Journal Entry
All Artists Are Inherently Right Wing?
September 30th 2005 at 9:14 am
That’s what Ann Althouse maintains:
To be a great artist is inherently right wing. A great artist like Dylan or Picasso may have some superficial, naive, lefty things to say, but underneath, where it counts, there is a strong individual, taking responsibility for his place in the world and focusing on that.
I call bull because it’s a cute piece of goalpost moving because it insinuates that people on the left are not individualistic or concerned about their responsibility for their place in the world. It shows an inherent sort of dehumanization of one’s ideological opponent that’s odd.
While I disagree happily with friends both on the left and right, I find that both sides are often concerned about their individual responsibility for being in this world, they just have very different answers to the questions that poses.
update: Frank Wilson of the Inquirer and Books Inq, writes:
So why, when it comes to politics, do so many artists adopt what amounts to support for a paternalistic, collectivist, ultimately authoritarian outlook? I think it’s because they think that society can be shaped in much the same way that they shape their work — and they know that what is required for that is a strong-willed shaper. The artist in relation to his own work is a despot. Artists, moreover, are very much influenced by appearances. Augusto Pinochet is obviously a general and nothing but a general. Fidel Castro, on the other hand, maintains the appearance of a guerilla fighter (better battle fatigues than parade dress)and mouths all sorts of egalitarian and revolutionary platitudes (and bravely stands up to the bully that is the United States). This seems to be enough to render him appealing to a good many artists.
Filed in Journal. You can subscribe to the RSS feed for this entry to keep track of comments. You can also use to trackback.
5 Responses so far
Your host:
Tobias is a Caribbean-born SF/F novelist who lives in Ohio.
Contact me:
tobias@tobiasbuckell.com
AIM: tobiasbuckell
Latest Comments
Deb on Thursday update (48)
steve on In the ER (332)
Questions about Science and Science Fiction: My SF Writer Answers | Mike Brotherton: SF Writer on Weblog (4)
Wyman Cooke on Things they don’t teach you in creative writing class (8)
SF writer Tobias Buckell in the ER with heart problems | TeleRead: Bring the E-Books Home on Sly Mongoose: first third free (3)
Top Commenters
Merrie Haskell (1)
Jaime (1)
Catherine Shaffer (1)
Resa (1)
Currently Reading & Enjoying:
Most Commented
In the ER (330)
Caption contest: Pat Rothfuss in cat ears (129)
Diversity in science fiction markets (82)
Uncool, man. Just uncool. (78)
Asimov's forum ickiness (76)
What does it mean to be this Caribbean writer? (74)
Science Fiction anti-Christian? (63)
How Much Does a Science Fiction or Fantasy Writer Make? (54)
Pay to... um... not play (54)
The Brini Maxwell Show (52)
1. Merrie Haskell on Sep 30th, 2005 at 11:07 am
Well-said.
2. Jaime on Sep 30th, 2005 at 11:38 am
Unfortunately, that dehumanization is common with some people on the right. I’ve heard that same language applied to me, from people who are supposed to be friends. We never have a difference of opinion or a different approach. It is always that I am naive or dupped into lefty thinking.
The fact that I, as an individual, could have a strong opinion that reflects my sense of responsibility is never even considered. It is one of the major reasons I don’t talk about politics with 90 percent of my right wing friends. I’m not naive. I just don’t agree with them.
3. tobias Buckell on Sep 30th, 2005 at 11:45 am
Hmm, yeah, I honestly think it goes both ways. The very liberal workplace I live in makes statements that drop my jaw.
4. Catherine Shaffer on Sep 30th, 2005 at 12:58 pm
Yes, the dehumanization goes both ways. It’s a little silly to assume that people are too dumb to recognize which party they really belong in, as if inclination and choice have nothing to do with it. However, I do see the perception of responsibility as a distinguishing factor of the right, and as one of its more appealing traits. That’s not to say that people on the political left are not responsible. Each party has its strengths and weaknesses. A weakness of the liberal left is too much forgiveness of irresponsibility, which breeds a sense of entitlement. Outraged entitlement is a quality that really repels me when it turns up in political conversations. The way I see it, part of being free and living in a capitalist democracy is having the freedom to fail. Most politically active people on the left are *themselves* responsible people, but they tend to make a lot of excuses for ridiculous human behavior. (Not always, it’s just a tendency.)
Of course at its worst the political right can be breathtakingly intolerant and uncompassionate
5. Resa on Sep 30th, 2005 at 1:18 pm
Picasso as a responsible person, there’s a fine bit of revisionist radical right thinking. Can’t we admire his talent and despise his love of Stalin and his neglect of his family? Must every great person be a god or a monster?