Sunday, July 31, 2022
Creation and Carnage
The period surrounding World War One was One of the most turbulent and innovative in modern history. The arts underwent eruptions that paralleled the martial conflict itself. One could argue that creative sensitivities afforded premonitions of the tangible events of the period.
This is a brief (under thirty pages) but concise overview of one of history’s great transitions.
Saturday, July 30, 2022
All for something that is useless, ineffective, and stupid…
The law of Unintended consequences.
It’s certainly no coincidence that the people most hysterical about “climate change” — the environment — are the ones obsessed with draping people in masks and government edicts of waste and litter..
Wednesday, July 27, 2022
The “walls are continuing to [NOT] close in.”
Tuesday, July 26, 2022
The Assault on Beauty and Greatness
(An edited repost from an earlier time…but still VERY relevant).
A friend recently sent me a link to an article entitled, It’s Time for Classical Music to Die — seriously. The article was clogged with the usual stream of university Post Modern leftism. The jargon was so cliche' that I first wondered if it was a conservative who wrote the piece as a mocking joke, like a Monty Python movie (“We’re not the People’s Front of Judaea, we’re the Judaean People’s Front...”).
To the writer, somehow the beauty and greatness of classical music (with its origins in European civilization) was just another example of the “oppression” brought to the world by a geographical area occupied primarily by people with light skin, apparently not being aware of the multi-ethnic history of conquest and violence perpetrated by humans of all races.
I remember once attending a concert where a Beethoven piano concerto was performed. The pianist came on to the stage and clearly shocked a few in the audience. He was a black guy with dreadlocks. I thought it was great. Why shouldn’t anyone with skill, from any background perform the great music of the world’s cultural heritage? (He performed the work flawlessly). Now, one might accuse him of “cultural appropriation” as if certain styles of music only “belong” to people of certain genetic characteristics. But even that stance is complicated by reality. No one sang the blues in Europe two-hundred years ago. Likewise there were no saxophones or pianos in Africa (deal with that conundrum, PC clown).
Like many conservatives I know, my background is distinctly blue collar. I wasn’t raised on culture and fine art. As much as I love music, I still can’t play an instrument. My exposure to and appreciation for classical music was an endeavor I took upon myself as a pre-teen. I began by listening to simple movie soundtracks, specifically, the early James Bond films brilliantly scored by John Barry. Later, upon hearing simple pieces like the ”Grand Canyon Suite” I realized the similarity in quality to film scores and dove deeper into the classical repertoire. It takes patience to really understand great music. You can’t just play an hour long Bruckner symphony and expect to “get” it anymore than a person accustomed to comic books can quickly appreciate the complexities of a great novel. That’s not to say that comics are bad, and there is no reason to insist that novels are “better” but...they are. If one seeks to fathom subtleties of feeling and complexity of human creativity, you won’t find it in comic books, pop tunes, or political grievance dissertations. To some degree, greatness is debatable but honest humans instinctively know that a mountain vista is a superior thing to behold when compared to a plastic flamingo in a trailer park. One may call that appraisal “elitist.” Okay, it’s elitist to recognize greatness. So, how do we describe those unwilling to recognize greatness? Do we praise them for wanting to “Let [Greatness] Die”?
The writer of this boiler plate Marxist screed strongly suggests that he is a “person of color.” We later find that his claim in the oppression olympics is that he’s half Lebanese. How ironic. I’m half Lebanese! Does this now mean that I’m a bonafide “[dude]of color.” The other half of my lineage may be related to Elizabeth Warren so maybe I can cash in on some reservation’s casino receipts too!
He also notes that he is gay which makes one wonder why he would favor the “death” of great works by Schubert, Copeland, or Bernstein.
The polemic begins with what the writer thinks is a profound analogy, a person in an abusive relationship who is apparently not able to see their predicament. This is where the socialist in shining armor comes in to liberate the victim from their own lack of [class consciousness?]. We need a Jacobin to roll in and “liberate” us, like Soviet tanks in Hungary in 1956. Thank god there are half Lebanese (persons of color) socialists who think they suffered under Jim Crow to save me from the abuse of beautiful and refined sublimity. If I had only known, I would have restricted my musical tastes to Soviet Marching band music.
There was a point when, in the former Soviet Union, they actually tried to eliminate conductors since the implication was notably inegalitarian. They apparently didn’t have the sense to realize that their entire society was compelled to obey an inegalitarian state authority (at least an orchestra member is assumed to be free to chose his or her role).
The great Russian composer, Shostakovich, was close to being sent to the gulag to god knows what end for the crime of writing music a bit to out of sync with the sentiments of “the people” (the state).
Although the article in question is full of the usual jargon of the left regarding oppressors and oppressed, like most diatribes in contemporary left-land its overriding points revolve around racial grievance.
As it turns out “Classical” music originated on the European subcontinent. The native people who live there are light skinned. Presto! Classical music is racist and “oppressive.” It’s so simple. Why didn’t we see it before?
Dennis Prager, conservative commentator and classical conductor in his own right, once noted that one can find concert halls around the world with performers from around the world performing the great works of Beethoven and Brahms et. al. One typically does not find traditional Indonesian music performed with the same wide-spread enthusiasm. That’s not to say that the music from Indonesia is bad or not worth appreciating. It does recognize that there are levels of quality and greatness in all of human endeavor. When we think of greatness in the history of painting we often note a genre of art originating in Italy in the 15th and 16th centuries — the Renaissance. We don’t make this appraisal because we’ve judged the skin color of those who embodied that era of art history. We do so because it truly is great art, born of a time and place. We now all can claim it as part of humankind’s heritage. We don’t make the same claim of greatness to the art of Milwaukee, circa 1980. Not because we hold an oppressive prejudice against the inhabitants of Milwaukee. We instinctively recognize hierarchies of quality. Even in sub genres of music like “rock” few would claim that the catchy tune of the week (Justine Bieber?) is on the same level of greatness as the Beatles or Pink Floyd. Incidentally, the Beatles and Pink Floyd are typically referred to as “classic” rock for a reason.
The unfortunate reality in all of this is that academia has mass-produced a generation of milquetoast thugs unable to discern greatness or be able to strive for excellence in their own lives. Those who restrict their view of the profound and beautiful for the sake of some dusty ideological dogma are clearly missing something. Where it becomes problematical is when they demand that we share in their bitter resentments.
It used to be that a liberal arts education endowed one with a rich overview of the best that civilization has passed down to us. It’s a good thing that curricula has become more inclusive and that great works by previously marginalized groups have joined the canon of what is great in human culture but...the stupid assault on a common sense perception of greatness serves no one. Would anyone really claim that a mud hut is a superior expression of human architectural skill when compared to a Gothic cathedral? Many today would, but these are the same people who would seize our property, destroy our economies, and impose obedience because Karl Marx and others told them that they were “building a better world.”
There’s a lot of stupid stuff going on in Jacobin circles these days but none of it changes the fact that some great art has been left as a legacy to all humanity. It’s not going to “die” because of the stale gripes of smug elitists in our time who are the real oppressors of all that is good humanity and who would reject flowers and butterflies if it served the purposes of another bogus authoritarian “revolution.”
It’s time for great music to continue living and some of its critics to get a life.
Sunday, July 24, 2022
Some “Insurrections” are More Equal than Others
I hope someone is going to eventually pay for shit like this.
Wednesday, July 20, 2022
A Short Overview of the Mystical Dabblings of the German National Socialists
Tuesday, July 19, 2022
Multiple Cons in Full-swing. “Making a Better World” through Submission to the Power Elite
At this point, any honest observer knows that there were numerous legitimate concerns regarding how the 2020 election was handled. Instead of just muttering the usual Democrat/media talking point about a “debunked” “big lie,” objective appraisal should at least be aware of the arguments that favor the Trump position. No one actually believes that the current pathetic and incompetent puppet-in-chief got more votes than Obama, let alone Trump. Media con artists will continue to say that Trump’s evidence was “thrown out of the courts” when, in fact, the machine didn’t even allow presentation of the evidence. Likewise with the citing of “Republicans” who side with the Democomms. The establishment would have you believe that we are still running on a system of Republican vs. Democrat when it is beyond obvious, throughout the world, that political allegiances are divided between populists who are primarily traditionalists and support a maximum degree of freedom vs. powerful globalists/socialists (variations on authoritarian Marxist communism). When appraising the American uni-party, think Jeb Bush “vs” Adam Schiff or Liz Cheney “vs” Nancy Pelosi.
The fact that power-centers of society in media, education, and entertainment continually seek to bury the facts regarding legitimate elections, is not going to make the objective reality go away no matter how many “bi-partisan” star-chambers are directed to harassing people who merely wish to have a return to fair election processes - not mass mail-in ballots, drop boxes, ballot “harvesters,” and midnight spikes for one candidate that coincidently occurred in the states that mattered most — and that coincidently all shut down counting at the same time when Trump was clearly ahead (remember the non-existent “broken water main?”).
No one should be remotely surprised when, before the midterm elections, some combination of shenanigans or “emergency procedures” are implemented to insure the Democomms hold their grip on power. It’s important to remember why they want power — to impose government authority on all citizens to obey a new world order.
BTW…Don’t be shocked if a well-orchestrated manipulation of events puts Gavin Newsom in the Oval Office. The Democrats are just stupid enough to think that a pretty face will sway the population into further submission to punitive Marxist oversight. Fortunately, most Americans don’t want continued administration of the country using the California model — we’ve already been subjected to that the last couple of years anyway.
When the time comes, decent responsible — and, dare I say — patriots will respond individually, unpredictably, and accordingly.
Friday, July 15, 2022
The Conspiracy of Like Minds
A conspiracy need not be active collaboration. It need only be those who are on the same page in their mission and goals. So it is that currently, there are so many institutions that are directing their influence and authority to establishing an authoritarian global governance that seeks to micro-manage everyone’s life into destitution.
The only thing that has kept the conspirators from imposing their dark vision is the fact that there still exists an opposition to their schemes. Once they effectively eliminate opposition — in the bureaucracy, military, and branches of government — they will pounce with a vengeance. Their initial goal will be punitive, to punish and eliminate any opposing view.
The time is quickly approaching for discerning voices to respond accordingly.
The conspiracy of like minds is on the very border of achieving their dystopian vision. Their success will bring untold suffering as they march us all into a new dark age.
Friday, July 08, 2022
Pop Hegemony And The Democratization Of Food, Entertainment, And Technology
(An edited repost from long ago):
If you ask a socialist (hard core or, “lite”) if they think it would have been better if the Soviet Socialist police state had won the cold War, they’ll pause. They may not answer you. If they do, they’ll inevitably add, “but…”
Many on the left are disappointed that the socialist “experiment” in Russia failed, that a free economy (i.e. capitalism) won its battle with collectivist tyranny. Many of them will look at Cuba’s decrepit one-party state and insist that it’s successful, usually suggesting that Castro improved the lot of Cuba’s citizens by replacing one dictator with another and drastically diminishing the country’s standard of living. Such authoritarians make no secret of their disdain for Coke, McDonald’s, Starbucks, or Apple. One could speculate that, if they could, they’d close down a kid’s lemonade stand to honor their hatred for free commerce. Remember, their ultimate hatred is for self-striving and human nature itself. Hatred of a free-market is virtually indistinguishable from a hatred of freedom in general (as economist Milton Friedman so insightfully observed).
America has played a dominant role in spreading the attributes of open society – a widening diversity and availability of products, services, ideas, and cultural / artistic expression. (One could unfortunately argue that those days are over as America increasingly tows the line of global socialism).
Decrying the supposed horrors of, “cultural hegemony” and “McWorld,” is an attempt to conjure a fictional crisis that isn’t there. While screeching the standard socialist whine that bland uniformity is engulfing the world, quite the opposite is actually taking place. (Remember, such criticisms are coming from the same clowns who actually believe “diversity” is something fostered from the imposed edicts of government clerks).
Go to any major world-city today and you will find a surging dynamism unseen in human history. The lights, colors, shapes, and sounds being mere symbols of the underlying energy of human creativity unleashed; beautiful architecture, products, ideas, and aesthetics from around the world, low cost food, transportation, and entertainment. While some note the signs that say McDonald’s, they seem to miss the one’s that say Toshiba or Renault. While some see, The Gap, they miss the fact that everyone around them is wearing a variety of garb in a variety of styles from different times and places. Look around you – poor, rich, and middle class, all alive in a way unseen before our time. As you watch people walking about with cell phones, digital cameras, and I-pods, you may realize that those old comic book sci-fi images of an imaginary future have actually fully materialized, cars looking more like space ships, gliding on delicate ribbons of modern engineering design. Did this all come about from some unseen vibrancy in the plans of socialist bureaucrats? – Hardly. The US and the system which honors the creativity of free society has been the prime catalyst to this new world. If all this is “hegemony” then hegemony is hardly a just target for complaint.
