Adam Cahan · Colorado College
I totally disagree. Art can clearly be linked to social activism, but what Occupy has shown is that there is no replacement for people getting together in a space. Occupying space. Whatever it's other merits, a TV show or a play or a film doesn't do that. Both are indispensable components of a healthy culture. However I'd argue the best way to support the goals of Occupy is to occupy! There's no replacement for it.
Alyssa Rosenberg · Top Commenter · Washington, District of Columbia
Adam Cahan · Colorado CollegeAlyssa Rosenberg True. I totally agree with you, and my first comment was kind of strident. But I do think the 'big idea' is the importance of action. That any alternative should continue to bring people into the streets and empower them to accomplish something. And I feel that artists and people of conscience can't replace the importance and value of direct participation with art, though art has its own, important value. Though, I have yet to live up to my words..... :/- Alyssa Rosenberg · Top Commenter · Washington, District of Columbia
- Adam Cahan · Colorado CollegeAlyssa Rosenberg I agree. In part. We've all got different things to contribute. But in some ways aren't we overwhelmed and even tranquilized with certain kinds of awareness and talk? Goethe via Nietzsche: "Incidentally, I despise everything which merely instructs me without increasing or immediately enlivening my activity."
- Adam Cahan · Colorado CollegeThat quote is an extreme position, but it's essence and source (The Utility of History) capture my point. Which, I guess, is that in an environment which in so many ways covers facts and rational thought behind a veil, it becomes essential to focus on what's most important - the _reason_ we wish to inspire conversation and raise awareness. That the means are too easily decoupled from the end, and what I see in the emphasis on action in Occupy is an unobstructed view of what our end, as citizens, is.
- Adam Cahan · Colorado CollegeMaybe I should be writing my own blog post :/...this is, like, sounding like an addendum as opposed to a critique. Thanks for writing a thought-provoking post.Adam Cahan · Colorado CollegeTurned this thread into a blog post: http://zeroreference.blogs
pot.com/2011/11/initial-ex change.html
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