Damage Report - Do As I Say, Not As I Do

Join me today on The DAMage Report for ARTS DAY. 2pm PST / 5pm EST live streaming from LA on www.newdissidentradio.com

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Think of society as a scale. The aim of course is to maintain a perfect balance of ideas and community structure. Realistically, individual and group input tips the scale a little to the left, then a little to the right in a constant dance of “this is how things should be.”

It was no surprise to discover that uber conservative Amarillo, Texas is home to an art gallery and theater that is pushing radical, controversial arts into the public eye. The more rigid and moralistically uptight a community is, the more the artists in the community will try to rip back the hypocritical facades and reveal the truth laying underneath. The double talk of so-called community leaders like Reverend Grisham reeks to high heaven. In a perfect example of “do as I say, not as I do” he stated "you have to be cautious about what you promote (in art), because you might prompt a dangerous action based on those ideas." He promptly attempted to burn the Koran during the same damn week.

Nicely counterbalancing that type of religious fucktardedness in Amarillo are stage productions like "The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?" which contains references to incest, homosexuality and bestiality. Incidentally, the work won a Tony Award for best play in 2002.

 

Hypocrisy and subjective interpretation are common weapons used against the arts – especially art that is trying to show us something about ourselves and our societies. The loosely defined definitions of what is and is not obscene or inappropriate is a double-edged sword. It gives the illusion of freedom of expression while cloaking a giant bitchslap fist that enables individuals to impose their personal tastes and preferences on the creativity of others. Observations that true art that pushes the envelope must stand the test of time and prove itself by “longevity” is moronic and indicative of the nonsensical garbage that art critics spew. Please explain how art that is banned survives the censorship to prove its longevity to the public? But that’s okay. Really. Because artists are society’s rebels and hypocrisy is something we will push right past. We’ll just keep jumping up and down on the left side of that scale, forcing it back into balance.

http://amarillo.com/news/local-news/2010-09-12/radically-redefining-art


For Anyone wanting to see the story of Rev. Grisham being thwarted from burning the Koran by a skateboarder, check this out: http://www.businessinsider.com/skateboarder-foils-would-be-koran-burner-in-texas-2010-9