The duty of an art museum is to be thoroughly and unequivocally about art as such, and to offer the public the best possible art as art, not as sociopolitical indoctrination or ideological proselytism. An art museum should not be concerned with artists as people but as creators of art, if their art merits it.
I was very naive regarding the aggressiveness of the intolerant progressive movement. Your writing and analysis provide this 'tolerant progressive' with much needed clarity that you pack into your wide ranging and penetrating take on the contemporary cultural discourse. Thanks for doing the heavy lifting.
Jun 29, 2023·edited Jun 30, 2023Liked by Franklin Einspruch
Alas, it's true that as long as the money holds up, the museums, like the art establishment in general, can and will do whatever they want regardless of how the public reacts (including turning its back on museums and the art game in general). This is not just about feeling untouchable, but about feeling superior and entitled to ignore lesser beings--in other words, it's about both arrogance and contempt. The attitude must be that the public can take it or leave it, but that either way it makes little difference. Of course, there may well be all sorts of lip service to the contrary, but talk is indeed cheap.
Cancel culture seems to me a planned PsyOp to destroy our societies, to split them, make them weak and easily to control.
It happens all the time recently in Germany with opposing civil grassroot movements, with opposing political parties and in culture as well, as with the mediated cancel culture shit storm against our famous rockers of Rammstein.
I didn't realize that someone canceled Rammstein. I take that personally. I became a fan when I did my Fulbright in Vienna in 2019. Liebe ist für alle da.
Thank you, Franklin. I knew you’d have an interesting take on this. I honestly think that part of the reason BMA took on this project was for publicity! I’d like to know if their attendance has been going up. It’s like red meat to a certain group of people. I’d go if I were in NY just to see the show. For example,I’ve never seen Bette Tompkins’ work.
Thanks for an interesting article. I pretty much agree but don't understand exactly what "conception of social justice that resembles Aryanism" means. Aryanism, to me, implies a united group or at least a core, like the Nazis, who attempt to resurrect a fallen culture created by their ancestors. Social justice warriors (gays, trans, feminists, blacks, climate activists, etc.), who constantly evoke their "rights," seem to be alien parasites with no historical record of achievement who subvert and exploit the institutions created by the Aryans. Aryans and victim group activists, or artivists, don't seem similar to me at all. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
The similarity is that the racial theory associated with Aryanism is ahistorical twaddle and concludes that virtue or lack thereof inheres to skin color. In that the overlap with CRT is considerable.
Not sure what aryanism is (were the ancient Greeks aryan?) but I agree with what you are saying, Franklin. I think individuals can be virtuous but I think we are talking about large numbers. Group dynamics. I think there is a difference based on racial background. Ideally, we should judge people as individuals, but we live in a world that doesn't appear interested in this concept. It's like voting stats. So much percent of a group vote for this or that party. We therefore make a broad generalization.
The duty of an art museum is to be thoroughly and unequivocally about art as such, and to offer the public the best possible art as art, not as sociopolitical indoctrination or ideological proselytism. An art museum should not be concerned with artists as people but as creators of art, if their art merits it.
I was very naive regarding the aggressiveness of the intolerant progressive movement. Your writing and analysis provide this 'tolerant progressive' with much needed clarity that you pack into your wide ranging and penetrating take on the contemporary cultural discourse. Thanks for doing the heavy lifting.
Alas, it's true that as long as the money holds up, the museums, like the art establishment in general, can and will do whatever they want regardless of how the public reacts (including turning its back on museums and the art game in general). This is not just about feeling untouchable, but about feeling superior and entitled to ignore lesser beings--in other words, it's about both arrogance and contempt. The attitude must be that the public can take it or leave it, but that either way it makes little difference. Of course, there may well be all sorts of lip service to the contrary, but talk is indeed cheap.
Cancel culture seems to me a planned PsyOp to destroy our societies, to split them, make them weak and easily to control.
It happens all the time recently in Germany with opposing civil grassroot movements, with opposing political parties and in culture as well, as with the mediated cancel culture shit storm against our famous rockers of Rammstein.
Someone finances this.
But it will fail miserably.
I didn't realize that someone canceled Rammstein. I take that personally. I became a fan when I did my Fulbright in Vienna in 2019. Liebe ist für alle da.
Thank you, Franklin. I knew you’d have an interesting take on this. I honestly think that part of the reason BMA took on this project was for publicity! I’d like to know if their attendance has been going up. It’s like red meat to a certain group of people. I’d go if I were in NY just to see the show. For example,I’ve never seen Bette Tompkins’ work.
Thanks for an interesting article. I pretty much agree but don't understand exactly what "conception of social justice that resembles Aryanism" means. Aryanism, to me, implies a united group or at least a core, like the Nazis, who attempt to resurrect a fallen culture created by their ancestors. Social justice warriors (gays, trans, feminists, blacks, climate activists, etc.), who constantly evoke their "rights," seem to be alien parasites with no historical record of achievement who subvert and exploit the institutions created by the Aryans. Aryans and victim group activists, or artivists, don't seem similar to me at all. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
The similarity is that the racial theory associated with Aryanism is ahistorical twaddle and concludes that virtue or lack thereof inheres to skin color. In that the overlap with CRT is considerable.
Not sure what aryanism is (were the ancient Greeks aryan?) but I agree with what you are saying, Franklin. I think individuals can be virtuous but I think we are talking about large numbers. Group dynamics. I think there is a difference based on racial background. Ideally, we should judge people as individuals, but we live in a world that doesn't appear interested in this concept. It's like voting stats. So much percent of a group vote for this or that party. We therefore make a broad generalization.