Perhaps it is because I am tired and in pain, thanks to the slowly worsening pleurisy I have been dealing with for the last two months. Perhaps it is because I am sick and tired of inane political commentary and commercials as we head into the mid-term elections. And perhaps it is because I fought the good fight in owning an art gallery for 8 years, and tried to promote sometimes non-traditional artwork.
For whatever reason, I found this comment to be *really* grating:
This is art??? I sure hope the Federal Government didn’t for this through the NEA budget, but it sure has the feel of Obama “stimulus” about it.
Fuck me to tears.
Yes, it is art.
And no, the Federal Government didn’t pay for this. Because the goddam installation was created by a Chinese artist, and is on display at the Tate Modern – you know, the one in London. Which isn’t in the US, you idiot.
Now, I realize that the NPR article about Ai Weiwei’s Sunflower Seeds where I came across this comment doesn’t give the location of the Tate Modern. But both of the links in the article are to UK newspapers, one of which says the exhibit is in London in the opening paragraph. And I would fully expect anyone reading the NPR site (or hearing the news on NPR this morning) concerning such an exhibition would know this, as the Tate Modern is famous world-wide.
And yet we get this:
This is art??? I sure hope the Federal Government didn’t for this through the NEA budget, but it sure has the feel of Obama “stimulus” about it.
That’s not just ignorance. It’s proud ignorance. With a side dish of blind partisanship. It is the mindset that says that anything the writer doesn’t understand must obviously be not worth knowing, and besides, the fault of the damned liberals to boot.
Like the exhibit or not, that’s fine. Think that art is only pretty pictures on a wall, and that’s OK too. But pull your head out of your ass and be at least marginally informed about the matter before you decide to expound on it. Ignorance is nothing to be proud of.
Good lord.
Jim Downey
(Cross posted to Daily Kos.)
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Pingback by Ya gotta have priorities. « Communion Of Dreams October 22, 2010 @ 2:39 pmSpot on! I, too, am soooooooo weary of the blind, selfinflicted ignorance of some in America (both ends of the spectrum).
Havew you visited Coffee Party USA website? I am involved in a local group (very small in Titusville, Florida) where we are attempting to self educate. I think you RKBA on Daily Kos has been helpful. I want to explore gun rights AND good public policy relating to that without the shrillness of the local Moveon.org members.
Comment by Richard Smith October 27, 2010 @ 10:24 amThanks, Richard – yeah, good on you for helping to keep sane dialog going; too much of what happens now is extremes talking *past* each other.
Comment by James Downey October 27, 2010 @ 10:55 am