside of the bubble”...if you’re willing to make your art your side project instead of your career. If you want to “keep the main thing the main thing”, you need money, and the lion’s share of any operating budget in the arts comes from grants and big-check donations.
Look, let’s just be honest about it - Americans do not support cultural institutions. All the “culture” we have as far as this article is concerned is imported from Europe, and the art we DO produce (jazz) gets more support in just about every other developed country than it does here. We’re a “bread and circuses” nation.
Historically, it is progressive-leaning organizations that supported the arts so the fact that DEI is rotting them from the inside out is no real surprise.
I will make the claim that you have cause and effect reversed. I can remember from my mid-century youth that average middle-class Americans often partook of the fine arts, when it was available to them. We and our neighbors listened to classical music, attended theatrical productions, went to exhibitions, saw the ballet, and had a few art objects around the house. Now, most of these were not high-level professional productions, being that we didn't live in New York or Los Angeles. But the intent was there.
To paraphrase Ronald Reagan, America didn't abandon the arts. The arts abandoned America.
Well, to be fair, I would reason that the television came about around this period of time you were describing, correct?
Wouldn’t it be fair to say that technology made it easier to consume entertainment from the privacy of your living room, rather than having to venture out into a theater or a music venue or gallery to experience art in person?
And how did the arts abandon America, exactly? How many theaters have gone under since the time you refer to due to lack of attendance and budget? How many dance halls have been abandoned, and sold to become lofts or whatever those buildings are now? When was the last time you saw a queue to get into an art gallery on a Saturday afternoon?
What were artist supposed to do, go into your home and grab you by the scruff of your neck and drag you out to the theater? I have plenty of musician friends that play original music to empty rooms most of the time. Artists are producing art. The audience can’t be bothered to get up from the couch and the Netflix series, put on a pair of actual pants and participate in culture in this way.
And why would they? The entire catalog of popular music is available at the touch of a button in your Spotify app. Between three streaming services you have more content then you could possibly watch in four lifetimes. It is simply easier to scratch that nascent itch with an ersatz version of music, theater, film, art, etc. than go through the trouble of cleaning yourself up, finding a babysitter if required, spending the time and money to go to a venue and experience culture in real life.
The arts did not abandon anyone. Technology has wholly diminished the appetite for it.
I still claim the content is a significant factor. The local art museum here used to run off of donations. About 20 years ago, they started doing the type of exhibit where each artwork has a card alongside it telling you what you were supposed to think about it, and how it relates to the author's diversity. Most of these consisted of collections of random objects that looked like something done by a second-grader going through a junkyard with a hot-glue gun. One exhibition consisted of a painter who had apparently devoted his entire adult life to carrying out some sort of vendetta against General Electric.
It was at about this time that the museum abandoned the donation box and started charging admission. First, it was a couple of dollars. Then it was $5. Then it became $10. Now it's $20. And with each price increase, and subsequent expenditure of funds on "woke" exhibits, attendance goes down. The art museum is in a fine new building now, but attendance is about half of what it used to be when it was crammed into a spare office space, but it had interesting exhibits. (And no, I'm not the sort of person who considers a painting of dogs playing poker "interesting".) I live in a city full of well-educated people -- but in the sciences and engineering. The art doesn't speak to them. It lectures at them, when it deigns to address them at all.
it isn't progressive organizations which supported the arts. At least not in the modern use of the term progressive. Liberal? Yes. But liberals like me loathe progressives. More and more each day.
Liberals like me too. And what you say is true. Progressives have always thought that art should be political, which shows how little they understand or care about art. Not all liberals are progressive (as comments recently on TFP want to assert) - there are very many more like me.
Why do you say money is necessary to create impactful works of art? Is this something unique to the fine arts?
Money obviously helps. But even in ultra-competitive indie scenes like music or indie game development, enough of the best stuff naturally gains recognition. Algorithmic recommendations tend to reward good reviews, repeated listens, social media referrals, and other relatively meritocratic metrics.
Well it depends on what you qualify as “the best”, and who gets to decide that? “People liking it immediately without having to make any actual effort to perceive/understand it” isn’t exactly a metric for transformational works of art.
I would go so far as to say art and entertainment are a Venn diagram that, while intersects, does not overlap. Entertainment’s goal is to bring joy to its consumers with minimal effort on their behalf (to me). Art is meant to be challenging; to stretch the perceptions of the beholder.
Ms. Hall laid out the necessity for money in the fine arts above, allow me to do the same for music. Musical instruments cost money; rehearsal spaces cost money. Recording studio time costs money, playing shows and touring costs money. To record an album these days with a modicum of marketing, you’re spending $10,000.
I also don’t think it’s a mistake that the lion’s share of the music today is solo artists with electronic tracks. It’s much cheaper to produce and shows with two mouths to feed is more doable than ones with five. Technology drives costs down for the consumer; those costs come from somewhere.
As a painter, printmaker and sculptor, I need money to pay for materials, studio space, model fees, as I work primarily from life. Money is more critical to the survival of works of art over time. We have masterpieces that have come down to us from the Renaissance that we revere for their skill and meaning, but they may well have been lost if they had not been commissioned by wealthy and powerful patrons. Vincent van Gogh died penniless with hardly a sale to his name, and his works attained their high value status due in large part to the hard work of his widowed sister in law and the wealthy collector who purchased them. In our present day, much of what we call” art” is a commodity and status signifier. Who would boast otherwise?
I would disagree with your assertion about American support for the arts. In a previous association with a school for the fine arts, we were courted by Italians to open a location there. They were awed by how a nonprofit such as ours was funded by donations (and endless fundraising) when they were totally dependent on their governments, from city to state to the European Union and Unicef.
"Be fearless and dedicated to your vision no matter what."
It's a powerful and inspiring statement. I also, personally, have found it a lot harder to do than one might think. I've found the rewards of following that path to be a lot of praise, sincere respect and the same black beans for lunch every day and dinner every night. The customers of one's art are as influenced by cultural fads -- in this case DEI -- as the artists themselves and it is much easier for them to withhold their money in favor of the current cultural fad than to think about the moral dimensions of the problem and derive their own conclusions.
Great article. The arts are clearly dying in the US and across the modern world. What passes for art today, in many domains, is largely driven by a self-indulgent egotism on the part of the artists themselves and their sponsors. It has to be a part of some grand narrative think-piece, instead of simply letting the art speak for itself. DEI is simply a species of this delusion.
Look at the monstrosities that are the MLK statue in Boston and the new Medusa-like creature that now adorns the top of the NYC courthouse.
Jeezy... that article lays out all of the hate. Of course, his work is probably taught with great admiration and the kids who are in those classes are likely too scared to speak their true thoughts out loud for feared of getting cancelled. And people pay for this stuff?
oh, I can top that. In my hometown of San Jose, the statue in the park at city center is Plumed Serpent,” a sculpture of the Mesoamerican deity Quetzalcoatl. Almost no one knows its name. You tell me what it looks like (its obvious) -- and most people in San Jose will agree with you.
To all the writers at Free Press, please don't stop shining a light on the causes of our societal decay. Though I'm still relatively young, like some of the more accomplished anonymous artists in this article I myself have given up hope. I've found it quite freeing. Sometimes a forest has to burn down to flourish again.
This is a long quote, but one I keep coming back to recently, from The Golden Notebook, an all-time great novel. It felt particularly relevant while reading this article.
"The nightmare takes various forms, comes in sleep, or in wakefulness, and can be pictured most simply like this: There is a blindfolded man standing with his back to a brick wall. He has been tortured nearly to death. Opposite him are six men with their rifles raised ready to shoot, commanded by a seventh, who has his hand raised. When he drops his hand, the shots will ring out, and the prisoner will fall dead. But suddenly there is something unexpected – yet not altogether unexpected, for the seventh has been listening all this while in case it happens. There is an outburst of shouting and fighting in the street outside. The six men look, in query at their officer, the seventh. The officer stands waiting to see how the fighting outside will resolve itself. There is a shout: ‘We have won!’ At which the officer crosses the space to the wall, unties the bound man, and stands in his place. The man, hitherto bound, now binds the other. There is a moment, and this is the moment of horror in the nightmare, when they smile at each other: it is a brief, bitter, accepting smile. They are brothers in the smile. The smile holds a terrible truth that I want to evade. Because it cancels all creative emotion. The officer, the seventh, now stands blindfolded and waiting with his back to the wall. The former prisoner walks to the firing squad who are still standing with their weapons ready. He lifts his hand, then drops it. The shots ring out, and the body by the wall falls twitching. The six soldiers are shaken and sick; now they will go and drink to drown the memory of their murder. But the man who was bound, who is now free, smiles as they stumble away, cursing and hating him, just as they would have cursed and hated the other, now dead. And in this man’s smile at the six innocent soldiers there is a terrible understanding irony. This is the nightmare."
Hmm....why did those six soldiers do what they did? If "the other side" has won, what is the status of those 6 soldiers, who had opposed "the other side" up until this moment? Why don't they defend their original leader? Why does the released man assume he has the right to command those soldiers? Why do the soldiers agree to obey the command of their "new" commander? Etc. Etc. Etc. People who cannot adjust to a change in circumstances by making better decisions, but cling to what appeared to work for them in the past, seem to be a real problem here, it seems to me. Isn't it incumbent on every human being to constantly try to be the best human being possible in each new situation? Did anyone in this fable attempt that?
I like your read on it. The way I've always interpreted this is that the leaders of such movements really don't care about the masses at all. THey will use and abuse them to meet their ends, which are much the same as the "oppressors" they seek to take out.
We need more Landsmans standing up to this madness. I find it utterly shocking that so many white people got vicious over a stupid black square that did absolutely nothing to stop George Floyd from flooding his system with fentanyl. George Floyd, the only person with COVID to die of "murder."
And don't you know it's white people who are hiring by race and "gender," acting as useful idiots to a cause that undermines and will destroy their own institutions with what should be obvious to anyone is a ridiculous, self-serving, vapid, useless perspective on race. And it's RACIST as all get out. Indeed, in my 60 years on this planet, the past few have been the most racist of them all.
It has occurred to me: If being around white people is so hard for certain non-white people, why don't they start their own institutions? Why don't they publish their own books? Why don't they open their own art galleries?
Can't the useful idiot white people in charge see what's happening here? They're allowing themselves to be narcissistically gaslit into sabotage.
And while it doesn't do any real harm that every single TV commercial features a black family, or a white woman married to a "black or brown" man, and every TV therapist is a black woman lording it over the mentally unstable white man --
People really do not appreciate it. And the irony is that Landsman's institution will be the last one standing when this is over.
Yes, I thought of Berry Gordy and Motown while reading this article. Certainly sounds as if the foundations would fall all over themselves to support members of "marginalized" groups in starting their own artistic endeavors. Instead it seems many prefer to just seize the institutions that others have spent their lives building.
Dog L, good comment, but you seem to underestimate the number of "useful idiot"white people who will gladly sing the DEI song so long as their position is protected...you know who you are.
Those "useful idiot white people who will gladly sing the DEI song so their position is protected..."
Are in a mad state of cognitive dissonance given they are pushing a narrative that replaces white people with other people....
And since I've witnessed with my own eyes too many a vapid singing of the DEI song, the pronoun badges, the pronoun email signatures, the black squares and the "compassionate" yet oblivious posts made in relatively safe neighborhoods, behind green lawns...
Can't say I have "underestimated" it at all. But I don't sing, refuse to teach that crap, and push back in meetings. I hope you're doing the same.
Growing up, we were taught and we lived "You can not judge someone by the color of their skin". Wow, how far we have come as a society, even our POTUS boasts about doing just the opposite. If only MLK were around to see it...
Given how much they hate King's most famous quote it is a wonder they don't tear down or deface his various monuments. He wanted a color-blind society, which the woke consider racist.
As a member of the left, we've not all gone crazy. But clearly, a part of the left has and it ticks off sane folks, like me. And we loathe the perverse agendas, because they are exactly what real liberals despise.
Yes this is happening all across the arts including in publishing. There is a spiral of silence and people are frightened to speak out.
The only thing which will stop it will be the lawsuits and to a certain extent the profit motive. The NYT op-ed about American Dirt which Bari highlighted earlier in her twitter feed mentioned how well that book had done in part due to its notoriety. This is the archived version: https://archive.ph/pHU4V
Thank you for mentioning publishing. It's shocking the way literature has been politicized in recent years. Anyone who has approached a literary agent or publisher knows that they have their own DEI requirements for authors and manuscripts. If you don't conform to the new ideology, your "problematic" work doesn't see the light of day, regardless of its quality or appeal to readers. Not all of us became writers to engage in social engineering and propaganda. It's sad that so many authors acquiesce to it.
As I have been v involved in bringing some of this to light in the UK -- I was a 'free speech' rebel last November at the Society of Authors agm, sponsored the resolutions and stood up and spoke, I do know precisely what you are talking about. In the UK the Free Speech Union now has its Writers Advisory Council to assist as many of us resigned from the SoA afterwards. Gillian Phillips has her appeal being heard in September (she was sacked from her ghostwriting job because she put I stand with JK Rowling in her twitter handle). (I have written over 30 novels for Harlequin who are now own by Harper Collins)
There is this culture of fear and Spiral of Silence in publishing
Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie did a brilliant lecture for the BBC on the need for freedom of expression when writing.
That sounds like a great start and I wish you and the other authors luck. I hope some authors here in the US take a similar initiative. It's crazy that something like this would even be necessary.
Publishing has 4 major players and they can be v risk adverse. There has been a huge consolidation in the last 30 years.
At least people are starting to speak about the self-censorship problem in the Arts and how it is leading to a flattening of what is on offer.
Don't get me wrong -- there are diversity problems within the industry and it is how do you handle it and it is complicated. For example, in 2004, Harlequin purchased the publishing arm of BET. It was not until 2017 that real concrete steps were taken to integrate black authors into all the various lines, rather than just having one hugely successful line with catered to the African-American market (and it had a hugely specific editorial). Against real pushback from certain progressive sectors, Harlequin persisted and now all the lines are integrated and you have a far greater range of black voices being published as well as other ethnic voices and unsurprisingly they have proved to be popular with the readership as they are delivering on the sort of the stories which the readers of a line want. I think the Powers that Be thought it would be much easier than it has been as the barriers were not obvious. Real change does take a long time. FWIW
What also helps is how we spend our money. Look for and purchase books, go see movies, and plays, and dance performances that are fun, well-done and not covered in bland woke sauce.
Top Gun was the biggest movie of the year, a huge success. Let's make more of those things happen.
Yes ultimately I do think the profit motive will win out. Robert McKee in his classic book on screenwriting Story does mention that people do not respond well to having politized ideas rammed down their throats (screenwriting and writing for Harlequin has certain things in common and all the editors are trained on McKee) and preferred to be entertained. In the words of Martin Luther King Sr, not everything has to be political.
There have been huge problems with publishing and people being forced into narrow lanes. It is going to take time to fix. The idea was to open things up much more, but the real question is are these actions shutting things down?
Anthony Horowitiz is in today's Times, apparently he was not allowed to use the word scalpel in conjunction with a Native American character in case some reader thought of scalping -- the two words do not share the same root words. But the sensitivity reader whose opinion counted decided that it could cause offence.
Prof Deborah Appleman wrote the Presentism far from opening things up for minority authors, is actually the opposite and thus hurting the minorities it was supposed to help. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie also made the same point in her lecture back in Dec.
I used to go to movies, have season tickets to the Atlanta Broadway series and season tickets to the Atlanta Symphony. I quit them all because the appallingly glaring political slant.
Two weeks ago I was gifted tickets to “Hadestown” a Tony award winning musical. The politics were so obvious. There was a song about a wall and how bad it was to keep us safe inside and the others out! In the play the devil worked hard and the heroes thought they were above working. Oh, and climate change was what made them poor and hungry sending them to hell to work. Craziest play. What a birthday gift. Rogers and Hammerstein please come back!
Bottom line. I’m done with the arts. And I’m sad about that. Someday someone will see that there are a lot of people who would support art. Just art. No politics. I’m going to donate to the ballet theater mentioned in the piece.
Same with fashion and culture. I stopped reading Vogue and Vanity Fair long before the summer of ‘20. I’ve stopped watching my favorite TV show, CBS’s Sunday Morning. On and on. Nothing but propaganda. Flip through an issue of Teen Vogue and it will make the hair on the back of your neck stand up - molding good little Marxist’s under the cover of the latest make-up trends.
I quit two of my favorite comedy outlets, Cracked and The Onion, when they turned into nonstop bashing of conservatives. Coincidentally, also became uncreative and not funny at the same time.
The Babylon Bee replaced and exceeded them.
And the Left either can’t understand satire and irony or they just censor it as they did on Twitter - Wokeism is the most humorless political religion ever
Everything is politically woke today. Free Press commenters are often largely in agreement on FP's reporting on the disasters in every US institution. And it is good that so many of us have stopped supporting these now-woke entities.
But I believe FP must provide more leadership going forward. The brave people who are standing up to the woke tyranny need more help. There are a few politicians who will fight for them, but this political leadership must be known to us. FP - please find and show us any brave leader who will help lead the fight against the woke tyranny.
I'm moving to Florida because I've been looking for that leader for years and DeSantis is the best I've found. But I agree, I've read far too many articles complaining about the situation, and none giving me any kind of actionable advice on what to do about it.
During the riots of 2020, I made a decision to buy another home in a more conservative state. That state now has a much more conservative governor, and I am happy with that. There are very few politicians as courageous as DeSantis. You are wise to move to Florida. I have many friends who have left Calif for Florida. I believe the FP must go further than simply providing an endless supply of essays on the destruction of our institutions and the brave people who try, always in vain, to fight back.
As of now the march to a cruel society that will affect all of us appears inevitable. Leadership is desperately needed.
You are absolutely correct.
Moved to Florida in 2021 for similar reasons. You are probably going to be very happy here (as most everyone is). DeSantis strikes me a a once in a generation (or generations) leader who exemplifies the old adage: Watch what they do, not what they say. He is not a blowhard pol seeking votes but rather initiates real action. I suspect that soon Florida and Texas will be the new NY and CA in terms of quality education, innovation, and arts.
You're moving to Florida because DeSantis is the governor? Srsly?
You would be astonished...believe it or not 300,000 people have done so recently. Must know something you don't?
The governor represents the voting population who elected him. People leaving states like Washington and California aren't leaving because they dislike their particular governor, but because a majority of their populations keep electing them and other politicians like them. Florida just reelected DeSantis by a landslide. That says something about other politics in general in Florida. It's got me looking into moving there. And I love the west, where I was born and lived most of my life. He had me at Martha's Vineyard.
Yep, and so did I (among other reasons). I would love to hear why you find that so hard to understand.
I'm on the lookout for "woke" ballet dancing.
Agree on Cracked, but I think the Onion is still good.
There was a time Cracked was my most-visited site. It stopped being funny or interesting around 2015-ish when it clearly became biased.
Wow, you quick both about 10 years after most people haha. I had no idea Cracked still exists
I used to love VF, reading Hitchens and Dominic Dunne, etc. Those guys would turn over in their graves if they saw what has happened to this magazine. Shame on the new cabal of writers and editors.
It's a struggle session now.
Stopped reading VF about 8 years ago and haven’t missed it -
Hell, you can't even read Bon Appetit anymore. It's filled with "woke" articles.
Agree! I do miss Gourmet! BA was a pale substitute, but occasionally solid. Then completely wokeified. I canceled last year.
Same. Was disgusted. Allrecipes seems to have stayed away from wokeness for the most part, but the second they fall into the trap I'm cancelling that too.
Editors of Teen Vogue are Men with Women's names and they've been all in with writing about Trans Ideology for years. It must be the ultimate sexual high for the fetished but not good for teen girls.
Here's one of the fetished guy editors over at Teen Vogue:
https://www.them.us/contributor/lucy-diavolo
"Lucy Diavolo
Lucy Diavolo is the News + Politics News Editor for Teen Vogue. She helped found the Transfeminine Alliance of Chicago and facilitates its regular meetings. She also plays bass in the Chicago-based band The Just Luckies."
Yes. I'm tired of seeing male models with beards and pushup bras and 300 pound women in the pages of these fashion rag sheets.
Yup - the circus has come to town 🤡
Yes. Several decades ago, I went to the midnight screening of Pink Flamingos and the Rocky Horror Show. Those movies were campy and tacky delights designed to make you laugh at their silly outrageousness. But today, the left wing world has turned into those two movies, but without any humor. And if you dare laugh at the ridiculous creatures on display, it's off to the Gulag with you.
Then there's the Netflix version of Jane Austen's Persuasion in which half the actors are black. I guess I missed that in the book.
Yup - and it's believed that Jane Austen never even saw a black person but heard about them from her seafaring brother....nutso-ville culture today
Bazaar (fashion) magazine has become ‘Ebony’ magazine, Part 2. It’s ridiculous.
I used to enjoy CBS Sunday Morning, too. But there have been some good segments by David Sedaris, which can be watched on YouTube. (I recommend the Honestly podcast episode with him as well, from December.)
He is SO FUNNY. I got an Audible subscription only to listen to David Sedaris books because you need to hear him tell the stories. He's a national treasure.
I figured Sunday Morning would go downhill after Charles Osgood left. Always loved the “see you on the radio” sign off.
I did the same re: Vogue and Vanity Fair. The New Yorker, too. And I loved those publications and got a lot of pleasure out of them... until they became so biased and political. What a shame.
Marxcissists
And W Magazine and Town and Country (which is truly virtue signaling)
Substack has saved us! No glitzy photos but that’s OK!
I would have gone out of my mind without substackk.
I'm not one to use Twitter but it saved me, literally SAVED me, during Covid. The only place where I could find people who were sane about the pandemic (well, until they got banned.)
I subscribe to CNN & MSNBS/ABC/ect. youtube channels. Often in watching them I have to ask not are we living in the same country, but are we living on the same Planet?
There is something I posted sometime ago on a small site 'm a member of (the Right Reasons.net), that I think applies to today'
Culturally, Politically seeing less & less room for live and let live...lose today, there another battle tomorrow. The tribes are sorting themselves out. The Tribes are not Left/Right, Rich/Poor/Republican/Democrat, Minority/Majority, Religious/Non-Religous. Not sure how to describe Our Side from Their Side, but of this I am sure there are US & THEM. I am fairly sure who is an US and who is a THEM. The way I have been looking at politics/culture may not be valid anymore, or are becoming Less Valid.
________________________________________________
"There's Something Happening Here, What It Is Ain't Exactly Clear."
Stephen Stills (For What Its Worth 1966).
Being just a little to the Right of Attila The Hun I should NOT be giving money to Bari Weiss. Yet...Here I Am.
I have a small sign that I keep nearby:
There is no Left
There is no Right
There is only Tyranny and Freedom
Town & Country, too? Oh my goodness! Have you ever read Air Mail, the weekly digital newsletter/magazine that's edited by Carter Graydon, who used to edit Vanity Fair. I think it's all right compared to the woke garbage other magazines now offer. Airmail subscriptions can be had for as little as $20 per year when they run specials. I think it's pretty good.
https://airmail.news/
What do "woke" clothes look like?
👍for those art focused and interested, the last line is the thing—vote with your dollars, contributions and tickets.
It would be great to have an art review section here. I’d love to know about more organizations that remain true to their art and to merit. I plan to buy tickets for an ACB performance next time I visit LA.
To that end, support the Irish Repertory Theatre in NYC - they cast blacks but in ways that make sense, not placing them in roles gratuitously.
OMG...YOu did not capitalize "blacks". Neither did I. So there!
Everyone's having a perfectly reasonable conversation, then somebody calls black people "blacks" and we all suddenly look like secret racists
Just say black people, saying "blacks" is so weird and borderline disrespectful
Nothing racist or wrong with saying "black" or "whites."
I find it interesting that we don't extend that to other skin colors. We don't say browns, reds, or yellows. Or even brown people, red people, or yellow people. I wonder why that is, and why whites and blacks are socially acceptable but the others are not?
Why is it bad to call a Chinese a Chinaman but OK to call a Frog a Frenchman or a Limey an Englishman.
Have I upset enough people with this post? I hope so.
Agree, Shane. Nothing wrong with blacks and whites.
It's a good question. It might be that "Black" (capital B) stands in for a distinct ethnic-cultural group that is different from people whose skin just happens to be black (or dark brown in most cases, really, right?) If I recall back that far, Negro was usually capital N. So just as we can say, "the Irish", we could say "the Blacks", referring only to Americans descended from African slaves. Talking of Africans, we wouldn't say "the Blacks" because they aren't/weren't slaves in the Western Hemisphere, even though they cheerfully and avariciously sold their brethren into that slavery. The are "the Nigerians", "the Somalis", "the South Africans". And for them we could say, "black (not Black) South Africans", "colored (i.e., mixed race) South Africans", and "white South Africans" (or Boers, I suppose.) Specific tribes and languages, like "San" and "Zulu" take upper-case, but not black to describe them generically.
We don't need to say "brown people, red people, or yellow people" because they all have more accurate ethnic descriptions. To you, a "brown person" might by a Latino or Hispanic. To me, he is a South Asian -- that's what Indians in Canada call themselves in personal ads (lower-case b always, as in "married brown girl seeks same for afternoon mtgs.") Healthy Native Americans don't actually have red skin -- the name comes from vermilion war paint worn by some -- and yellow people come from distinct countries all over the west Pacific rim. But there is really no other expression for American descendants of African slaves, except Black. African-American is cumbersome and never caught on except in exquisitely woke circles.
I personally can't bring myself to capitalize names of colours unless it's somebody's surname, like Joe Black. So for me, it's blacks and whites especially when some officious prick wants me to use capital B...or to say "black people." If they can call me "Whitey" or "settler", then I can call them anything I want.
Whites! There I've said it. Does it make anybody uncomfortable. It does me. I am squirming in my seat. How could I have said such a thing? Please forgive me!
Well the fact is, some people don't care if you say blacks and some do.
Nobody cares if you say black people though. So just say black people. Simple.
I'm not calling anyone a racist, I'm just trying to prevent you all from looking like racists.
If you actually care about keeping the left from going too far, then this should make sense to you.
Hi Ben, thank you for trying to help. The thing is - language is always a moving target and no one can stay on top of it. I remember when I referred to people as "black" at work some years back and some people were mad at me because the right word was "African American" (it might have been white liberal people and not black coworkers - I can't remember - I was so startled.). My parents remember when using an N word was the right /polite word, as in the United N College Fund. So, if "blacks" sounds disparaging now and "whites" does not - the problem is still what is in people's hearts, right? I try to pay attention to what the intention of a person is - whether they mean to give offence or not. And, I truly hate phrases like "dog whistle" where people pretend to know what others intend.
Anyhow, I am only a substacker over the Trans Travesty - but I think that CRT leads kids to want to identify as anything not "advantaged" - hence the hundreds of genders leading to drugs and mutilation with Gender Ideology. So many profit off of that - making lifelong patients.
Oh so if the woke left goes too far, it's our fault for not using the right shibboleths that you prescribe? Really, Ben.....I think we have other methods to rein in the Left.
I don't care if you think I'm a racist. It's a term I just don't give uptake to. It's an accusation for which there is no defence: stating it is to convict the person you accuse, in your mind. So why bother responding to it? It's like calling me ugly. Or fat. Or disrespectful. I can't prove I'm not any of those things, so there is no point being upset when someone like you accuses me. Simple. Much simpler than remembering to say "people" every time I say "black."
So, I should modify my speech just to please some left wing loon? I don't think so.
Same goes for tv- turn it off
And - I expect - this is what will happen throughout the arts. Most people will stop paying money to see it. They'll probably stop attending it even when it's free. Then the people making a living in it will look for increasing government support - and support from the private foundations that are into this kind of non-performative discrimination. It will end up like art was back in the old Soviet Union.
I once knew a Russian pianist who had escaped from there. She turned me on to a Russian pianist - Maria Yudina - one of the most famous inside the Soviet Union, she said, but almost unherd of outside, where she had never been allowed to travel. Stalin loved to hear her play. But there was a problem. She was a devout Orthodox Christian, which was illegal under his regime. And when she performed she always wore a cross pendant on a necklace. This was at a time where public thumbing your nose at Stalin and his government was a ticket to a gulag camp. In her case, he let it go, making a joke about it. Lucky her.
Shostakovitch went for years without audiences after refusing to write his ninth symphony the way Stalin wanted (grandiose and patriotic).
Similar story about Prokofiev
Yeah, that's right; he did get deplatformed for some years. He died the day I was born (as did Stalin).
Go woke, go broke
If it were only true! But what generally happens is "Go woke, go government grants"
Or go Ford and Gates Foundation
Now, most TV shows are spoiled by Woke as well. It's pretty excruciating if you try to watch anything you once liked.
Already happened with the humanities in general.
I can't like this but thanks for the insight.
It used to be fine when the communists just made all of the ugly looking sculptures, but now they run the Fortune 500 and the DOJ so it’s kinda not great.
Also, your local school board and the big cities people used to want to go to.
As a Kindergarten teacher in Brooklyn, I saw it all decline. I decided no more shows for our field trips. We put on our own plays in the classroom and I played classical music, as well as Miriam Makeba and son cubano. The generation coming up will be culturally illiterate.
But they'll know all about those ancient African empires, mostly made-up. And I don't mean Egypt.
Interesting. We are play goers in San Diego but I got tired of every work being twisted to political motivation.. Just went back after a two year hiatus and saw "The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci". While not a great piece I left happy they didn't find a way to make it political!
They could have their cake and eat it too, if they weren't hacks.
Anyone played the video game Red Dead Redemption 2? Several subplots touch on slavery and treatment of indigenous peoples.
These subplots were personal & nuanced - the characters felt like people, not stand ins for particular groups. And guess what? Some of these stories actually made an impact on me.
Given your fussiness over "black" vs "black people", I am not surprised that they did, Ben.
Good point! But you meant to say "eat their cake and have it too".
My sister and I went to see Madonna in 2004 and we wore shirts that said, "Madonna Rocks, Bush Rules." If looks could kill........
Oh, man...I love stuff like that!
Breaching.
Ditto on all the replies here. But it’s not just movies, theaters, etc. it’s simpler forms of creativity too such as podcasts! Before that infamous summer of 2020 I had so many non-political podcast favorites! I love story telling. They all became unbearable. I haven’t listened in almost 3 years. Everything has been ruined for those of us who do not subscribe to race essentialism.
We used to donate to several arts organizations, but no longer do so because of the politicization of those organizations. I would love to hear about groups that will support the arts without any regard for political/social standards. I would donate to them to support groups that will not concede to the social dictators. Are there groups that will offer grants to the arts without social considerations?
Country music might be an outlier.
It would be the death of country if it ever went woke - ever hear of the Dixie Chicks 🤣🤣🤣
Too late - no more Dixie Chicks... they've gone woke, too...
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/entertainment/music/story/2022-07-15/the-chicks-now-dixie-free-are-on-tour-with-a-new-grooming-protocol-for-their-new-band-no-armpit-hair
Interesting you bring them up, since they were practically canceled after criticizing Bush and the Iraq war. Another instance of artists not toeing the line, even though in their case it was voicing opinions unrelated to their music at the time. Which is also fine. I don’t even know their songs but conservatives can’t critique woke cancel culture and then celebrate the cancelling of the Dixie Chicks.
I agree with you completely - canceling them was absolutely not something to celebrate.
Their capitulation isn’t either. Bending over for the woke totalitarians was, I think, a combination of backlash against their critics, and a practical recognition that no one is immune from the woke mob.
(I was responding to the earlier comment that said:
“ It would be the death of country if it ever went woke - ever hear of the Dixie Chicks 🤣🤣🤣”)
I run a not for profit arts organization, all of this is spot on. My organization is straight up barred from the vast majority of private foundations in my area because our board is too “white.” The FIRST questions on most foundation applications are about how I identity as the director, down to my gender identity. I’m toying with becoming a they/them, because in 2023 being just old gay is nearly as “bad” as being straight (after all gays reinforce the dreaded “gender binary” by virtue of the fact that we’re only attracted to one gender).
And what this DEI initiative has done to arts organizations and artists is disgusting. It’s full scale brain washing. Cultural organizations are devolving into nothing more than amen-corners for the church of woke; echo chambers for radical leftists where no diversity of opinion is allowed, and dissent is punishable by losing quite literally everything.
I am someone who is entirely self made in my field, I have no family or generational wealth, which means I can’t afford to say anything that goes against the grain. I’m being purposely vague on what sector of the arts I work in, because if this heresy ever got tied back to me, I’d be finished-- we aren’t allowed to have any position other than the most Marxist, extremist, Orwellian views on DEI-- Peace be upon it.
It is a crime that we’re in this space. We have allowed our universities to be completely taken over by extremist leftists, who are turning out waves of completely brain washed, radicalized Marxist foot soldiers. That is the core of our problem. We used to just say, oh well the college campuses are crazy and not pay it much mind, but those inmates are out of the asylum now, and they’re seizing power at all of our institutions, and the old guard liberals are all folding like wet rags to their demands. As the saying goes we all live on campus now.
This life time democrat is now a closet independent. I voted Republican for the first time in my life as a protest against the crazy coming from my side. The gop makes me sick for its own crazy problems (Election deniers, trump, etc.) but the democrats have gone equally crazy in the other direction. Where’s a sane person to turn?
At the risk of being trite, "Who is John Galt?"
But in any case, please keep voting. You/we are not alone in this struggle.
Who is John Galt? A character in a book by Ayn Rand. Who is Ayn Rand?
In today's world a liberal is not really liberal. I wrote a rather splendid essay (I'm being sarcastic) on this BBS on why the left is no longer liberal. Liberalism was founded in the 1800s as a champion of free speech and thought. That is no longer true today. Today it is far left rigid group think designed for lemmings. Disgusting!
I don't think the Left ever was liberal. They were always poseurs, using liberalism as a false flag.
During the Sixties the leftists were openly Marxist and well-educated about all the various sub-cults, Leninists, Trotskyists and so on. My Marxist friends would get into heated arguments and an occasional fistfight even, over which one of those guys were right. It seemed likely that if one of their factions had won out, all the others would have been coerced into that ideology.
I often comment on the death of liberalism. I went to high school and college in the 70s and relativism and live and let live had a certain attraction as I learned more about the world and the people in it. In my own mind I often couldn't agree on one thing or another. The debate raging in my mind could offer as many counterpoints on one side as the other. I was disposed towards conservatism, mostly because true conservatives (IMO) see value in allowing freedom to all and their many ways of living.
But as I grew and cared for my family of 8, I came to see political liberalism has little connection to the ideal. I saw Great Society programs destroy inner city families and marginalize young black and Hispanic men. I saw single moms as the norm. I saw education cheapened to the point there seemed little reason to show up. Kids could learn as much watching Sesame Street as they could in some schools. I see some families receiving $40 thousand and more in government handouts. I hear of less than 1/3 of adults in minority households working, despite a thriving market for labor.
Now that it has become obvious the $trillions spent by Democrat-run cities to "combat poverty" has failed to combat poverty, "thought" leaders on the left decided the problem all along was "systemic racism". How could they ever expect to win when the game was rigged all along? It's quite beautiful, when you think about it. The scheme worked so well when the left came up with blaming "climate change" for all man's woes they used the same idea with black's failing to succeed. Blame it on the white guys driving big cars and creating the resources to raise billions around the world from poverty.
Anyway, liberalism. As a concept I think the idea still exists, but it has nothing to do with leftist Democrat partisan thinking. As is their wont, when challenged, Democrats fall back on dictionary definitions, in this case, of being liberal. Yet they use newly made-up concepts when laying out their plans. It's all gone.
Welcome to the Libertarian basement. We've got plenty of comfy chairs. Beer or wine?
Why do your drink offerings have to be so binary? Jkjkjk
As long as it's not light beer or white wine you're fine.
How much do you charge for each?
Drop whatever you think it's worth into the coffee can.
If it's the Libertarian basement there's gotta be raw milk and ayahuasca too
Bring your own?
If Republicans sucked less frequently and enthusiastically they wouldn't lose voters who care about our individual liberty.
As a long time Republican voter I agree. And I am not talking about Trump. Odds on how fast they fold on the debt ceiling? Mine are 100%.
You're not alone. It's bad in journalism too. I worked in it for 25 years and have been out for 4 and just can't bear to think about going back. I mean, look at Bari...
“I am someone who is entirely self made in my field, I have no family or generational wealth, which means I can’t afford to say anything that goes against the grain.”
Look into Solzhenitsyn, or more recently dreher’s live not by lies… I’m not gonna judge you, I promise, but the people in those books with the most intimate experience of totalitarianism all say this is the wrong approach. You can’t afford to stay quiet, the truth will set you free…
Not that it specifically applies here, but the tendency of conservatives is to go along, eventually. We simply don't have the unlimited supply of emotional energy required to sustain fights like this with the Left, and they know it. There are really only two possible outcomes (either/or binary thinking!), and neither of them is good, but you can only swing the pendulum so far before it comes back the other way, with more force than ever before.
Speak for yourself🤣 I’m spitting & fighting the woke disease with every breathe I take
Mike E - Yes, this. We normal people are not ideological warriors who wake up every day thinking about the next phase of our crusade or revolution. However, when the balance does tip...it will be a messy response.
Let's hope so.
John 8:32 Then you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free
It can also cause you to lose a needed job, or earn less than you could by maintaining a pretense. I wonder how soon it will be necessary to treat woke Americans like an army of occupation. Some people resist by speaking out, but that can also become a path to martyrdom if not enough other people will step up.
am with you but that is true in the long run maybe and it seems to me most people are not prepared to survive independently in the short run.
Yes, this. The arc of justice is long but bends toward liberty--or something like that, anyway--but in the short term people gotta pay the rent.
Hey friend, good comment, but you do need to know...the 2020 election was rigged, on multiple levels. The suppression of Hunter's lap top is only the tip of the iceberg. Don't forget: the same people pushing DEI are basically the same ones who told you that the election wasn't rigged.
Thank you.
I used to do a lot of volunteer work with the Dems and stopped after like the 10th time i just had to "listen and learn" while someone said something hostile to me. I still volunteer just not in politics and people that are still in act like I'm some asshole who is now actively making the world worse. They honestly believe 1. that I owe them my time, 2. that I have to accept any kind of treatment, and 3. that only their pet cause is worthy.
Kudos to you.
Liberal Not Progressive - great post. Good luck and hold on. DEI has turned into social monster enveloping and devouring all and everything in front of its path. A dark spreading stain where one's personal gain is matched by another's personal pain. We can call it The New Order. What perhaps might have started out as a college affirmative action campaign suited for this new century, adapted for all fields from the arts to the corporate world, it has now morphed into a tool for a resegregation of sorts. It can politely be called mission escalation. And now, poison. People are divided by colour and ethnicity again, some included, others excluded. Regardless of talent or skill. The door is open for some, but not for others. It's Jim Crow and old style anti semitism all over again but with the roles reversed.
I find the irony so blindingly obvious that I'm surprised I don't read too much in mainstream media into how we're turning into a Black Mirror image of this country of a hundred years ago. But now combined with a groupthink mentality based on the rewriting of history to suit a growing prevailing view of the present, with all 'incorrect' thinking to be whited out, censored and barred from the new catechism.
I used to wonder how the Sunni ruled the Shia in Hussein's Iraq but I begin to understand it more every day.
It seems though that it is still primarily powerful white people engineering all of this. The true believers among them seem genuinely eager to inflict punishments and blame upon themselves, while others prefer to persecute others, but one way or another they mostly focus on white people. It is very disgusting to see white corporate executives using DEI initiatives to intimidate and terrorize their employees. I live in an ultra woke, predominantly white, highly educated city, so my observations may be biased by my context.
Praise the Lord for people like Jordan Peterson who are trying hard to fight against what is going on in universities. https://youtu.be/hkXKZ6Tl_Fc. UATX is another option and of course you can't go wrong with Hillsdale College...slowly but sure change WILL take place.
Yup. I voted GOP for the first time in my life last fall at age 65. Good luck.
Thank you.
I work in Hollywood. Exact same issue. I was once at a group dinner, and made people "uncomfortable" by not being anti-Trump enough. And I don't even like Trump! I think he's crazy. I'm just anti-marxist (came from a Soviet country).
You must have lots of stories. From my perspective here in Dixieland, I imagine that the replacement for “saying grace” in Hollywood must be everyone at the table condemning Trump and hoping their children, if any, decide to “transition” soon.
You know what's crazy? I really don't. It really is just the extremes. But if you bump into an extreme, and they have an issue, nobody wants to stand up and counter act it.
Self-inflicted wounds. So sad.
Oy vey.
Ultimately, in the two party system we have (Tweedle Dee vs Tweedle Dum) we have to make a choice for the least bad. Republicans are it right now. So, though yours was a protest vote, thanks for that vote against totalitarian ideological insanity. And I hope they don't discover your Wrongthink!
While the first several paragraphs were informative (though not surprising), the last paragraph hits home.
I am in a very similar position. Liberal, not progressive. Did vote for an R for senator this year because the D was unacceptable. First time in decades. Won't be the last, but I'll take a sane R over a progressive D every day of the week.
To those R's out there, stop putting forth crazy nominees, and you might just get some surprises in who gets elected. There's a lot of folks ready to cross party lines but won't if the other side is just as nuts.
There's a lot of reason to push electoral change, which enables better representation than what comes out of closed primaries. Center for American Progress wrote an interesting (non-partisan) piece on this earlier this week on this. Alaska is a state which has already benefited from it.
Ranked voting often elects the more extreme marginal candidates. Lots of places that have tried it reverted back to regular understandable voting when it bit them in the ass. Be careful on that one.
You are pretty new to realizing the consequences of the progressive/leftist/woke ideology. I would only say this regarding "election deniers," the picture you have of them is crafted by the same people who bring you all the tragedies you write about. One must go much deeper into the evidence hidden from you. Most people are unfamiliar with the sources for this. And these sources are drying up just as classical music is drying up. If you no longer accept the woke's view on the arts, know their dishonest bullying is consistent across the board - even on Trump and election deniers. Read Bari Weiss's co-workers at twitter who are exposing the incredible corruption of the media and our woke government in The Twitter Files. Bari, Matt Taibbi, Michael Shellenberger are providing the evidence for what those of us who have been "red-pilled" longer had concluded a long time ago - the woke disaster destroyed virtually every American institution, starting with the mainstream and social media. Be skeptical of everything they preach.
Yes - "election deniers" are all the way around. Remember #Resist/"Not my President" in 2016? Anyway, I think DeSantis should be next.
Wait, I like classical music.
Thank you for this post. I was always an Independent - voting for whoever seemed the least bad each time - Dem or Rep. Now, the only Dem I'd vote for is Tulsi Gabbard and she's become an Independent. And, I will not vote for any Republican who is uninterested in "culture wars" and does not speak out against the cult of Gender Ideology. I'm a big fan of DeSantis right now.
Along those lines, please do not put yourself down as a "they/them". It is so destructive to the young to indulge this cult religion. No one is "assigned sex at birth".
"It’s wrong to play the transgender pronoun game"
https://mercatornet.com/pronouns-game/77649/
This stuff is even pushed by the popular American Girl doll company:
American Girl Uses Body Positivity Guide to Groom Girls for Transgenderism
https://pjmedia.com/culture/matt-margolis/2022/12/07/american-girl-uses-body-positivity-guide-to-groom-girls-for-transgenderism-n1651556
I live right down the road from Madison, WI where The Pleasant Co was founded. I'm so disgusted by what they have done to the brand. Once upon a time it was a wholesome company. And you're right, no one is ASSIGNED sex, it's observed. It's pretty obvious. SMH.
Yes, thank you. - LM
I wrote a letter to Rowland Pleasant, the founder of American Girl dolls! I think I even sent her a copy of my memoir. No one should put pronouns in their bios, emails, letters &etc. No one is a "they/them." I just wrote a letter to a local "woke" activist, telling her I no longer call my ex-husband any kind of "she," since discovering the second fraud he committed to get out of paying child support. (did not submit complete financials, he was in an equity contract, became COO of his tech company, but listed his job as low level data entry) As an acquaintance in his database management area wrote me, "his coworkers talk about a meanness and spitefulness, all hidden beneath a veil of inclusivity and tolerance." I'd say that goes for just about any man who says he's female. Thanks, LovingMother!
Thank you so much for writing to Rowland Pleasant, the founder of American Girl dolls, Ute. I appreciate that very much. Right, no one is a "they/them/non-binary" and no one is "assigned" a sex at birth - such harmful gibberish! How did we ever get there? We've got to dispense with that language. If a fella wants to wear a dress and grow his hair long - that's his thing - but he is no kind of woman. I am so alarmed that we have a justice on the Supreme Court of the United States (a respected institution) who cannot say what a woman is!! Eeeeeee. Your ex husband sound like a narcissist - like so many - like that guy who wins women's cycling contests, "Rachel" McKinnon. They seriously Do Not Care about others. The crazy thing is that our society is fine with this and enables them. One of the worst cases are the men who take a hormone concoction in order to "breast feed" using non-mother's milk to feed a baby. The "milk" is bad for baby and using the baby as a sex toy is bad for baby. This is not a male "mother". Meanwhile, actual mothers, like those of us on the PITT substack, would die to save our daughters. Wake up America!
"his coworkers talk about a meanness and spitefulness, all hidden beneath a veil of inclusivity and tolerance." I'd say that goes for just about any man who says he's female." Amen to that. - LM
I volunteer for a tiny arts nonprofit here in Georgia, have written grants for it and am working on one now. I am required to answer how we serve underserved communities. We serve fine artists and know from our personal experiences that we make up a very minute minority of the general population in the first place.
I'm a cellist who works on Broadway, I've been working there for more than two decades, and hiring practices there for musicians these days has become almost exclusively based on one's race and gender, followed closely by one's public declarations of only the most liberal political identity.
New York City is ground zero for idiocy. A city of precocious fools kept together by more sensible working men and women who are consigned to the outer boroughs and suburbs.
Nothing more.
The wife of a family friend is a Lighting Designer on Broadway (and similar places). Another acquaintance is pretty senior in IATSE #1. They both work hard, and yes, I am impressed. And I used to go to Broadway occasionally and buy "house" seats.
But at a recent holiday gathering, I related that I have much less interest in spending $100+/ticket, because a) NYC has become a much less hospitable place, and b) I am tired of having leftist/woke politics continually shoved in my face.
I read Chernow's "Hamilton". It was excellent.
Serious question...under their rules anyone can "identify" as any gender why can't anyone "identify" as any race?
Remember Rachel Dolziel?
In 2015, she became the target of _massive_ outrage because though she was a white woman, she identified as Black—to the extent that she became president of the NAACP chapter in Spokane, Washington.
I personally didn't see what the issue was. I mean, if you accept fluidity around gender identification, why can't you accept fluidity around race identification? In fact, there is _more_ justification for fluidity around racial identity since most biologists agree there is no scientific basis for race because race is not grounded in genetics.
I argued this point _ceaselessly_ with my progressive friends. And got shot down every time.
"WHY is it different?" I'd ask.
And they'd never address the point. They'd say stuff like "OBVIOUSLY, it IS." And get very huffy with me. 😀
There is no logical answer to any of your (quite reasonable) questions, because logic and reason have nothing to do with their tirades. Like an overtired three year old holding a butcher knife, they are exceedingly dangerous and completely out of control.
That reply, OBVIOUSLY, is OBNOXIOUS!
It will probably come to that. There was a publication before the Golden Globes that called Michelle Yeoh an "actress who identifies as Asian".
That's coming...
Hi Peter, and thank you for the view point. Question: when you started on Broadway, were the hiring practices more technical or were there covert guidelines?
While what you state is certainly true and infuriurating, I suspect that there has always been some practices. It is never about talent alone; am I incorect in thinking that way?
Being hired as a freelance musician had always been a combination of talent and ability in a range of genres, ability to sight read well, and the ability to work well with others which is usually expressed as the "reputation" one gets from doing their work. You do some work, you build your reputation, and then you are hired as a result of your reputation. There is simply not enough time or money for auditions for every single gig, and hiring by reputation solves that problem while at the same time engendering a sense of having a stake in the community and the local union. Certainly that system also could and did occasionally have results where not the absolute best players were hired, whether because of a contractor wanting to hire a friend, or a composer insisting on a particular musician, etc, but at no time were those considerations ever (in my experience) about race and gender and political affiliations. These days, the hiring is based exclusively on race and gender and political affiliations and the random musicians being brought in have no stake in the community or the union, not to mention that they mostly can't play very well. It's become the same across Broadway, from finding producers, to the material being presented, to the casting, to my still being asked to test and mask at work even though it's 2023 and the pandemic is over.
Peter, thank you very much for such a thorough and clear reply. I do feel your frustration, and thank you for taking the time to explain.
You should write an article about this. It would be a very interesting read.
Yes indeed! Peter, please do consider this.
It might be career limiting, though.
That's why God made pen names.
The best pen name of all? William Shakespeare who was actually Edward de Vere, Earl Oxenford. Just dip a toe into the subject and you will be convinced. A fascinating story!
Thank you. I live in the UK and hear from friends something similar is happening here.
My son is recent graduate from the Manhattan School of Music in trumpet performance. He is good. I have tried to explain the DEI and the rising influence of this ideology in art and music performance and how this might influence his opportunities, but he is not listening.
I know several professional trumpet players in NYC. Good guys. The most important thing is still professionalism - be dependable and prepared, and take direction - but I wonder how long that will stay true.
Like the Canadian shop teacher? I still think he's trolling that school.
Liberal?
There is nothing liberal about tyranny.
This makes me sad. How is attendance?
So no white actors can portray animals in the lion king. But all white historical figures must only be played by non white actors in Hamilton? (Other than the “baddie” king who is white)
When I read that they were having auditions for Hamilton but no whites were welcome, I decided then and there that I would never spend one dime of my money on it.
To ban someone because of race is against the 1964 civil rights law. A law that was filibustered by the Democrats and only passed because of Rep support, something that is conveniently forgotten by the left.
The man who filibustered it was a Democrat senator and KKK member Robert Byrd. He was rewarded for his efforts by the Democrats by being elected Senate Majority leader and later Minority Leader. God bless the Democrats, hypocrites all.
Of course, that law doesn’t apply under DEI. I wonder whether any lawsuits will make it to the Supreme Court?
You mean Joe Biden's good buddy, Bobby Byrd? The one he had such nice things to say about at his funeral?
The very same. Billy Clinton eulogized Bobbie also. He thought Bob was just peachy. If history is to be a guide, the Dem/Soc Party is not the feminist party nor the party that fought for the rights of minorities.
It is the tyranny party that fights against freedom of speech. If they are the party of the black man or woman, how come they support the burning of our cities by Marxist thugs but say nothing about the tens of thousands of black people murdered over the last twenty years in the inner cities?
https://www.dailyveracity.com/2021/09/29/new-fbi-crime-data-shows-record-surge-in-black-on-black-homicide-and-increase-in-anti-white-hate-crimes/
"If they are the party of the black man or woman, how come they support the burning of our cities by Marxist thugs but say nothing about the tens of thousands of black people murdered over the last twenty years in the inner cities?"
Hey, you can't say that! I don't care how true it is!
Watch the hated Fox News on this. Democrats hate this because they hate the truth. Watch the video to the end. It is both shocking and disgusting.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/black-americans-paid-enormous-price-for-defund-the-police-movement
I do feel obligated to recall that while Bobby Byrd was quite the Klansman in his younger days, at the end of his life, as US Senator from W VA,, he was one of the (few) voices decrying the trashing of constitutional liberties by the GW Bush administration. Quite prophetic, really, given where we are now.
If he was such a changed man, how come he filibustered the1964 civil rights bill. Gosh a Democrat criticizing a Republican President. That's unusual.
Byrd was a typical politically motivated politician, nothing more, a rather vile one in my opinion.
And Hilary's self-described mentor. But, you know, he "changed" so all good. Imagine if Trump had ever had one photograph taken with, say, SC Senator Strom Thurmond...
As I have mentioned previously, Byrd was not merely a member of the KKK, but founder of the West Virginia chapter, and served as its highest ranking official.
Please, get history correct. Byrd was kkk at one time and called it an terrible mistake. Shortly after the law passed, the Dem party decided to become the leader in civil rights, the R party in segregation. Byrd went to the right side of history. The Southern Dems became Republicans and have been among the worst of society for decades.
If he is such a left wing saint, why did he filibuster the 1964 civil rights bill?
From AP :
“As a young man in West Virginia, Byrd recruited members to a local KKK chapter and was elected to the post of “exalted cyclops” according to his 2005 autobiography. Later, in 1964, when Byrd had become a Democratic U.S. senator, he stalled and opposed major civil rights legislation.”
I’d say Byrd was among the worst of society when it counted most.
Same here. Bravo!
There are other reasons not to spend one dime of your money on "Hamilton."
Like the fact that it is not particularly _good_. 😀
Actually, it is excellent. But it was a meritocracy, they people they hired were amazing.
Ditto, have no desire to see it.
I did pay to see ACB's Drum Dances on their website. Worth it!!!
https://acbtv.vhx.tv
Never understood that. I didnt really "get" the point of the whole musical in the first place. So I never bothered to try to go.
The book by Ron Chernow was excellent.
What? You didn't want to fork over $300 (or more) per ticket for farce? Or to get booed like Pence.
This feels like a throw-away but gets more to the point: not only are non-leftists blacklisted in the industry, but we are blacklisted even from attempting to enjoy art. DEI is KKK 2.0
Unfortunately, this great article confirms what many of us already know: if you want great opera, go to France or Italy; if you want great music and theater go to England or Germany; if you're wondering where this all leads, go to China. I'm just grateful we have YouTube because I for one would not spend one dime on these fools.
Tyranny by any other name is still tyranny.
"go to China"
As American living in China, you are not correct.
Todays China has nothing to do with one from Cultural Revolution, but is extremly meritocratic society.
Entrance to top universities in China is managed purely on academic performance (trough Gaokao =>National College Entrance Examination). There is no DEI, no essay or some other affirmative action. Also if you show talent in sports, arts or anything else, you will be provided every opportunity to excel. Even to become member of CCP, person need to be in to 5% of your university class, only then you get invitation to join.
Chinese in China cannot fathom, that in US selection to top universities is not fully based on academic merit, but on some arbitrary parameters as one heritage or skin color.
Tell that to the Uyghurs
Uyghurs are less then 1% of Chinese population. On scale of Chinese population even with direct discrimination of them problem is non existent, since from 100 studens, only 1 is might be Uyghur. Majority of Chinese population have never met or seen Uyghur.
For sistematic discrimination you should look at affirmative action and legacy admissions, that directly discriminated against Asian Americans who are 7% of population
So no preference is given to the children of high party officials? It is purely an egalitarian system and even Uyghurs are not discriminated against and admitted to universities. I do know they are admitted to the world's largest prison.
- preference is given to the children of high party officials. => Not, they also have to take Gaokao, and have same chance as rest. There is more corruption in our admissions through whole legacy & donor admissions than in China.
- Uyghurs are less then, 1% of Chinese population. Even if they are directly discriminated, on scale of China problem is so miniscule. But even they take same Gaokao and have same Chances to get in, since evaluation and rating of Gaokao is public.
What do you do in China? What is your job?
Well you know, from the pics I see, Chna is overwhelmingly monochomatic, racially speaking..."diversity" over there is kind of a moot point. But yeah, I can believe that at this point, aspects China's system are more legit than ours.
China is not monochomatic (this is trope that is shown in western media), but very diverse, there is lots difference between Chinese in north, south, east, west of country (not only how they look, but food, culture). Large parts of country have their own dialects of Chinese language.
China is very diverse country.
China is an overtly racist country, where only the Han count as real Chinese. Yes, there are many ethnic groups and dialects, but they are not treated equally. This is a fact. Verifiable by things like the removal of Africans who were kicked out of quarantine hotels during the pandemic, kicked out of McDonalds. An ad for laundry soap where they put a black man in a washing machine and he comes out Chinese. I do not blame the Chinese people, but the ideology of their tyrannical Stalinist government. Anyone who lived through the Cultural Revolution would have been traumatized. And that is what this article in the Free Press is about: the signs of that type of tyranny, the scaffold for building a nation based on fear and division.
"China is an overtly racist country, where only the Han count as real Chinese. Yes, there are many ethnic groups and dialects, but they are not treated equally. "
Probably true, but still better than in west. Where did all us German/Italian/French speaking population went ? 100 years ago there were plenty of vibrant communities that spoke other languages than English. Where are they now?
What about languages of natives in US? Were they allowed to thrive in liste 200 years or brought to brink of destruction, by active actions by Fedaral and local governments?
"Still better than the West" ?? Untrue. In the category of language, sadly, Mao destroyed much of the rich cultural heritage of Mandarin in his attempt to 'simplify' the language into what has been described as a crude version that lost nuance and literary value.
You are speaking to a language teacher. Yes, languages still thrive in many communities in the USA--often through churches, temples, mosques and community organizations. French in Massachusetts and other New England states, for example. Spanish is widespread in the USA as that is the current language of more recent immigrants. BTW, note the prevalence of Mandarin and its availability in High School as a study language. The U.S. and many 'Western' countries are leaders in diversity, equity and inclusion--to an extreme degree as you see in the article that prompted this .discussion.
I figured you would come back with some such comment...yeah, it's a big country, so you are going to have some "diversity"of culture...but last time I checked (this morning) China is 90% plus Han Chinese....so they fail the "diversity" test.
Han Chinese are very diverse among themself (culturally and how they look).
Last time I checked majority of population in US were Americans and speak English's language. US fails diversity test, there is more similarity between Ney Yorker and person from Los Angels, than between Northern and Southern Chinese (Culturally and linguistic ).
"Han Chinese are very diverse among themself (culturally and how they look)."
You know what? So are "white people." But you would never know that from they way we talk these days.
You have, perhaps inadvertently, revealed the fallacy underlying the (as you would say) diversity "trope": even the most seemingly monochromatic groups are quite "diverse."
Nope, China fails the Diversity Test, at least in the way we use the term today.
Let me know when "diverse" China opens its borders for decades to migrants from all over the world...then we can (maybe) talk about "diversity"in China.
Totally!
Mandarin and Cantonese are two entirely different languages.
Heh heh...you must not know much about the US...Los Angelenos are basically Left-Coast New Yorkers.
But it is true that the distinct regional and cultrural variations that were once so prominent in the US have been honed down by techno-mono-culture...one nation under Tik Tok/Instagram... sigh...
I guess the tell on your comment was the use of the term "trope"...I don't deal in "tropes," I deal in facts. You?
China does have preferences for Han Chinese vs minorities though. However, I agree that in academics it is very performance focused.
Country is 92% Han (Incl Hui => Muslim Chinese). Next largest Minority are Zhuang People with 1.3%, on second place are Uyghurs with 0.84%. Becides Uygurs majority of other minorities have no issues.
Thus "preference for Han" is not really something that exist, since vast majority of population identifies as Han. For every 100 students in China there are 8 Minorities, even if there was "preference for Han" this would be negligible, what benefit would it get, 1-2 more Han?
Fair comment. Now, do the % of Han in the top leadership of the CCP. China is a Han nation, though there are millions and millions who are not Han. Also, China isn't stupid enough to allow millions and millions of legal or illegal immigrants that will never assimilate.
do the % of Han in the top leadership of the CCP => Sure, no problem, Country is 92% Han+Hui, Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party that runs country and CCP has 24 seats, how many minorities should be in this body and which minority should be included?
What probability is there that 92% of population will yield more talented people (in absolute numbers) than 8% of population?
So should China do affirmative action and have fixed numbers of Minorities in their government?
Why not? Otherwise it's Han supremacy -- surely child's play for the most perfect society in the world to svoid.
Wu mao much? I'm sorry, but this constant need to affirm what is one of the most oppressive governments in the world seems highly suspicious. Echoes of the fifty cent army. I appreciate conversations of depth and would like to return to the points made in this article.
Do we want freedom and equal opportunity based on our minds-and-spirits or division based on our 'bodies' and our raised fists?
It boils down to this: do we base our artistic decisions on the concept of a Higher Unifying Principle drawing individuals to be their best and to forgive and love one another or on a crude and terminal materialism that sees only unthinking masses of Black and Brown or white 'Bodies'?
Very interesting. Thanks for this comment.
But everyone must be loyal to The Party.
TF if this article is correct, and I think it is, one must be loyal to the party here.
Note that in China they have no problem putting their troublesome minorities into concentration camps for re-education. Or rape and murder. Is that what we want?
Great analogy but lost on the left.
As an opera lover, I haven't noticed a degradation of the quality of opera in the States, at least not with respect to the Metropolitan Opera. The quality is as good as ever, and I've also noticed a small but significant uptick in the number of Black singers, especially in secondary roles, at the Met. The recent productions of "Porgy and Bess" were fabulous. The outsized quantity and quality of Black singers on that stage was impressive, and I couldn't help but ask myself why I hadn't seen many of these talented individuals before. Lately there have been a lot more Black singers on the stage, and whenever somebody has the opportunity to sing a solo, even a small one, it's always noteworthy. And now we have the addition of two new operas by Terence Blanchard that give Black singers a greater chance to shine in a modern vernacular.
In some respects, being a Black opera singer has never been harder, because to the woke, opera is Exhibit A of white Colonialism, replete with every possible sex, class and race stereotype you can think of. This sets up Black opera singers to be viewed as race traitors. And yet, some of the greatest opera singers in the world are of African descent. For instance, there's Latonia Moore, a powerful Aida specialist as well as a sensitive interpreter of modern works, Lawrence Brownlee, a wonderful actor and brilliant Rossini-Donizetti tenor, and the magnificent Jeanine De Bique, originally from Trinidad, who has made Handel her own. These singers are not concerned with fashion or political correctness. They are artists.
Just my opinion, but I think opera is alive and well in the United States and the current efforts made to include more great Black singers in the mix can only be a good thing. Opera is an Olympian art form. "Equity" won't help the singer who can't keep up.
Addendum: One correction. The three artists I mention above do not work only in the States. They are world citizens of Opera.
Thanks for that. The only obligation we have is to be open to the best talent. In every way.
Thumbs up.
Lawrence Brownlee is incredible. My son (who is in Graduate school for Vocal performance which includes Opera) showed me some videos and I was amazed what he can do with his voice. He is legit. I pray that opera keeps the high bar for its performers and pray even harder that my son can meet the high bar. To get to that level it’s not just Talent people don’t realize how much work goes into it. Thanks for the insight.
Patrick, I wish your son all success in his ambition to make it as an opera singer. You are exactly right: it's a demanding, highly competitive field that requires great sacrifice and commitment. There's a reason why we admire the virtuosi of opera, which includes wonderful artists like Lawrence Brownlee. Without that "high bar" that you refer to, there could be no opera. Mediocre performances are not worth listening to and the field would disappear if the talent were to dry up. Fortunately, I don't think the talent will dry up as long as we stay loyal to the canon of great operas of the past (and occasionally of the present). People want to sing that music and other people want to listen to it, because it is so beautiful. Obviously, I'm prejudiced, but in my opinion there's nothing like great opera.
I agree - to a certain extent. The quality of the voice is what matters most. My problem is the subtle de Christianization of certain works, and what I call "recession opera", not the race of the singer. Some of that has been rectified but Peter Gelb is not my favorite manager. I think the current "Hansel and Gretel " is a disgrace for example as well as the new "Lucia Di Lammermoor" Call me old fashioned but when I attend the opera I want to see GRAND OPERA - new productions are fine and I am open to artistic reinterpretations, but for me there is a limit. PS: I was a child when I fell in love with opera. My grandmother introduced me to a recording of Il Trovatore with the legendary Leontyne Price , as well as Richard Tucker and Leonard Warren ( my favorite baritone next to the late Dmitri Hvorostovsky). I long for the Zefferelli days. If they ever redo La Boheme I will riot. ;)
I’m glad you responded. I’ve been shocked by all the likes on my comment, given that it’s so far afield of the point of the article overall.
I’m not familiar with the changes to Hansel and Gretel. What did they do to it? I also was not impressed with the modernization of Lucia, using gimmicky sets, costumes and video to distance the audience from the performances. However, Sierra’s singing is extraordinary and the cast as a whole was tremendous, so I let it slide. A certain amount of experimentation is inevitable and mostly it’s going to stink. And yes, there is no substitute for Zefferelli, that’s for sure, and nobody will ever replace Hvorostovsky or Price. My god, we got to hear them live!
I try to be philosophical about experimentation in staging and the productions of atonal, terrible modern operas where there’s not a single discernible tune to be heard. I marvel that singers can even memorize that stuff. And I agree, there is a limit to how far we can go and still respect the art form. Optimistically, if we can hold onto the canon while nurturing great talent, hopefully we’ll make it past the corruptions of wokism. Lastly, I’ll be rioting with you if they touch La Boheme (my favorite opera).
I think Andrew Klavan has the best take on this phenomenon. He likened it to the Protestant Reformation/Catholic Counter-Reformation.
Which makes sense. This is a religious movement we’re seeing.
They make think it’s a religion, but it’s actually speech/think enforcement by the socialists on the left. This is 100% racial discrimination and I hope they all get sued, and lose.
Politics is the atheists replacement for religion. It seems everyone needs Angels and Demons.
Spot on! Leftist zealotry is what people who would have been burning witches and preaching temperance in the past now use to fill those holes in their lives.
The Supreme Court will eventually get baited into taking this on, and when the "wrong" verdict is rendered the Left will act predictably. They were not able to expand the Court this time, but they will not miss another opportunity.
Hmmm lots of folks died in those perturbations
Maybe, if the religion is satanism and demons are the lord.
Not religion as in the commonly held vision of a God concept. Rather religion in the sense that there is some ideological position revealed and then received on faith and followed blindly with proselytizing of whomever is met next. The last piece to make it a religion is the controlling priest class who gains enrichment and power from the followers that have been convinced to receive the word on faith. It is a form of social organization and control rather than a statement of the content of the belief.
It seems to me that if society continually portrays POC as victims and policies are made to therefore rectify by implementing discriminatory practices against non-POC we perpetuate racism into a never ending cycle of oppressors and victims. When enough of the white leftists are adversely affected by their own ideology things will change. At some point we need to get to the point of race neutral policies, but I fear it will not happen till pain is inflicted on all.
Yes because - and let's be very clear about this - underlying it all is a sense of paternalism and the deep belief that POCs are really not up to it and cannot succeed on their own. In other words, the very definition of racism.
Bingo! The leftists truly believe that POC cannot succeed without their assistance. If that is not racism what is?
DEI / CRT just creates more racism.
DEI/CRT IS racism!
Yes, I agree.
But it also can convert someone who was tolerant and accepting of POC under the old model (where it was believed that we do not judge a person by the color of their skin….) and make them intolerant. Backfire so to speak. Converting an ally into an enemy.
Which is exactly the point - economic class divisions don't work in the West since they are fluid, but races cannot be exchanged so that is a more "successful" avenue of division. One which Marx himself would have clearly implemented if Europe and Russia hadn't been all white.
Makes good sense, yes.
Exactly. At what point do we have a level playing field, which was originally the goal of affirmative action? Right now one side is standing on an artificial embankment, while the other stands in a trench and just keeps on digging.
Politicians of both parties will never allow it to be a level playing field. It will be a continuing cycle of alternating oppressors and victims.
I can’t help but think that blacks & the black community will be the downfall of the USA. The reduction of standards & merit and the excessive inner city violence will the the country’s undoing.
Completely disagree with your comment.
You can not run a functioning modern economy based on the lowest common denominator. Recognizing merit & achievement are essential for progress.
I do not ascribe to the belief that POC are the lowest common denominator at all and find that statement to be offensive. It appears you do and that position is equally responsible for the mess we are in. It is the white leftists and progressives that are pushing the DEI to the detriment of POC and the country together with those espousing your sentiments. Politicians seize on those two dichotomies to fund raise and retain office all the while we all suffer.
Of course you know, at this moment your children are being taught that you are a racist for what you posted.
Here's the good news (for me). My kids are all grown and my two daughters have kids of their own. They all (to various degrees) regard this as patent hogwash. It's the little ones that I worry about. Do my best to share love of country and try to inculcate in them the courage to speak the truth about our country's goodness.
It’s a very Freiré-ian philosophy. If you haven’t read Pedagogy of the Oppressed, you should because it clearly defines this worldview.
That ("perpetuat(ing) racism into a never ending cycle of oppressors and victims" is, I believe, exactly the motivation. As long as there are people who believe "help, help! I'm being oppressed!", there will be support for corrupt people to claim to be the answer to their problems. Without that, the entire leftwing establishment would crumble.
This is also happening in academia, law, medicine, government, business as well as the arts. It is a full on assault on every aspect of our society. It is astonishing in its seemingly organized manner, dangerous and scary.
In medicine, in particular, it has perverse consequences. A trans person must be treated as the gender they claim, not their biological sex. Imagine an ectopic pregnancy in a shemale (or is it trans man?); it would be ignored as impossible.
The leftists have 'jumped the shark' to use an old meme, and many, many people will be paying the price for this until society restores sanity.
I definitely keep wondering what gynecologists are dealing with.
I have read of convoluted complaints from persons who have transitioned about their insensitive treatment by health care practitioners, impolite notices about topics such as breast cancer screening, access to menstrual products (this last being a demand for dispensers in men’s rooms). It appears almost impossible for the remainder of us to avoid putting a foot wrong.
And the US military too.
Oh gosh, yes - how could I have forgotten the military. It is shocking to see the things that are happening there.
It is straight out of Kurt Vonnegut's short story, Harrison Bergeron, which I did read in high school a long time ago. (It wouldn't be allowed now.)
Everyone must be the same. You can't have any above average abilities. Equal outcomes are mandated by law. There are NO individuals, only groups. Of course, you can't make everyone excel so everyone else must be handicapped. But even this dystopian short story didn't have the added layer of race on top. What is even more fitting, the story highlights ballet dancers and their handicaps. Story here: https://archive.org/stream/HarrisonBergeron/Harrison%20Bergeron_djvu.txt
My awakening was Anthem by Ayn Rand in junior high school 60 years ago.
“In that was left of humanity there was only one man who dared to think, seek, and love. He lived in the dark ages of the future. In a loveless world, he dared to love the woman of his choice. In an age that had lost all trace of science and civilization, he had the courage to seek and find knowledge. But these were not the crimes for which he would be hunted. He was marked for death because he had committed the unpardonable sin: He had stood forth from the mindless human herd. He was a man alone. He had rediscovered the lost and holy word—I.”
We need to stand forth from the mindless human herd.
I didn’t read Anthem until my mid-20s, but there is one passage that was indelibly burned into my brain:
“The word ‘We’ is as lime poured over men, which sets and hardens to stone, and crushes all beneath it, and that which is white and that which is black are lost equally in the grey of it. It is the word by which the depraved steal the virtue of the good, by which the weak steal the might of the strong, by which the fools steal the wisdom of the sages.”
Jim, I definitely have to reread it!
Jim, I read that in high school too. In fact, high school was so long ago that I had confused the Harrison Bergeron story with Anthem. A quick search showed that the ballet dancer wasn't in Anthem and I had misremembered. I finally found the correct story. (The ballet dancer seemed so pertinent here.) But Anthem really hit me back then too. I should reread it. Here is a free Gutenberg version. https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1250
I erased my original comment about Ayn Rand and rewrote it. I think if you even brought one of her books into a classroom nowadays you would be excommunicated! I can't believe we actually read it in school! After this fiasco of "I am science" and the silencing of critics, it should be mandatory in any free thinking school, just so they can weed out people who are willing to engage in controversial thought (unbelievable!) and those that demand to be protected.
Great call on the Vonnegut story. Of course, you wouldn't be reading it in today's HS classroom....more likely it would be "Genderqueer: A Memoir," replete with tales of same-sex pedophilia.
Thank you for the link to Anthem. I read it today and it’s incredible. Thanks again.
Vonnegut also used this concept in his novel The Sirens of Titan. I don't know which he wrote first - the short story or the novel.
Kurt Vonnegut also wrote an interesting story about the government assigning every citizen a set of handicaps, to level the field, so to speak. I didn’t think much of the story when I read it about 50 years ago; but now it feels a lot like “equity”.
I haven't read that one. Thanks for the tip.
I recently dug this story up, too. I read it in middle school and never forgot it.
The world was shocked when, in 2001, the Taliban destroyed the Bamiyan Buddha statues. It has taken less than 20 years for our new cult to bring the same insanity here.
Indeed. We are moving at warp speed. Backwards.
I'm surprised more people don't make that connection.
"You either fit in or perish," or you do your work outside of the institutional mainstream and find alternative sources of funding. Artists don't have to undermine their integrity to do their work. It is possible to step outside of the bubble, an action artists used to take as part of their responsibility to the world: Be fearless and dedicated to your vision no matter what.
Sure it is possible to “step outside of the bubble”...if you’re willing to make your art your side project instead of your career. If you want to “keep the main thing the main thing”, you need money, and the lion’s share of any operating budget in the arts comes from grants and big-check donations.
Look, let’s just be honest about it - Americans do not support cultural institutions. All the “culture” we have as far as this article is concerned is imported from Europe, and the art we DO produce (jazz) gets more support in just about every other developed country than it does here. We’re a “bread and circuses” nation.
Historically, it is progressive-leaning organizations that supported the arts so the fact that DEI is rotting them from the inside out is no real surprise.
I will make the claim that you have cause and effect reversed. I can remember from my mid-century youth that average middle-class Americans often partook of the fine arts, when it was available to them. We and our neighbors listened to classical music, attended theatrical productions, went to exhibitions, saw the ballet, and had a few art objects around the house. Now, most of these were not high-level professional productions, being that we didn't live in New York or Los Angeles. But the intent was there.
To paraphrase Ronald Reagan, America didn't abandon the arts. The arts abandoned America.
Well, to be fair, I would reason that the television came about around this period of time you were describing, correct?
Wouldn’t it be fair to say that technology made it easier to consume entertainment from the privacy of your living room, rather than having to venture out into a theater or a music venue or gallery to experience art in person?
And how did the arts abandon America, exactly? How many theaters have gone under since the time you refer to due to lack of attendance and budget? How many dance halls have been abandoned, and sold to become lofts or whatever those buildings are now? When was the last time you saw a queue to get into an art gallery on a Saturday afternoon?
What were artist supposed to do, go into your home and grab you by the scruff of your neck and drag you out to the theater? I have plenty of musician friends that play original music to empty rooms most of the time. Artists are producing art. The audience can’t be bothered to get up from the couch and the Netflix series, put on a pair of actual pants and participate in culture in this way.
And why would they? The entire catalog of popular music is available at the touch of a button in your Spotify app. Between three streaming services you have more content then you could possibly watch in four lifetimes. It is simply easier to scratch that nascent itch with an ersatz version of music, theater, film, art, etc. than go through the trouble of cleaning yourself up, finding a babysitter if required, spending the time and money to go to a venue and experience culture in real life.
The arts did not abandon anyone. Technology has wholly diminished the appetite for it.
I still claim the content is a significant factor. The local art museum here used to run off of donations. About 20 years ago, they started doing the type of exhibit where each artwork has a card alongside it telling you what you were supposed to think about it, and how it relates to the author's diversity. Most of these consisted of collections of random objects that looked like something done by a second-grader going through a junkyard with a hot-glue gun. One exhibition consisted of a painter who had apparently devoted his entire adult life to carrying out some sort of vendetta against General Electric.
It was at about this time that the museum abandoned the donation box and started charging admission. First, it was a couple of dollars. Then it was $5. Then it became $10. Now it's $20. And with each price increase, and subsequent expenditure of funds on "woke" exhibits, attendance goes down. The art museum is in a fine new building now, but attendance is about half of what it used to be when it was crammed into a spare office space, but it had interesting exhibits. (And no, I'm not the sort of person who considers a painting of dogs playing poker "interesting".) I live in a city full of well-educated people -- but in the sciences and engineering. The art doesn't speak to them. It lectures at them, when it deigns to address them at all.
"The art doesn't speak to them. It lectures at them, when it deigns to address them at all."
Brilliant summation.
it isn't progressive organizations which supported the arts. At least not in the modern use of the term progressive. Liberal? Yes. But liberals like me loathe progressives. More and more each day.
Liberals like me too. And what you say is true. Progressives have always thought that art should be political, which shows how little they understand or care about art. Not all liberals are progressive (as comments recently on TFP want to assert) - there are very many more like me.
Why do you say money is necessary to create impactful works of art? Is this something unique to the fine arts?
Money obviously helps. But even in ultra-competitive indie scenes like music or indie game development, enough of the best stuff naturally gains recognition. Algorithmic recommendations tend to reward good reviews, repeated listens, social media referrals, and other relatively meritocratic metrics.
Well it depends on what you qualify as “the best”, and who gets to decide that? “People liking it immediately without having to make any actual effort to perceive/understand it” isn’t exactly a metric for transformational works of art.
I would go so far as to say art and entertainment are a Venn diagram that, while intersects, does not overlap. Entertainment’s goal is to bring joy to its consumers with minimal effort on their behalf (to me). Art is meant to be challenging; to stretch the perceptions of the beholder.
Ms. Hall laid out the necessity for money in the fine arts above, allow me to do the same for music. Musical instruments cost money; rehearsal spaces cost money. Recording studio time costs money, playing shows and touring costs money. To record an album these days with a modicum of marketing, you’re spending $10,000.
I also don’t think it’s a mistake that the lion’s share of the music today is solo artists with electronic tracks. It’s much cheaper to produce and shows with two mouths to feed is more doable than ones with five. Technology drives costs down for the consumer; those costs come from somewhere.
As a painter, printmaker and sculptor, I need money to pay for materials, studio space, model fees, as I work primarily from life. Money is more critical to the survival of works of art over time. We have masterpieces that have come down to us from the Renaissance that we revere for their skill and meaning, but they may well have been lost if they had not been commissioned by wealthy and powerful patrons. Vincent van Gogh died penniless with hardly a sale to his name, and his works attained their high value status due in large part to the hard work of his widowed sister in law and the wealthy collector who purchased them. In our present day, much of what we call” art” is a commodity and status signifier. Who would boast otherwise?
I would disagree with your assertion about American support for the arts. In a previous association with a school for the fine arts, we were courted by Italians to open a location there. They were awed by how a nonprofit such as ours was funded by donations (and endless fundraising) when they were totally dependent on their governments, from city to state to the European Union and Unicef.
"Be fearless and dedicated to your vision no matter what."
It's a powerful and inspiring statement. I also, personally, have found it a lot harder to do than one might think. I've found the rewards of following that path to be a lot of praise, sincere respect and the same black beans for lunch every day and dinner every night. The customers of one's art are as influenced by cultural fads -- in this case DEI -- as the artists themselves and it is much easier for them to withhold their money in favor of the current cultural fad than to think about the moral dimensions of the problem and derive their own conclusions.
Persevere, JB87...you are the Real Deal as an artist..but that position comes at a steep price, in this case, beans for lunch and dinner.
Yep and be poor and unsupported. Not very helpful advice.
Joseph Massey is, in fact, a poet who survived “cancellation”. He means what he says.
Easy to say, hard to do. People shouldn't have to live as outcasts because elites have decided to discriminate against them.
So easy to say, but when "dedication to vision" equals unnecessary poverty and being left out of society, that is a very high price to pay.
Not that its right, but I get it and why people cave. It is perverse as hell.
Great article. The arts are clearly dying in the US and across the modern world. What passes for art today, in many domains, is largely driven by a self-indulgent egotism on the part of the artists themselves and their sponsors. It has to be a part of some grand narrative think-piece, instead of simply letting the art speak for itself. DEI is simply a species of this delusion.
Look at the monstrosities that are the MLK statue in Boston and the new Medusa-like creature that now adorns the top of the NYC courthouse.
I wrote about modern art and our new culture of bas taste here: https://www.gordoncomstock.com/p/mlk-modern-art-and-the-culture-of
Jeezy... that article lays out all of the hate. Of course, his work is probably taught with great admiration and the kids who are in those classes are likely too scared to speak their true thoughts out loud for feared of getting cancelled. And people pay for this stuff?
oh, I can top that. In my hometown of San Jose, the statue in the park at city center is Plumed Serpent,” a sculpture of the Mesoamerican deity Quetzalcoatl. Almost no one knows its name. You tell me what it looks like (its obvious) -- and most people in San Jose will agree with you.
https://img.atlasobscura.com/6QwyXZSmKqjDnAVpw9lDmRQesH5ZqMeSosF_mdxUuqM/rt:fit/w:1200/q:81/sm:1/scp:1/ar:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9hdGxh/cy1kZXYuczMuYW1h/em9uYXdzLmNvbS91/cGxvYWRzL3BsYWNl/X2ltYWdlcy85ZTJm/NTNhMy1kN2VlLTQw/MjgtYjc4NC02YWM5/MDU1MmQ2M2UxYzE1/M2UzNmI4MDNhMzE4/MzBfUXVldHphbGNv/YXRsLVNjdWxwdHVy/ZS0xLmpwZw.jpg
Whoah....what in the world? Not gonna say it.... but, Geez!
Lol! Your comment, that pic! Priceless.
To all the writers at Free Press, please don't stop shining a light on the causes of our societal decay. Though I'm still relatively young, like some of the more accomplished anonymous artists in this article I myself have given up hope. I've found it quite freeing. Sometimes a forest has to burn down to flourish again.
This is a long quote, but one I keep coming back to recently, from The Golden Notebook, an all-time great novel. It felt particularly relevant while reading this article.
"The nightmare takes various forms, comes in sleep, or in wakefulness, and can be pictured most simply like this: There is a blindfolded man standing with his back to a brick wall. He has been tortured nearly to death. Opposite him are six men with their rifles raised ready to shoot, commanded by a seventh, who has his hand raised. When he drops his hand, the shots will ring out, and the prisoner will fall dead. But suddenly there is something unexpected – yet not altogether unexpected, for the seventh has been listening all this while in case it happens. There is an outburst of shouting and fighting in the street outside. The six men look, in query at their officer, the seventh. The officer stands waiting to see how the fighting outside will resolve itself. There is a shout: ‘We have won!’ At which the officer crosses the space to the wall, unties the bound man, and stands in his place. The man, hitherto bound, now binds the other. There is a moment, and this is the moment of horror in the nightmare, when they smile at each other: it is a brief, bitter, accepting smile. They are brothers in the smile. The smile holds a terrible truth that I want to evade. Because it cancels all creative emotion. The officer, the seventh, now stands blindfolded and waiting with his back to the wall. The former prisoner walks to the firing squad who are still standing with their weapons ready. He lifts his hand, then drops it. The shots ring out, and the body by the wall falls twitching. The six soldiers are shaken and sick; now they will go and drink to drown the memory of their murder. But the man who was bound, who is now free, smiles as they stumble away, cursing and hating him, just as they would have cursed and hated the other, now dead. And in this man’s smile at the six innocent soldiers there is a terrible understanding irony. This is the nightmare."
That is excellent. Pete Townshend summed it up: "Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss."
Hmm....why did those six soldiers do what they did? If "the other side" has won, what is the status of those 6 soldiers, who had opposed "the other side" up until this moment? Why don't they defend their original leader? Why does the released man assume he has the right to command those soldiers? Why do the soldiers agree to obey the command of their "new" commander? Etc. Etc. Etc. People who cannot adjust to a change in circumstances by making better decisions, but cling to what appeared to work for them in the past, seem to be a real problem here, it seems to me. Isn't it incumbent on every human being to constantly try to be the best human being possible in each new situation? Did anyone in this fable attempt that?
I like your read on it. The way I've always interpreted this is that the leaders of such movements really don't care about the masses at all. THey will use and abuse them to meet their ends, which are much the same as the "oppressors" they seek to take out.
We need more Landsmans standing up to this madness. I find it utterly shocking that so many white people got vicious over a stupid black square that did absolutely nothing to stop George Floyd from flooding his system with fentanyl. George Floyd, the only person with COVID to die of "murder."
And don't you know it's white people who are hiring by race and "gender," acting as useful idiots to a cause that undermines and will destroy their own institutions with what should be obvious to anyone is a ridiculous, self-serving, vapid, useless perspective on race. And it's RACIST as all get out. Indeed, in my 60 years on this planet, the past few have been the most racist of them all.
It has occurred to me: If being around white people is so hard for certain non-white people, why don't they start their own institutions? Why don't they publish their own books? Why don't they open their own art galleries?
Can't the useful idiot white people in charge see what's happening here? They're allowing themselves to be narcissistically gaslit into sabotage.
And while it doesn't do any real harm that every single TV commercial features a black family, or a white woman married to a "black or brown" man, and every TV therapist is a black woman lording it over the mentally unstable white man --
People really do not appreciate it. And the irony is that Landsman's institution will be the last one standing when this is over.
Yes, I thought of Berry Gordy and Motown while reading this article. Certainly sounds as if the foundations would fall all over themselves to support members of "marginalized" groups in starting their own artistic endeavors. Instead it seems many prefer to just seize the institutions that others have spent their lives building.
Lets not forget the Chicago museum that fired it's long time volunteer docents because they were white.
Dog L, good comment, but you seem to underestimate the number of "useful idiot"white people who will gladly sing the DEI song so long as their position is protected...you know who you are.
Those "useful idiot white people who will gladly sing the DEI song so their position is protected..."
Are in a mad state of cognitive dissonance given they are pushing a narrative that replaces white people with other people....
And since I've witnessed with my own eyes too many a vapid singing of the DEI song, the pronoun badges, the pronoun email signatures, the black squares and the "compassionate" yet oblivious posts made in relatively safe neighborhoods, behind green lawns...
Can't say I have "underestimated" it at all. But I don't sing, refuse to teach that crap, and push back in meetings. I hope you're doing the same.
"But I don't sing, refuse to teach that crap, and push back in meetings."
I don't get invited to meetings anynore as a result of my pushing back...but cheers to you, sounds as if you are fighting the good fight.
And their virtue signaling instrument stays tuned.
Growing up, we were taught and we lived "You can not judge someone by the color of their skin". Wow, how far we have come as a society, even our POTUS boasts about doing just the opposite. If only MLK were around to see it...
Given how much they hate King's most famous quote it is a wonder they don't tear down or deface his various monuments. He wanted a color-blind society, which the woke consider racist.
It's ironic because, while he Left continues to hold up MLK as an icon (and a cudgel), they have explicitly rejected his philosophy.
As a member of the left, we've not all gone crazy. But clearly, a part of the left has and it ticks off sane folks, like me. And we loathe the perverse agendas, because they are exactly what real liberals despise.
I keep waiting for calls to cancel him. Can't believe it hasn't happened yet. But I hear you can get fired at a big corporation for quoting him.
Growing up in the 80's in Deepest Dixie...this was 100% clear to me. But now...?
An excellent article.
Yes this is happening all across the arts including in publishing. There is a spiral of silence and people are frightened to speak out.
The only thing which will stop it will be the lawsuits and to a certain extent the profit motive. The NYT op-ed about American Dirt which Bari highlighted earlier in her twitter feed mentioned how well that book had done in part due to its notoriety. This is the archived version: https://archive.ph/pHU4V
Thank you for mentioning publishing. It's shocking the way literature has been politicized in recent years. Anyone who has approached a literary agent or publisher knows that they have their own DEI requirements for authors and manuscripts. If you don't conform to the new ideology, your "problematic" work doesn't see the light of day, regardless of its quality or appeal to readers. Not all of us became writers to engage in social engineering and propaganda. It's sad that so many authors acquiesce to it.
As I have been v involved in bringing some of this to light in the UK -- I was a 'free speech' rebel last November at the Society of Authors agm, sponsored the resolutions and stood up and spoke, I do know precisely what you are talking about. In the UK the Free Speech Union now has its Writers Advisory Council to assist as many of us resigned from the SoA afterwards. Gillian Phillips has her appeal being heard in September (she was sacked from her ghostwriting job because she put I stand with JK Rowling in her twitter handle). (I have written over 30 novels for Harlequin who are now own by Harper Collins)
There is this culture of fear and Spiral of Silence in publishing
Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie did a brilliant lecture for the BBC on the need for freedom of expression when writing.
That sounds like a great start and I wish you and the other authors luck. I hope some authors here in the US take a similar initiative. It's crazy that something like this would even be necessary.
Publishing has 4 major players and they can be v risk adverse. There has been a huge consolidation in the last 30 years.
At least people are starting to speak about the self-censorship problem in the Arts and how it is leading to a flattening of what is on offer.
Don't get me wrong -- there are diversity problems within the industry and it is how do you handle it and it is complicated. For example, in 2004, Harlequin purchased the publishing arm of BET. It was not until 2017 that real concrete steps were taken to integrate black authors into all the various lines, rather than just having one hugely successful line with catered to the African-American market (and it had a hugely specific editorial). Against real pushback from certain progressive sectors, Harlequin persisted and now all the lines are integrated and you have a far greater range of black voices being published as well as other ethnic voices and unsurprisingly they have proved to be popular with the readership as they are delivering on the sort of the stories which the readers of a line want. I think the Powers that Be thought it would be much easier than it has been as the barriers were not obvious. Real change does take a long time. FWIW
This is true. Many turning to self-publishing to get away from it.
That's my plan. I had an agent briefly but I've lost faith in traditional publishing now. I'm going the indie route for the freedom and my sanity :-)
What also helps is how we spend our money. Look for and purchase books, go see movies, and plays, and dance performances that are fun, well-done and not covered in bland woke sauce.
Top Gun was the biggest movie of the year, a huge success. Let's make more of those things happen.
Yes ultimately I do think the profit motive will win out. Robert McKee in his classic book on screenwriting Story does mention that people do not respond well to having politized ideas rammed down their throats (screenwriting and writing for Harlequin has certain things in common and all the editors are trained on McKee) and preferred to be entertained. In the words of Martin Luther King Sr, not everything has to be political.
There have been huge problems with publishing and people being forced into narrow lanes. It is going to take time to fix. The idea was to open things up much more, but the real question is are these actions shutting things down?
Anthony Horowitiz is in today's Times, apparently he was not allowed to use the word scalpel in conjunction with a Native American character in case some reader thought of scalping -- the two words do not share the same root words. But the sensitivity reader whose opinion counted decided that it could cause offence.
Prof Deborah Appleman wrote the Presentism far from opening things up for minority authors, is actually the opposite and thus hurting the minorities it was supposed to help. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie also made the same point in her lecture back in Dec.
American Dirt was such a great book!