tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8060605.post1853090599402458447..comments2024-03-26T15:57:13.443+00:00Comments on On An Overgrown Path: There are two sides to every coinUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8060605.post-245306936920487732015-06-22T21:30:11.300+01:002015-06-22T21:30:11.300+01:00Comment about this post on on Reddit Opera by '...Comment about this post on on Reddit Opera by 'lalagonegaga' - http://www.reddit.com/r/opera/comments/39axx6/joyce_didonatos_response_to_mikis_theodorakis_for/<br /><br />I still think she's a hypocrite and her boycott doesn't bring any good to the table. Had she gone to Russia with a program of nothing but Tchaikovsky and Bernstein, creating her own 'gay propaganda' stunt, I would've respected her. But this, depriving her own fans of her presence because she disagrees with one particular law but chooses to completely ignore a plethora of other far worse inhumanities in Oman (which probably pays better, mind you) just makes her seem superficial and in search of cheap media attention. I think she is a great artist but this move seems empty-headed to me.Pliablehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10616598845886342325noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8060605.post-84396888300925063302015-06-09T19:47:33.481+01:002015-06-09T19:47:33.481+01:00The following comment posted by William Osborne on...The following comment posted by William Osborne on <i>Slipped Disc</i> deserves to be shared here:<br /><br />The discussion in question is on the excellent blog, “An Overgrown Path,” written by Robert S[h]ingleton. He provides an interesting response to Ms. Donato. In the interest of fairness it should also be linked. It is here:<br />http://www.overgrownpath.com/2015/06/classical-music-should-not-be-art-of.html<br /><br />Mr. S[h]ingleton addresses the problems of selective activism. This is a real problem in the music world. We can’t protest everything wrong in the world, but it seems like the more famous an American artist is, the more likely they are to be involved only in protest that our government supports, or protest that carries a kind of hip cache and fashionability. They favor protest that does not involve personal repercussions and that does not require them to stand alone.<br /><br />Sometimes protest that conforms to an easy consensus can even become a brutal type of mobbing and public shaming that is more destructive than the perpetrator’s offense. When people like S[h]ingleton try to address these problems, it is intellectually dishonest to say they are just being cynical.<br />As an example of these problems, I wonder when Ms. Donato, or any other famous American opera singer, will raise a sustained protest against the USA ranking 39th in the world for opera performances per capita, a lower number than every country in Europe. When will any famous American opera singer protest that we only have 3 cities in the top 100 for opera performances per year? When will any famous classical musician protest that America is the only developed country in the world without a comprehensive system of public arts funding? These social conditions causes enormous suffering to thousands of artists directly involved with Ms. Donato’s field, so where is her protest?<br /><br />We all know the answer. A famous classical musician who actively and consistently protests our lack of a public funding system in the USA could face serious career problems, so they ALL remain silent. As Mr. S[h]ingleton notes, this problem goes far beyond just Ms. Donato. Thank you for your thoughts about these problems, Mr. S[h]ingleton. Ironically, it is exactly the kind of protest that won’t make you popular…Pliablehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10616598845886342325noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8060605.post-22258269856202535662015-06-09T13:06:52.224+01:002015-06-09T13:06:52.224+01:00Those readers arriving from Slipped Disc who want ...Those readers arriving from <i>Slipped Disc</i> who want to see the other side of the coin should follow this link - http://goo.gl/ic7Whw Pliablehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10616598845886342325noreply@blogger.com