Is the politicization of art worse than it was? It seems that way. “Serious” literature is now mostly genre fiction, with the genres being climate change dystopia, political dystopia, identity fiction, and the like. It is hard to find real literature anymore—that is, an exploration of the human condition in the context of a set of interesting conditions, exploring through language the unscientific and unpolitical aspects of living. Almost everything new on the literary fiction shelf at a typical bookstore is written by a demographically predictable author about predictable progressive topics. Most interesting authors are now dead or old. The fiction that passes for excellent now is mostly terrible. When I find something wonderful (e.g. Klara and the Sun) it is by a septuagenarian (Ishiguro) at the end of his career. It would benefit everyone to get politics out of art, particularly literary fiction.
We can't have any real art because our brave new world has assumed the same attitude toward suffering as Huxley's. The basic assumption we live under in the west is that the summum bonum of existence is pleasure, be that the pleasure of achievement, power, self actualization or just plain old hedonism. We live to please ourselves and there's no value or meaning to be found in suffering.
Your appreciation of The Road reminded me that recently Kmele Foster, another admirer of Cormac McCarthy, expressed a similar sentiment on a The Fifth Column, an episode where the trio was joined by Nick Gillespie. That sentiment being that the relationship of father and son is the focal point of the novel, not its politics.
Agree the quickest way to success in journalism is to root for one team, but then as you state, you are beholden to the narrative and the support is fickle. The healthiest way, is to build trust with your readers by displaying intellectually honesty and skepticism and not being afraid to challenge the narratives of “your side”. This is what will last and cause readers to reflect on their own contradictory opinions and beliefs.
After seeing, then reading “No Country for Old Men”, I began consuming every Cormac McCarthy book I could get my hands on and agree The Road is the best novel I have read as well
I have been a politically homeless Democrat for over 15 years now. When I was an elected DA for 25 years I was lucky to live in a state where the office was non-partisan, but Oregon has turned into a one-party state with neo-Stalinist behavior. No dissent allowed on transgender kids, totally open borders (something no nation on earth tolerates), hatred of police and law enforcement.
Your points about the rigidity of the right are equally accurate, but many of us had low expectations of Trump, and he has managed to exceed the nadir of those expectations.
Art and music should have no politics and whether Ezra Pound was a fascist, Wagner a cultural precursor to German nationalism (and worse) or one of my most beloved writers - TS Elliott an antisemite is irrelevant. I am a first generation American on my father's side, his family having fled Germany and the Nazis in 1934, and my mother was a highly accomplished artist who made me understand that art has no politics.
First you posit that "art . . . should have no politics", later to aver that "art has no politics". The first claim is defensible, the second not so much. I suppose your argument is that artists should have no politics, or at least not express their politics in any of their work. Picasso should not have painted Guernica, Sibelius not composed Finlandia, nor Steinbeck written The Grapes of Wrath. Perhaps you consider none of those efforts to be "art", but I demur. And believe the world would be diminished if those works did not exist.
That is very different than using “presentism” to judge the moral worthiness of a painter, poet, or musician. I personally don’t like either the poetry of Ezra Pound or the music of Richard Wagner, but I also have no religion other than the Bill of Rights, even if it was drafted by old white men.
Artists should not be judged by their collateral political or social beliefs. Otherwise we start condemning great Greek philosophers because they indulged in conduct we would find abhorrent today.
Broadly I’d agree that naked political agendas generally make for shitty art. Particularly in today’s world. With Trump having political positions to the left of Obama/Clinton circa 2008 the landscape is too fluid for much of anything to be lasting. Look at the feminist dilemma with the onset of trans activism. The Woke ultimately shit on Hamilton. I wouldn’t want to be creating art for these audiences.
I stumbled on some articles I wrote 20 years ago about the Iraq war, which generally makes me cringe when considering reading again (as anyone should 20 years removed from what was an emotional response more than a political one). I was surprised that the particular truth holds up to me but it’s also wild that the contemporary champion of my view at that time is someone like Tucker Carlson.
I disagree that the right is the establishment now. I thought Tim Dillon did a great job articulating that point in his cnn interview. The right is fractured and unorganized and easily divided (look to I/P and how it divides everything from political and health freedom movements). The left still has the media, certain courts, the global establishment and more than their fair share of billionaires who shape policy and engage in social engineering. Their narrative is persistent and unrelenting without nuance. They are splitting 6s against a face card. They are playing like they have unlimited bankroll, which to me says the most about their position. MAGA as a subset of the right is scrambling to do everything they possibly can on 2 years because they feel it won’t last. They are acting like starving people at a buffet. It’s not an expression of power in my view but desperation.
I’d also kindly look at your statements about rigidity and conformity to narratives in the context of recent admonitions of other journalists for what they don’t say. In essence you’re saying exactly what your detractors were saying. I encourage grace in that department.
Dylan seemed to ride that edge the best (though I’d love to hear more about it from people who lived it). His lyrics and songs spoke. He chose to leave it there to the consternation of many anti war activists at the time. I feel that’s the right way to do it.
Is the politicization of art worse than it was? It seems that way. “Serious” literature is now mostly genre fiction, with the genres being climate change dystopia, political dystopia, identity fiction, and the like. It is hard to find real literature anymore—that is, an exploration of the human condition in the context of a set of interesting conditions, exploring through language the unscientific and unpolitical aspects of living. Almost everything new on the literary fiction shelf at a typical bookstore is written by a demographically predictable author about predictable progressive topics. Most interesting authors are now dead or old. The fiction that passes for excellent now is mostly terrible. When I find something wonderful (e.g. Klara and the Sun) it is by a septuagenarian (Ishiguro) at the end of his career. It would benefit everyone to get politics out of art, particularly literary fiction.
We can't have any real art because our brave new world has assumed the same attitude toward suffering as Huxley's. The basic assumption we live under in the west is that the summum bonum of existence is pleasure, be that the pleasure of achievement, power, self actualization or just plain old hedonism. We live to please ourselves and there's no value or meaning to be found in suffering.
Your appreciation of The Road reminded me that recently Kmele Foster, another admirer of Cormac McCarthy, expressed a similar sentiment on a The Fifth Column, an episode where the trio was joined by Nick Gillespie. That sentiment being that the relationship of father and son is the focal point of the novel, not its politics.
Agree the quickest way to success in journalism is to root for one team, but then as you state, you are beholden to the narrative and the support is fickle. The healthiest way, is to build trust with your readers by displaying intellectually honesty and skepticism and not being afraid to challenge the narratives of “your side”. This is what will last and cause readers to reflect on their own contradictory opinions and beliefs.
After seeing, then reading “No Country for Old Men”, I began consuming every Cormac McCarthy book I could get my hands on and agree The Road is the best novel I have read as well
I have been a politically homeless Democrat for over 15 years now. When I was an elected DA for 25 years I was lucky to live in a state where the office was non-partisan, but Oregon has turned into a one-party state with neo-Stalinist behavior. No dissent allowed on transgender kids, totally open borders (something no nation on earth tolerates), hatred of police and law enforcement.
Your points about the rigidity of the right are equally accurate, but many of us had low expectations of Trump, and he has managed to exceed the nadir of those expectations.
Art and music should have no politics and whether Ezra Pound was a fascist, Wagner a cultural precursor to German nationalism (and worse) or one of my most beloved writers - TS Elliott an antisemite is irrelevant. I am a first generation American on my father's side, his family having fled Germany and the Nazis in 1934, and my mother was a highly accomplished artist who made me understand that art has no politics.
First you posit that "art . . . should have no politics", later to aver that "art has no politics". The first claim is defensible, the second not so much. I suppose your argument is that artists should have no politics, or at least not express their politics in any of their work. Picasso should not have painted Guernica, Sibelius not composed Finlandia, nor Steinbeck written The Grapes of Wrath. Perhaps you consider none of those efforts to be "art", but I demur. And believe the world would be diminished if those works did not exist.
I agree and would summarize saying politics are debasing, power matters, and truth is beautiful.
Artists express their beliefs all the time.
That is very different than using “presentism” to judge the moral worthiness of a painter, poet, or musician. I personally don’t like either the poetry of Ezra Pound or the music of Richard Wagner, but I also have no religion other than the Bill of Rights, even if it was drafted by old white men.
Artists should not be judged by their collateral political or social beliefs. Otherwise we start condemning great Greek philosophers because they indulged in conduct we would find abhorrent today.
Broadly I’d agree that naked political agendas generally make for shitty art. Particularly in today’s world. With Trump having political positions to the left of Obama/Clinton circa 2008 the landscape is too fluid for much of anything to be lasting. Look at the feminist dilemma with the onset of trans activism. The Woke ultimately shit on Hamilton. I wouldn’t want to be creating art for these audiences.
I stumbled on some articles I wrote 20 years ago about the Iraq war, which generally makes me cringe when considering reading again (as anyone should 20 years removed from what was an emotional response more than a political one). I was surprised that the particular truth holds up to me but it’s also wild that the contemporary champion of my view at that time is someone like Tucker Carlson.
I disagree that the right is the establishment now. I thought Tim Dillon did a great job articulating that point in his cnn interview. The right is fractured and unorganized and easily divided (look to I/P and how it divides everything from political and health freedom movements). The left still has the media, certain courts, the global establishment and more than their fair share of billionaires who shape policy and engage in social engineering. Their narrative is persistent and unrelenting without nuance. They are splitting 6s against a face card. They are playing like they have unlimited bankroll, which to me says the most about their position. MAGA as a subset of the right is scrambling to do everything they possibly can on 2 years because they feel it won’t last. They are acting like starving people at a buffet. It’s not an expression of power in my view but desperation.
I’d also kindly look at your statements about rigidity and conformity to narratives in the context of recent admonitions of other journalists for what they don’t say. In essence you’re saying exactly what your detractors were saying. I encourage grace in that department.
Dylan seemed to ride that edge the best (though I’d love to hear more about it from people who lived it). His lyrics and songs spoke. He chose to leave it there to the consternation of many anti war activists at the time. I feel that’s the right way to do it.
Why hasn’t Matt Taibbi discussed ‘The Road’ on his podcast? He must be a cowardly audience-captured bigot.