Art is political, and it always has been. Nothing new here but plenty to see. In the United States—as I’m sure you’ve noticed even if you live in Botswana, Belgium, or Belize— we’re in the middle of a close race for the Presidency between an intelligent, empathetic person and a narcissistic sociopath who tried to eliminate funding for the National Endowment for the Arts every single year he was in office. He was not successful. It is no wonder that he was persona non grata at the Kennedy Center Honors.
Art is political, especially in times like these when people feel emboldened by the glossy anonymity of social media to spout their racism, misogyny, and all manner of xenophobia. If you’ve spent any time at all on The Train Wreck Formally Known as Twitter, you’ll have come across “Happy Christian Housewife, MAGA Forever! Burn the books!” who is probably a 19-year-old guy in a Moscow basement even though the profile picture is a pretty blonde. Art is political because it is up against the artful. The diabolical.
If you live in the US and have ever left the TV on Fox News for long, you’ll have heard one of their propagandists admonish artists for having a political opinion. Singers should just sing, actors should just act, dancers should just dance. Shut up and entertain us. In the immortal words of Pink, however, we’re “not here for your entertainment.” There’s nothing wrong with entertainment. We all need a good laugh, a satisfying experience, a romp; but if an artist—or any other person—needs to express their political views, wouldn’t it be wonderful to live in a place where this is possible and celebrated? Every country deserves leaders who understand the importance of art and artists. Art is political because fascist world leaders are, once again, banning books, limiting writers’ freedom of expression, and even putting artists to death for expressing their views.
But isn’t it refreshing to have a former President who shares reading lists and supports education and the arts regularly? If you don’t follow former President Barack Obama on social media, you should.
Issue 85 is coming out just weeks before voter registration deadlines. If you’re not registered to vote, please check out deadline information HERE. Issue 85 will slay you. Art doesn’t need to explore an overtly political topic, although several narratives in this issue do, but an artist’s right to examine relationships and themes from their own unique point of view, without censorship, is political.
As you dig in, please share these stories widely.
Christopher
Included in the price of SmokeLong Fitness: