Government is horrific enough when it sticks with its strengths of war and taxation. But when it departs those battlefields for art, it inevitably proves itself a philistine. Its subsidies glorify what any civilized person flushes down the toilet as “artists” photograph crucifixes in urine or dab dung on pornographic depictions of the Virgin Mary.
The city of Marquette, Michigan offers the latest example. Its “Arts and Culture Division” features an exhibit entitled, “What’s in a Name?”
Governments claim to establish such “divisions” because they want “to encourage, develop, and facilitate a rich environment of artistic, creative, and cultural activity…” Balderdash. There’s no quicker way of turning art into propaganda than empowering politicians and their cronies to pick and choose which artists to publicize or ignore.
And in these tough times, Marquette’s 21,000 residents with their “per capita income (in 2009 inflation-adjusted dollars)” of $20,946 probably have better things to do with their money than subsidize propaganda.
On the other hand, where will we find more knowledgeable experts on names and what’s in them than the political class? Here are twits who gussy up galleries as “Arts and Culture Divisions” and talk about “revenue enhancement” instead of “taxes,” which is itself a euphemism for “We want money, so we’re stealing yours.”
@guggenheim @msnbc #news #religiousleaders
