Because I don't want to be a Blogroll

Be warned: this is a written conversation with myself. So if my arguments are spotty, please be understanding.

My brother told me, when I was writing a previous entry, that references to Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia are the easy way out when speaking about propaganda art. But there is nothing in the past century that can ever ever compare to the brutal slaughter of artists under those regimes. And nothing really to compare to the utter heartbreak that I know artists felt when they had to decide whether to leave the country that they loved, because they feared for their lives, or to stay, and hope beyond hope that their work - their plays, novels, and movies - wouldn't be censored, mutilated, or silenced by oppressive governments.

Don't get me wrong: Russian and German artists experienced two different situations; one had their political compatriots go rogue on them, and the others realized that their government had changed and left them high and dry. But both sides had friends flee or become soulless mouths for the machine.

Weimar Theater in post WWI Germany was a beautiful, sensual, completely immoral world that would have given the Christianists absolute conniption fits. You don't often learn that 1920's Weimar movies included work like "Madchen in Uniform" - the first ever lesbian movie. If you do the research, you get the feeling it was Explicit. Then you learn that the movie's ending was changed in order to pander to the Nazis. Then the Nazis banned the movie, and it wasn't seen until the mid 70's.If you went to Swarthmore with me, then maybe you saw Spring Awakening (the original play - it was popular with Weimar artists). Explicit.

Gorky was a communist playwright and author whose plays are, quite honestly, pure Communist propaganda, and not particularly well written, though they do get better as he writes more (practice = perfect). But they were HIS writing before Stalin came to power. He desperately wanted to show people why they should support the Communist agenda, and he believed in his work. By all accounts, he was tremendously successful. He leaves Russia, visits the US, criticizes Lenin's restrictions on freedom of Speech, and pretty much decides not to come back to Russia. But he returns and gets locked up - house arrest in Moscow. After that, he writes mostly propaganda intended to prop up the Stalinist regime. He may have been assassinated by the NKVD.

So, Democratic and Republican Bloggers alike, BE CAREFUL with your words and your opinions, and your oh-so-doomful or scornful remarks. For the Democrats, there is a reason why Rocco Landesman forcefully said (4 days ago):

Fact 5:		This call was completely unrelated to NEA's grantmaking, which is highly regarded for its independence and integrity. Artistic quality, excellence and merit are the guidelines for decision-making; favoritism or political affiliation plays no role in NEA grantmaking.
Fact 6:		The NEA is a successful, independent federal agency that has supported the best of the arts and arts education for nearly 45 years. We take our responsibility to the American public very seriously and are committed to upholding this public trust.

That reason is because Art, no matter the purpose towards which it is aimed, is powerful. Even if it's the simple artistry of a well-framed photograph that seemingly catches the President ogling a teenager's butt. Or if it's the Hope poster. Or if it's a frighteningly explicit solo performance work about AIDS where infected blood is spilled onstage.

And if the Government starts meddling in the Arts - starts selectively funding art that markets one point of view, that truly is a sign that something bad is going down. So many people are right to freak the heck out. But I'm not sure the Republicans have a better record - just the opposite one, where instead of selectively funding, they try to selectively not fund. And even "moderate" Republicans don't have a particularly good record where it comes to supporting all the arts, forget about a few. As Andrew Sullivan said in 2006,

"For good measure, I'd get rid of the NEA and the Education Department."

Imagine what he'd have done with arts programs in schools. I shudder to think.

All of this said, having read and thought about the issue - the comments were pretty tame, if stupid.