"But more importantly, it is living proof that cre...

2007-12-02T05:04:00.000Z

"But more importantly, it is living proof that creative artists have an important role to play when human rights are denied."

We ALL have an important role to play in combating injustice, making the world a better place, or whatever you want to call it. When presented with such situations, whether dire or mundane, I think it is incumbent upon "creative artists" to be realistic about where their efforts will be make the most impact. In other words, those who possess exceptional celebrity might have the ability to make a significant contribution to the cause through the creation of a new work, yet the vast majority of artists, no matter how talented, would be wasting their time making art in order to combat repression. That the possession of said "celebrity" so often has little or nothing to do with said "talent" is lamentable, but there's not much we can do about that.

We must stop giving generations of young artists the impression that by simply doing something they would be doing anyway, they can suddenly contribute to this or that noble cause. That's a dangerous idea that seems to have gained quite a bit of traction already. To the contrary, chances are that by simply showing up for a demonstration, volunteering for an organization, and/or being involved in and informed about politics, the average (read: non-celebrity) artist will contribute in the most vital way to the given cause. (Not to mention that, freed from being obliged to make political art, they're liable to achieve more as artists as well.)

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"But more importantly, it is living proof that cre...