Will Act for Food

Americans uniquely broad-minded? Like George Bush, Sarah Palin, certain evangelical Christians, or the proponents of the 'War on Terror', for example?

The way in which this article plays upon the myth of the Founding Fathers and extrapolates from a few highly gifted and generous-minded individuals to the 'we' of every (legal) inhabitant of the country is, frankly, cheap, and assumes a naive and sentimental reader. Not to mention the arrogant rhetoric - yes, even if Obama said it first - of claiming that 'only in America could a majority of voters see a person who is so unlike them...as a fellow citizen who's capable of leading them.' How many Americans are, like Obama, of African origin? Is it really so few? How many of the leading figures in the public sphere went to Harvard? Obama is, as few would wish to deny, an exceptional individual. But what, honestly, does he really show about the supposed 'national imagination'? Did Walt Whitman have a 'national imagination'? Did T.S. Eliot, Henry James, or even Mark Twain?

It is really worrying that such nationalistic assertions implying an American superiority which, especially given the state of the world at the moment, it is no way justified in claiming, are still propagated in serious publications.

And I'd like to see how long it takes before the USA gets a female President.

Everybody has their hand out for taxpayer $$$$. Now that you have gotten "the one" elected, you believe that you can suck on the teat of the taxpayer too. Do you know why the "arts' are struggling? It's because you produce "art" and not ENTERTAINMENT. Music and Movies are suffering because none of it's uplifting anymore! Most americans are sick of being preached to, and just don't attend the arts anymore.

Go compete in the marketplace and put your hand back in your pocket.

When I go to a museum, I'd like to see the collection that has been aquired over the years. These days alot of space is now devoted to interactive displays for children.

All this shuck and jive for $$4's! How do the "Arts" earn money? We patronize the arts as we wish, and those performing for us are rewarded by having a job that pays them. Make no mistake, "artists", we can do without you, and frankly, your ot that good most of the time. Everyone is an "artist" in any creative endeavor they choose to do.
What would the "arts" do with any monies? Have even more lavish productions that would cost the patronizer more money he does not have. Create un-necessary civic grooming with horrid structures? Incesstantly shovel some ethnic plight or psuedo interest in global awareness at us in a tired plea for help? Scammers for Obamers.

I'd think that working artists would be against using government money to fund the arts. The Supreme Court has stated that the government has the right to choose which projects it funds or does not fund based on certain standards (i.e. defacto censorship).

www.willactforfood.com

Posted By: alias2u2 @ 01/15/2009 12:28:48 PM
Starting around 1999, the founding dot.com engineers created software for counterfeiting and pirating digital entertainment in circumvention of the Constitutional rights of Liberal Hollywood,
WTF no they did not in 1999 counterfeiting Digital media all kinds was done in 1987 slow as hell but its been around longer then this also. but not so fast spead Also I was one of the main counterfeiting groups in 1990 to 1996 i never started the dot.com or even a part of it just the hacking of code and bypass locks on said software. there where 29 other groups at the time. none of them where a part of the dot.com ***.

and a few years later they just as easily provided wire-taps and other "war" technologies that further circumvented the Constitution and served the neo-con Republican administration without regulation.
Wrong again wire taps where being used before then just not well knowen. my group was busted in late 1996 due to a wire taps
Dixie Chicks were silenced while illegal Kazaa further bombed the traditional Liberal Music Industry with unlicensed distribution stealing musicians profits.
Kazaa this thing has nothing to do with it maybe in them finding you but as for finding files i know faster places on the next. and i can get music before the stores get it.

Obama must enforce the Constitution online and protect the future of entertainment commerce, unlike the previous administration. Regukate the Internet and protect copyright. Thank you.
Good luck on that one i don't think obama has any say on the protect copyrights due to windows 7 already been fully unlocked and hacked before it even up for sell. the future of enterainmant is way i started hacking why spend money of a movie that has a old story line or just plan sucks. same with music its been done before games same there no new idea what into play. NOw hacking on the other hand keeps me working and having fun.i might not be a user of this software i do hack but i am the owner of the cd/dvd before its hacked.

Many years ago I noticed and still believe it to be fact; art comes into it's own during periods of peace.
In the Mexico city museum where both implements of war and objects of art are displayed it is clear each was produced in very different times. this may well be true of most if not all museums.
I think as this country returns to a period of peace, and we can hope it's a long one; the rest of the millinium at least, I think we will see a revival of art in all it's forms.

Starting around 1999, the founding dot.com engineers created software for counterfeiting and pirating digital entertainment in circumvention of the Constitutional rights of Liberal Hollywood, and a few years later they just as easily provided wire-taps and other "war" technologies that further circumvented the Constitution and served the neo-con Republican administration without regulation. Dixie Chicks were silenced while illegal Kazaa further bombed the traditional Liberal Music Industry with unlicensed distribution stealing musicians profits. Obama must enforce the Constitution online and protect the future of entertainment commerce, unlike the previous administration. Regukate the Internet and protect copyright. Thank you.

Starting around 1999, the founding dot.com engineers created software for counterfeiting and pirating digital entertainment in circumvention of the Constitutional rights of Liberal Hollywood, and a few years later they just as easily provided wire-taps and other "war" technologies that further circumvented the Constitution and served the neo-con Republican administration without regulation. Dixie Chicks were silenced while illegal Kazaa further bombed the traditional Liberal Music Industry with unlicensed distribution stealing musicians profits. Obama must enforce the Constitution online and protect the future of entertainment commerce, unlike the previous administration. Regulate the Internet and protect copyright. Thank you.

Starting around 1999, the founding dot.com engineers created software for counterfeiting and pirating digital entertainment in circumvention of the Constitutional rights of Liberal Hollywood, and a few years later they just as easily provided wire-taps and other "war" technologies that further circumvented the Constitution and served the neo-con Republican administration without regulation. Dixie Chicks were silenced while illegal Kazaa further bombed the traditional Liberal Music Industry with unlicensed distribution stealing musicians profits. Obama must enforce the Constitution online and protect the future of entertainment commerce, unlike the previous administration. Regukate the Internet and protect copyright. Thank you.

I really like to share some lost Art History's but just I can't, Mr: Obama Can't fix our economic future.
First The new tax cut help this will help the people hwo take only $600.00 or $700.00 dolars every two weeks at Home no this new tax cut, this will help this people?.
Second The new bailout Mr: Obama recuest to help? Most everything ? The worst is most of this money suppose will go to the Bank's to assist People with economic trouble all this People after particular time who get if they get a loan they will be fine for few months, After particular time all this People will find out to face another problem in how to pay all this money they own how the will pay the first loan plus the new second loan with interest high probable never will finish to pay off in their lives and is probable this People will pass to their son's to try to pay on a second generation trying to save their plase Home!
Is this wath you call invest serious money? on a new hope for a new change.

It is important for us to recognize that in addition to ???hope??? and ???community??? our next president puts great stock in the power of ???imagination.??? Here is a bit of what has said on the subject.
The ???arts teach people to see through each others eyes to respect and understand people who are not like us. That makes us better citizens and makes our democracy work better imaginations sparked by the arts are more engaged???
For those of us in the arts these words come as a bit of a shock. A President linking imagination and creativity to the advancement of human understanding and democracy is hard to fathom.
In his book, The Great Turning: from Empire to Earth Community, my friend David Korten makes an impassioned plea for a new narrative, a new set of stories, to counteract the crises of environmental destruction, rampant materialism, growing inequality and degradation of democratic institutions. He calls on us to work together to create a new social structure based on cooperative, bottom up cultural, economic and political ideals. He also asserts that the only path to this kind of a shift in worldview is to insinuate these new stories into community consciousness.
I do not think Korten???s or Obama???s visions can be fulfilled without the active participation of the world???s artists. This is something many communities already know. Artists, arts organizations, governments and funders around the globe have come to see the fundamental necessity of re-integrating of the arts into all aspects of community life. Along the way, many artists and arts organizations have acquired new skills, learned new languages and established creative partnerships in town squares, factories, prisons, shopping center, in hospitals, on the internet, universities, in war zones---you get the picture.
Barack Obama has been elected by a citizenry in search of a new kind of story --a story that navigates the narrow path between the safe and the challenging, opportunity and responsibility. I think Obama understands that the essential difference between an authentic story and a false narrative is in the making. I think he knows that authentic stories are hand built, by the communities that will bear the consequences of their materialization. This, of course, is the cornerstone of effective community building.
There are many of us in the arts community who know how this works. We have been working to build caring and capable communities for many decades. Now, we are ready to gather again with our fellow citizens in the town commons to help weave the fabric of stories that we will need to honor our histories, share our hopes, and manifest our dreams.

William Cleveland
www.artandcommunity.com

Enter Your Comment

This is a great article. Thanks for your articulate advocacy.

In the last 24 hours over 19,000 Americans have signed the Secretary of the Arts Petition...http://www.petitiononline.com/esnyc/petition.html . A total of 85,000 people. believe that this would be a wonderful step for our country. Please sign the Petition. Make art a part of our culture and NO ONE including the right wing will be able to take it away The Arts need Respect and a Secretary of Arts/Culture will give that....

Candice Johnson

Boosting the arts?

In one of the recent interviews, Obama quietly said that he might not be able to fulfill all the promises made during the long and arduous journey to the presidency. Verily, he will be lucky if he can measure up to half of the pledges.

After all, campaigning is one thing, reality (often much uglier, more complex and mind-boggling) is entirely a different thing. Well, yet another typical politician, signing blank checks too soon and too fast; but at least, he appears to be somewhat honest.
(Tan Boon Tee)

It has always bemused me when I see the time for budget cutting and the arts are the first thing on the "hit" list. As a working musician--both teacher and performer--I know what an extraordinary difference the arts can make in our lives. They also contribute to the economy in many ways that most folk don't think about. The jobs they provide for those other than the "artists" themselves, etc. I hope that our new president will pay attention to and help to promote the arts, along with technology, etc. that he regularly speaks about. Think of our world without music, dance, theater, all the visual arts. It would be a most dull place, indeed. PJW