In her column in the Wall Street Journal Peggy Noonan, referring to Randy Newman’s now-nearly half century old album, Good Old Boys, says something vitally important:
And I realized as I listened: This album could never be made now. Mr. Newman would be attacked on social media, his label boycotted. He’d be accused of cultural appropriation, ethnic condescension, racial insensitivity. They would ban this.
And yet it is a masterpiece. And 45 years ago, in a less enlightened age, we could tolerate it, withstand it, even praise it.
What a loss if it didn’t exist.
And it isn’t just one album. It’s practically every book ever written or every movie ever made. It isn’t just Birth of a Nation. It’s Duck Soup and Gone With the Wind and Citizen Kane, too. It’s Huckleberry Finn and Moby Dick and A Farewell to Arms and The Grapes of Wrath.
And what would be thrown in the shredder aren’t just works of a century ago or forty-five years ago. They’re the works of five years ago. Or last year. It doesn’t stop with what’s written or what’s recorded. It extends to what you’re allowed to talk about or even think. Beware the self-appointed art commissars.
I pretty much read what I want and say what I want. I’m not on Facebook and I’m unemployed so the haters can’t petition my boss to fire me. Truth is, I’m tired of SJW’s, and their message, they are the angriest people I know. As soon as they reveal themselves, they get the back of my head, walking away.
If it isn’t absolutely completely up-to-the-nanosecond woke and PC it is irredeemably evil and must be trashed. That is the mantra of the new Cultural Revolutionists. And these people wonder why everyone who isn’t as woke as they hate them and despise them. To paraphrase Jonathan Edwards, they can’t even run their own lives, I’ll be damned if I let them run mine or anyone else’s. Also see Billy Joel’s Angry Young Man lyrics.
Yes, progressivism and political correctness are corrosive to the culture and society, not a positive advancement as far as the eye can see. I call on all Democrats to disavow these cretins. Oh, wait, you just elected a slew to Congress……….
Coincidentally, I pulled my “Good Old Boys” CD out a few days ago and it is sitting in a small stack on the corner of my desk. I’m in the middle of what seems like a year-long project to listen to all of my CDs and decide what I want to do with them. I was particularly curious about how that one would stand up, with lines like:
“And he’s free to be put in a cage on the South-Side of Chicago and the West-Side.”
“I know it may sound funny
But people ev’rywhere are runnin’ out of money
We just can’t make it by ourself
It is cold and the wind is blowing
We need something to keep us going
Mr. President have pity on the working man.”
Since ya’ll have no exposure to your base, ie evangelical Christians, let me remind you of their long term efforts to censor artists. If I had a nickel every time I heard about the piss Christ…. Anyway, I am more of a free speech guy. Folks are free to complain about art and music. I am free to ignore them.
Steve
“Since ya’ll have no exposure to your base, ie evangelical Christians, let me remind you of their long term efforts to censor artists.”
I suppose it provides comfort to believe such tripe, steve. I don’t even know any evangelical Christians. But I do know batshit crazy progressives. They are everywhere, like ticks. Some even want to impeach the motherfucking president. That nutjob would fit in well at OTB these days.
And you conveniently forget to point out that the objection to “artists” (snicker) is when they operate on taxpayer funds, not their own. Dishonest as always……..
“And you conveniently forget to point out that the objection to “artists†(snicker) is when they operate on taxpayer funds”
They only object when they dont like the art.
“such tripe, steve. I don’t even know any evangelical Christians. But I do know batshit crazy progressives.”
You dont even know any evangelicals, but you are sure it is tripe. Guess being a Master of the Universe gives you that kind of assurance. I know many progressives. I dont know any who are worried about censoring art or music. Yes, they exist in NYC, San Fran and on the internet, but most dont care.
Steve
Rather than Randy Newman’s album, I think the best example (one I’ve used before) is Blazing Saddles. Mel Brooks himself stated it would be impossible to make that movie today because of stupid political correctness.
Steve,
I haven’t heard about “piss christ” in years and as I recall the objection was primarily about federal funding.
I think by any objective measure, the thought police are a much bigger problem on the left vs the right currently and that the principle and most serious free speech threats today come from the progressive left.
“I haven’t heard about “piss christ†in years and as I recall the objection was primarily about federal funding.”
They only objected, still object, because it funded something they didn’t like. No complaints about federal funding of stuff they think is good. Of note, AFAICT, no federal money went to the artist for making the art, they were paid for exhibiting the art.
Steve
If they really want to make a statement, they should show some balls and do a “piss Mohammed”.
Steve,
I google Piss Christ and it’s from 1987, the year I graduated high school. I believe you when you say that people still talk about it even when I can’t recall it being mentioned in at least a decade.
I suppose people can score it however they want, but I fail to see how a mostly forgotten incident from over 30 years ago compares to the current and ongoing efforts to suppress speech and revaluate everything in terms of progressive wokeness to determine if it’s “problematic.”
Gray,
Excellent example.