HIGH AND LOW CULTURE

Beauty Vs Propaganda

OUR FORGOTTEN PAST

When history remains unlearned or forgotten, or worse, disregarded, there exists the space for myths to dominate one’s view of the world. It can be argued that because history is mostly written by historians of the winning side, it is by its nature, distorted. But myths arise from the best and worst sides of humanity, from those who recognise we are all brothers and sisters and from those who believe a nation is made of a particular blood or that financial wealth is more important than people’s wellbeing.

In such a society artists are needed to confront individual’s emptiness while bearing witness to life in order to help people come to see themselves and the world more clearly, and to be able to dream of change. Artists help others to realise that we are like them, that we too, across race, religion, generations and languages, can see and touch each other’s souls through beauty - but for beauty to exist it must embody truth.

I have seen too often and sometimes photographed/filmed people who could not only not dream, but couldn’t dream of dreaming, and neither could they hope, nor hope for hope. They need dreams, hope and truth, truth embedded in what becomes beauty – a balm for their souls.

This DVD cover is from one of my films about culture. It tells of the complex struggle for a people to rely upon their culture and the sheer beauty of their music to re-identify who and what they are after a terrible war.

THE CRUX OF BEAUTY
This is the crux of beauty. If artists persistently explore life, the world around them and themselves sufficiently, if they continue being curious, continue taunting themselves with dreams and nightmare and persistently shout ‘no’ to the powers that be, their explorations may grasp the great depth of the human soul. At the same time, if they discover forms that can present that depth with all the subtlety with which truth needs to be revealed, they may offer a beautiful something that touches the heart and rings with truths needed by the viewer to understand life more fully.

If the work of art can help to cultivate the complete freedom of truth within our everyday assumptions - liberty,
equality of opportunity,
the right to a fulfilling life,
access to all we need to fulfil ourselves,
exciting educations,
the best medical help,
culturally appropriate, organic, delicious food,
beautiful housing,
safe streets and schools,
loving relationships –

then the art can give birth to a new humane energy and hope.

This stands against the ignorant, hate filled psychopathic rants, lies and distortions of Johnson, Trump, Bolsonaro and all the simpleminded street-thugs.

THE NEED FOR HIGH CULTURE
What do I mean by high culture*? Several years ago one of London’s newspapers gave away free tickets to anyone who wished to go to the Royal Opera House to see a Mozart opera. Later people were interviewed expressing wonder, delight, enthusiasm, and a hunger for more.

Of course. The music is transporting, the voices and music touch the heavens, who would not be transported. The people deserve the best and will respond to it given an opportunity to access it and a handle to grasp it, to see that it can and should belong to them as to others.

At the same time there is a vile low culture created, supported and produced by
modern media, owned and operated multi-billionaires. Their output is dedicated to convincing us to accept their false and hollow values,
soulless materialism,
hate filled nationalism,
racism, sexism and misogyny,
along with their assumptions that the wealthy deserve to be wealthy because they have become wealthy;
that their country has a right to lord it over others,
to force unfair trade deals on others,
to dump cheap food and other commodities on others, and so on.

They imply that the unfair social order is the best people can hope for;
that the poor schooling,
mould filled housing,
inadequate health and social care,
and their dead-end jobs are all we can wish and ask for.

BEWARE
Watch their films and TV carefully, read or listen to the news carefully and ask, ‘what are the underlying assumptions I am being exposed to?’ Ask, why do you believe what you say you believe, is true? These are the assumptions of the vile low culture which offers the audience simplistic shallow monologues (better known as propaganda) while high art is more subtle and complex, offering the audience questions and a dialogue between the individual and the work of art.

Mark Twain, the American humourist said, “If you don’t read the newspaper in the morning, you are uniformed, if you do read the paper in the morning, you are misinformed”.

There is no beauty in their media, only entertainment at best. But it is there that attitudes are formed and elections are won. They know that, as should you. High art which embodies relevant truths and engaging forms is what we all deserve. It belongs to us all.