Did We Defund the National Endowment of the Arts
Defund The National Endowment for the Arts
Why Defunding The National Endowment for the Arts Won't (Necessarily) Brand Karen Finley "history."By Jim Ray
The National Endowment for the Arts was established to spend taxpayers' money on fine art, the theory being that if the taxpayers were immune to keep their money, they'd but waste matter information technology on things they really wanted. Because frankly, the average taxpayer is not a big supporter of the arts. The only art that the boilerplate taxpayer buys either has a moving-picture show of Bart Simpson on it or fiddling suction cups on its feet and then y'all tin can stick it onto a car window. -- Dave Barry :)
Unlike performance artist Karen Finley, I call up the federal government should become out of the fine art concern altogether and completely defund the NEA.
My brother is also an artist. He makes Japanese Bizen pottery. Ms. Finley manifestly thinks that my artist blood brother should be taxed so that wise, benevolent government bureaucrats can decide to give his revenue enhancement money to her. I do non desire to pay for Ms. Finley'south functioning art, merely I tin call up of a few corporations, such equally Calvin Klein(tm), which might sponsor her performances.
A decision past the NEA to fund any artist implies a subconscious decision to revenue enhancement everyone else, including my artist blood brother (or simply taxation all our grandchildren). For some reason, my artist brother thinks that we all should spend much more of our art coin on Japanese Bizen ceramics.
Principled opponents of Northward.East.A. funding don't care whether it's the almost shocking chocolate-covered performance e'er performed, or a lovely glorification of God, kindness, proficient government, the flag, peace, America, motherhood, apple pie, and "family unit values" that Nib Clinton, Pat Buchanan, Jesse Jackson, and Jesse Helms all somehow manage to enjoy at in one case. Our grandkids shouldn't exist paying for ANY fine art while the U.S. government drifts in a sea of crimson ink!
Is the NEA funding that Ms. Finley advocates somehow meliorate for everyone'southward freedom of expression than the gratuitous art marketplace? Practice any simply the most idiotic corporate executives need the federal authorities to tell them whether an creative person is good or not? The market may have a reputation for irrational beliefs, but the free marketplace never forced a person who disagrees with something to pay for it. Since Ms. Finley'due south book was rejected past Crown Publishers, she has an opportunity [thanks to the market place] to find a different publisher who will print it (but just if her volume is considered good plenty to sell).
Jazz music has survived and prospered to this day, despite racist censorship attempts early in its history, without taxing the people who, for whatever reason, choose non to listen to jazz. The marketplace provides "peer review" at no price, with far more stringent quality standards overall than the well-paid "experts" appointed by Washington politicians. I have no doubt that artists like Ms. Finley tin even so thrive in the market place without my artist brother's revenue enhancement money, despite competition from Bart Simpson.
I am 100% for freedom of expression, simply many people don't grasp the main bespeak of libertarian opponents of *any* taxpayer funding for art. Republicans rant about financing the chocolate-covered nudity of Ms. Finley, but past "courageously" confining their objections to controversial art exclusively, they fall into a "and so, you want censorship" trap.
Artists who create unorthodox fine art, such as Ms. Finley, have every right to create it, only with their own money. I don't believe that taking her off the government dole makes Karen Finley "history." I may be far more than likely to pay to hear music than to see her performance art, just if other people disagree that'due south OK with me...I hope not to tax them for my jazz concert.
Jim Ray is chairman of the Libertarian Party of Dade County, Fla.
For more coverage of this event in The Ethical Spectacle, see Terminate All Federal Support of Controversial Art, by Jonathan Wallace.
Source: https://www.spectacle.org/997/ray.html
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