Why Artists Lean Left

 

Cultural workers of the world unite!

Why are artists and writers always on the left?

I just figured it out. It’s the hope of no longer having to work at some pedestrian job like plucking chickens or negotiating contracts for a living. In the Marxist dream, the socialist/communist state, artists expect they will be supported while doing the work they choose.

For another this might be laziness. Not so for writers and artists. They are driven to do a job for which there is little demand. They already work without pay. And they would be happy living on a minimal salary, so long as they could do their work.

It is sadly a fantasy. Artists and writers do not do well in actual socialist economies. If they are good, they seem to find themselves in prison. Governments cannot understand art, but they know it is a danger to them. It looks subversive. Plato wanted to ban poets from his Republic.

Not Light Yet

 

“I've been down on the bottom of the world full of lies
I ain't lookin' for nothin' in anyone's eyes.” – Bob Dylan, “Not Dark Yet”

Theodore Sturgeon once said “ninety percent of everything is crap.” He was referring to literature; but perhaps everything really means everything.

One explanation for why the world has seemed recently to go so weird is that, with the improved information flow through the internet, the crap that was always there is becoming more obvious. And the liars more desperate to stop the information flow.

Surely ninety percent of all political speech is lies. “Politics itself is a mass of lies, evasions, folly, hatred and schizophrenia.”—George Orwell. Almost everything spoken by a practicing politician contains a familiar logical fallacy. Nobody is seeking what is best for the community; only angling for power by whatever means necessary. Most government money seems misspent.

Surely too ninety percent of academics is nonsense. When you read almost anything written by a college professor, you realize that it is written as obliquely as possible, to withhold and obscure information, when the entire point of the academy is to discover and convey information. Someone has pointed out that whenever a major new scientific discovery is made, it takes a generation for it to be recognized and accepted by the academy. The current generation of professors has to retire. They will have vested interests in the previous paradigm. There is a reason why Einstein developed the Theory of Relativity as a patent clerk, the Wright Brothers cracked flight from their bicycle shop, and college dropout Steve Jobs created the first personal computers in his parents’ garage.

Probably ninety percent of organized religion is also fake. The Bible itself says so: pharisaism and hypocrisy.

Everyone knows, of course, that business and corporations are greedy and dishonest and trying to sell you junk. The irony is that this is the one place we have the best protection against such lies and fraud.

In sum, we all live in a world full of lies. 

This is an argument for the existence of an afterlife; C.S. Lewis made it.  We have a yearning for truth. How can we yearn for, or even be aware of, something that does not exist? That must mean it does exist somewhere …

One might suppose that, in the case of science fiction and literature at least, the great mass of crap is due to incompetence. Not everyone can write well.

Perhaps not so. Perhaps everyone can.

Perhaps the artist is really someone who insists on seeing the lies around him, and feels morally driven to speak the truth. Then he will find his medium. He is a prophetic voice crying in the wilderness. He speaks obliquely, in parables, because those in charge are determined to suppress truth. “Tell all the truth, but tell it slant/ Success in circuit lies”—Emily Dickenson.

There are endless stories about how many times this or that famous book or great author was rejected for publication. Why? When it is so obvious to everyone that this is a great book, how can it not have been obvious to all those trained and seasoned acquisitions editors? 

Perhaps the trick is to slip by the censors. Pretend it’s just fantasy. Pretend it’s about sex or thrills. But sneak truths in.

So too for visual artists. I see what contemporary drek is shown in the public galleries. Then I see what fine work appears in internet feeds from amateur artists who cannot sell their work. Great artists of the past were also rejected by the academy and the galleries. Van Gogh never sold a painting. How account for that?

The vast bulk of art is bad not because there are not enough talented artists. It is bad because it is not telling the truth. Like Hollywood movies these days, empty formulae without purpose at best, at worst deliberately lying about the world.

Orwell understood this when he said that his one talent was really in simply being able to face truth. Most people run screaming from it.

Stereotypes

 

George Orwell claimed that his only real talent was the ability to look truth straight in the eye, and speak it.

This is the secret of all the arts. Great artists are simply truth tellers; prophets. Most people, as Churchill observed, if they encounter truth, will pick themselves up and dust themselves off as though nothing has happened.

Because I have made a bit of a splash with my poetry lately, someone was writing my bio for publication. In a print interview, I offered them a variety of details about my life.

It did not matter. They ignored what I had written, and substituted stereotypes. I told them that my father was an engineer, and my mother had been raised on a farm. From this, they got “Both parents grew up on Canadian farms and brought a stoicism to child rearing that didn’t mesh well with Stephen’s innately empathic, sensitive nature.”

The author, a certifiably highly intelligent woman with literary interests, was superimposing on me the American Gothic stereotype of the farmer as salt of the earth, but rigid in his views, together with the nineteenth-century romantic idea of the poet as a fragile, sensitive soul. 

What I actually said had contradicted this. It did not matter. The stereotype must be substituted for the reality.

She also of course pegged me in passing as “an avid reader.” Yawn. True, as it happens, and a reasonable inference, but a cliché. Hardly worth saying, for it does not inform the reader.

Then she wrote “Stephen hopes to inspire others who might feel as alone and misunderstood as he did growing up.” The standard stereotype of the poet speaking “his truth,” “finding his voice.” It sounds like something deliberately bland said by a Miss Universe contestant. And not from me; if it is at least somewhat true, I would never say it. It is no excuse for poetry.

I had told her in the interview that I had lived and worked in half a dozen countries, married a ghost, befriended a Korean princess, witnessed miracles, and had at least three near-death experiences. All of this she left out. She even omitted the name of my home town, Gananoque, in favour of simply saying I “grew up in Ontario.” Anything that might be interesting to a reader, or identify me as a real human being, was avoided.

What is going on here?

And it is not just this author. In my career as a student and a teacher, I am always infuriated at how unnecessarily bland, dull, and stereotyped the material in textbooks always is. Whenever I try to change this in our materials, and run it by a colleague for vetting, they always strike out anything interesting, generally without explanation. Remember the old “Dick and Jane” readers? The blandness is deliberate. It is not due to mere incompetence, inability to do better. Most people are terrified of departing from stereotypes.

As a teacher, I find most students too rely on stereotype and cliché when they write. Not doing so is the dividing line between those who can write and those who cannot.

Most of those who pose as artists, even at the professional level, also deal relentlessly in stereotype and cliché. Most poems and paintings of any age look drearily alike. We can predict what they will be before seeing them. There is no reason for such art, as it is only saying things we already think.

The few who break away shine like diamonds.

Most people are insane. They are intentionally insane; it is a moral choice. They do not want to see reality. Only the small minority of those who consider themselves artists who really are artists are sane; and their core readership. It is a minority within a minority.

Why would anyone choose to be insane? For one reason: the truth would not speak well of them. They have a guilty conscience.

Further, people are driven to delusion, to cling to stereotypes and clichés, because they are afraid of truth. Those who are afraid of truth are afraid because they have a guilty conscience.

“Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.” John 3: 19-20.

Aside from being the only ones who tell the truth, artists and poets are the only moral people among us.

By their fruits, as Jesus said, you shall know them. 

Those who have eyes to see, see, and ears to hear, hear.

The Beatitudes as Diagnosis

 

At the moment in the Catholic mass when the wine is consecrated, the priest used to say Christ’s blood was shed “for all.” Pope Benedict corrected this to say “for many,” in accordance with the Bible.

The difference is critical, Jesus did not come for all; all will not be saved. Nothing could be clearer in the gospels. “For all” was a bit of the “happy happy joy joy” Christianity I find so offensive.

Jesus announces in detail whom he has come for, and who will be saved, in the Beatitudes.

They read like a guide to what psychiatry commonly calls depression; almost like something from the DSM, the North American psychiatric standard text.

Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. 

Blessed are those who mourn,

for they shall be comforted. 

Blessed are the gentle,

for they shall inherit the earth.  

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness,

for they shall be filled.

Blessed are the merciful,

for they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart,

for they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers,

for they shall be called children of God.

Blessed are those who have been persecuted for righteousness’ sake,

for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

Blessed are you when people reproach you, persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (--Matthew 5:3-122, WEB)

Meditate on this checklist:

Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. 

1. Are you poor in spirit? Does material poverty somewhat appeal to you, and ostentation make you uneasy? Do you fast?

Blessed are those who mourn,

for they shall be comforted. 

2. Are you often sad? Are you sad apart from circumstances? Are you sad for others? Do you feel the weight of the world’s troubles?

Blessed are the gentle,

for they shall inherit the earth.  

3. The word translated here as “gentle” is ambiguous: King James has it as “meek,” others as “powerless.” “Low self-esteem” is a reasonable approximation. Do you feel powerless? Do you avoid drawing attention to yourself? Do you prefer to step lightly in the world?

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness,

for they shall be filled.

4. Is seeing justice done important to you? If playing a game, do you always follow the rules? Does it upset you to see others treated unfairly?

Blessed are the merciful,

for they shall obtain mercy.

5. Are you magnanimous in victory? Do you dislike having to impose discipline on others?

Blessed are the pure in heart,

for they shall see God.

6. Do you tend to say what you think, unfiltered? Or do you tend to have motives for your words or actions? Do you calculate their effect on others?

Blessed are the peacemakers,

for they shall be called children of God.

7. “Blessed are the peacemakers” does not mean being diplomatic, and certainly does not mean pacifism. “Peacemaker” was a common title for a Roman Emperor in the First Century—most of whom were professional soldiers. A policeman is a “peace officer.” Do you foment and encourage conflict among others, or do you try to treat everyone fairly and keep the peace?

Blessed are those who have been persecuted for righteousness’ sake,

for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

8. Have you ever been criticized or punished for doing what you thought was the moral thing to do? Have you been forced by others into moral dilemmas? Have you persisted despite such criticism or punishment?

Blessed are you when people reproach you, persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

9. Have you been falsely accused, accused of deeds or traits that are not your own? Has this happened often?

If you can answer yes to more than, say, three or four of these questions, you are a melancholic. 

It should be encouraging to hear that you will inherit heaven and earth. Keep that in mind when you are depressed.

Luke’s gospel goes on to give contra-indications. Being rich, well-fed, and happy are not signs of God’s favour. No happy-happy joy-joy here.

Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you,

    for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.

The surest sign of a good man is that he has adamant enemies.

Jesus goes on to advise actions. Consider this a prescription.

You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

“Good deeds” does not mean the obvious, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and such. For these deeds, Jesus says later, are to be done in secret. Moreover, the poor and persecuted described here are not in a position to do much in this regard.

Rather, he means works of art; also commonly referred to with words cognate to “deeds”: "art," “works,” “plays”, “essays,” “opera.” He identifies melancholics as true prophets. Their work is to do what prophets do: to speak out. Just as salt brings savour out in food, just as the light of a lamp makes things clear, they shed light on the world, and, specifically, make the world more beautiful.

And that is what you are commissioned to do if you are melancholic. Contrary to crude popular opinion, true art is not “self-expression.” It is inspiration, speaking in a voice you do not recognize as your own. If you are a melancholic artist, it is the voice of God.

Blessed Are the Pure in Heart

Blessed are the pure in heart; for they shall see God.

Having just written of how tone-deaf the Oscars were, I feel I need to add an immediate caveat. Actors are not the problem here.

They are the ones most visible, in their suits and sequins and on the stage. But they are not the establishment.

Invariably, someone who has become an artist has emerged from a difficult background, an experience of oppression. A small number may end up rich and successful. But they are still members of an oppressed group.

Such an experience instills pureness of heart; because it crushes the ego. As I have noted before, an actor needs a very small ego in order to inhabit the mind of another for a role. So does a writer, writing the role. So does a director, trying to see things from the viewpoint of the audience.

And a pure heart, a heart not adulterated by ego, is a heart open to the spirit, to inspiration. Only they "see God."

Accordingly, talent comes from being abused. You need to have suffered to sing the blues.

Unfortunately, without ego, chameleon-like, as Keats had it, the artist is also open to being easily influenced by others. Being themselves guileless, they will not suspect guile in another. And so they can be weaponized by others or a more cynical frame of mind.

They are child-like in this way. They do not question or hold back; they see what they think is right, and they will invest in it totally. They are pure in heart.

Joaquin Phoenix’s speech at the Oscars was politically berserk, with its objection to putting milk on cereal, but Joaquin Phoenix’s heart was clearly in the right place.

Artists as Political Leaders

A painting by Winston Churchill. Not a painter: a writer.

The great Glenn Reynolds, of Instapundit, has recently suggested it may be a bad idea to put artists into positions of political power. He notes that Hitler (painting, architecture), Mao (poetry),

Saddam Hussein (novels) and Stalin (poetry) were all failed artists. He might have added Mussolini, who used to write short stories. Or Henry VIII, who reputedly dabbled in musical composition.

That may be so. But on the other hand, one can think of artists who have done rather well in the same position: Churchill (Nobel Prize for Literature), Disraeli (popular novelist), Vaclav Havel (playwright), Ronald Reagan (actor), Paderewski (pianist), Vajpayee (poet) and perhaps Frederick the Great of Prussia (besides wanting to be a musician when young, wrote the popular tract “Anti-Machiavel”). These, by contrast, surely did significantly well at statecraft.

Can we make a distinction between the first group and the second, as artists? I think we can. The first is a group of failed artists. The second is a group of artists with genuine accomplishments.

A painting by Adolph Hitler. Not a painter: a politician.

Bad guys, narcissists, egotists, are commonly going to want to be recognized as artists. Because, after all, they want to be the centre of attention in everything. They are generally not going to be able to pull it off. Indeed, I suspect that the gifts of the spirit needed to be a good artist are incompatible with true egotism. They may use their political power to try to change the perception of their art.

But in the latter group, we generally find people who made a name for themselves as artists before they came to power. More generally, I believe I have found, in my years of hobnobbing around the periphery of the art world, that there are two very distinct and different populations found there: the poseurs, and the real artists. These two are opposite types.

Others have noted the same.

Clint Eastwood as Prophet

Elijah ascends to heaven in his chariot of fire.

Several commentators are amazed at the prescience of Clint Eastwood. He imagined Obama as an empty chair in his speech at the Democratic convention, and that is just how Obama came across to many at the first Presidential debate. Suddenly there are all kinds of cartoons, including a New Yorker cover, showing Obama as an empty chair behind the debate lectern. It rings true. Then Eastwood, in the same speech, described Joe Biden as “a grin with a body behind it,” and now everyone is commenting on Biden's constant smirking in the VP debate. It rings true.

So what is going on? Is Eastwood clairvoyant?

Yes and no. Eastwood is an artist. Artists have a special, and an especially close, relationship with the imagination.

And the contents of the imagination are not random or meaningless. The imagination is a window on the spirit world.

I'm not the first to say this. It's not just my idea. Thomas Aquinas said it, and it is taken as a given in most cultures. Welcome to the real world: the spirit world.

The character type who becomes an artist in our modern Western culture is the same character type who would have been a shaman in an earlier culture, or, in ancient Judea, a prophet. He can see things hidden to the visible world.

You want another example of artistic prophecy? Did you know that Jack Kerouac's On the Road, written in 1949, at one point imagines its antihero, Dean Moriarty, driving relentlessly toward New York City, as an "Arab" intent on blowing up its towers?

Not all artists speak with the voice of God. There are false prophets. That does not mean they cannot prophecy. We know there are many spirits, good and bad. Jim Morrison, for example, believed he was possessed by the ghost of an Indian killed in a traffic accident. Phil Ochs believed he was possessed by a person named John Train. Bob Dylan, I recently read somewhere, believed he was possessed throughout the Sixties by a spirit who coincidentally had the same name as he did, Robert Zimmerman. No kidding. You may not believe it, but the artists themselves did.

These spirits in any given case might be benevolent, or they might be mischievous, or they might be malicious. It seems as though the spirits who possess rock stars are generally on the shady side. But all artists have a “genius.” That is a spirit guide—same root as “genie.” The greatest artists, surely, have God as their guide. These are the true prophets.

Not sure about Eastwood. Could be.