Blind Prophecy

If I hear one more Republican douchebag ask “what is $50 million dollars for the National Endowment for the Arts going to do to create jobs?” today, I may throw a shoe through my television.

Being an artist is a job. Being a dancer is a job. Being a musician is a job. Being an actor is a job. Being a cater waiter who works at art gallery openings is a job. Being a teamster building a set for a theatre production is a job.

Funding for the arts will also help protect jobs when the wealthy and upper class cut back on spending for things like arts patronage. When you have three homes and eight cars, your idea of “tightening the belt” often includes doing away with “luxury purchases” like innovative arts or theatre tickets.

But Republicans don’t consider the arts to be a suitable sort of work, do they? Creativity and innovation leads to dangerous liberal ideas about the world, so we can’t support that.

NPR has a great story about how the arts have been hit by the economy. I could also point out Richard Florida’s compelling research on the Creative Class and the impact a healthy creative arts community has on a healthy economy.

Write your representative and ask them to support the inclusion of funding for the National Endowment for the Arts in the stimulus bill.

Filed under: politics by Jere Keys