My cousin Kirk posted a particularly harsh comment this morning down there in the entry about Laurie Anderson. He made one of those ridiculous rants about how his tax dollars shouldn’t go toward such things as art.
I take exception to this. With all the billions and billions of dollars going into creating weapons of mass destruction, paying drug companies to supply erection drugs to government employees, and all the other crap that comes out of the government, I’m more than pleased that some of my money is going toward something uplifting and thought provoking.
What’s more, I’m pretty freakin’ excited about Cassini as it makes it’s orbital insertion at Saturn. In the midst of the horrors of war, the idiocy and fascism of the current administration, the absolute barbarism of terrorists… isn’t it just incredible to take a moment to look at what man can achieve when he’s not doing all of the above? Sending a little bit of ourselves out into limitless space, and sending back some postcards to all of humanity?
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I’m right there with you Gene. I imagine Kirk is too young to know who Laurie Anderson is?
What in the heck does my AGE have to do with anything?? Or for that matter, if I know who Laurie Anderson is? I don’t care if it’s Gustav Holst… all I’m saying is I don’t think it’s a good way to spend money. Geeze you guys are jumpy.
Oh, and I’m 33.
I think what’s needed here, rather than criticism, is an elegant, eloquent, and impassioned explanation of why our government should fund the arts. Anyone?
Never said tax dollars shouldn’t go to art… just can’t understand what the crap Laurie Anderson has to do with NASA.
I love NASA and all that it stands for, just seems like this Laurie Anderson thing just doesn’t make any sense.
Here’s a crazy idea, take that money and give it as a grant to some bright, yet underprivilaged kid for a summer internship at NASA.
See, it’s not about a crazy right winger who hates art.. it’s about a thoughtful moderate who wants money to be spent (gasp) with reason.
If you’re gonna fund the arts, fund the arts. If your going to fund space exploration, fund space explortation- just call it what it is.
But to answer your last question “The arts promote and generate creativity which is at the heart of the human experience. Without art there is no discovery, without discovery we cease to be.”
…unless you work for Disney.