"In the post-historical period, there will be neither art nor philosophy,
just the perpetual caretaking of the museum of human history."
- Francis Fukuyama, "The End of History"
"If you really want to hurt your parents and you don't have nerve enough
to be homosexual,
the least you can do is go into the arts."
- K. Vonnegut
Cost of the War in Iraq
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Inspired by the stricken success of America's War on Drugs,
a new partnership has been formed to fight another age-old
evil - a hidden addiction that has afflicted humanity for
millennia: Art. Because of its insidious nature, Art rarely
kills its victims directly, but a careful examination of
art history reveals that many of the most celebrated
overdoses, suicides, murders and accidents have this one
source in common.
Art Kills - and it's time to recognize Art for what it is:
the most dangerous "Gateway Drug" of all.
People Fighting For
Freedom From ART has been formed
to expose and address this killer, that in spite of
television, government indifference and corruption, and the
Republican Party, still masquerades as merely another
expression of cultural diversity.
PFFFFART's goal is nothing less than the eradication of
Art, saving millions from a life of self-delusion and
self-destruction --a life that has rarely made anyone
happy,
least of all artists, whose histories, whether they toil in
obscurity and failure or rise to fortune and fame, are
almost without exception, tragic.
It won't be easy. Unlike drugs, alcohol, gambling and
serial murder, Art has long enjoyed a glowing reputation --
even among those who hate it. The answer to this
contradiction lies in the short-term effects of Art on the
unfortunate addict. While reveling in Art's euphoria, the
artist, poet, writer, musician, actor, or other victim, is
moved to hallucinatory eloquence - rather like the opium
user. In a moment of rare and
tragic clarity, Kipling said "Words are the most powerful
drug used by man."
Worse yet, the Art-Industrial Complex has a huge financial stake in the enslavement of artists. Not merely the producers of "fine* art" paraphernalia - whose clientele is necessarily somewhat limited in numbers, but the suppliers of paint, brushes, and embroidery supplies to millions - yes millions of Americans engaged in the "nicer*" hobby of "decorative art," which, contrary to conventional wisdom can lead to more serious involvement and addiction.
*To explain this distinction, I must quote one of Art's most notorious victims, Oscar Wilde, who said: "It is nicer to beg - but it is finer to steal."
The other side of Art - the poverty, depression,
homelessness and lack of dental benefits, are never
discussed by those interests (galleries, concert halls,
museums, and libraries) who stand to profit from the ruined
lives of those who pursue Art. And while millions of
dollars change hands yearly over the works of safely dead
artists, a hundred thousand kids will set out on a life of
uselessness, too often leading to an early and very bad
end.
In short, the World is in Denial.
Join with PFFFFART to stamp out Art; we can all live
without it!
adrien rain burkeINDEX
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