felis_ultharus | (no subject)

Politics

From an article on CBC where Margaret Atwood lashs out at the Conservatives for trying to kill the anadian arts scene:

"They [the Conservatives] basically just hate us. You know it’s people who have never seen any arts in their own lives — they would rather not have gardens, they would rather have parking lots. They just think it’s a frill probably."

Like for everything else worthwhile, the Conservatives have slashing the arts. Our own literary festival in Montreal, Blue Metropolis, lost $150,000.

Atwood focused her article on the economic benefits of the arts in Canada. It's sad art is reduced to defend itself on such a level. Since our society's lost the ability to see the bigger picture -- something the arts help us to do -- nothing can be defended except on the grounds that it brings in money.

Societies should not be run for profit. They exist to promote a larger, more holistic kind of human happiness and security. Art is the lifeblood of a society, embodying and transmitting its values, helping it to see itself, drawing attention to its problems, and healing its wounds so we don't keep repeating the same stupid and costly mistakes over and over.

If art was a money-losing proposition -- and in this country, it's not -- it would still be more vital than a lot of things we waste money on.

Social Life

Just wanted to make sure with the anime group that we were meeting same time, same place for Psychedelic Gay French Vampire Wednesday...? Nothing else has changed but the day?

Threaded | Flat

Unfortunately it's not just the Conservative government (though they hold the purse strings so they have a greater impact I suppose), there seems to be a growing belief that nothing is worthwhile unless it makes a lot of money. Having studied in arts, I've heard people ask for years what kind of job it will get me and how much money I will be able to make, tell me that literature is useless because it isn't real. I've heard it so much that I wonder sometimes if anyone cares about anything other than money anymore.

And yes, everything is the same except now on Wednesday. ^_^ I'm almost forgot the DVD this morning but we're good. ^_^

I agree. Not much more to say then that, but I wished to state it nonetheless. ^_~