WHY ART IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN POLITICS

I recently posted a sarcastic comment on Facebook (which is what it used to be for before it became a grand-hive-mind opinion echo chamber) saying,

let's have a "Don't Make Art About Politics Day".

The comment was met with scorn by some, who responded with "but there's great art about politics" and encouraged by others who responded with "amen". What triggered my post in the first place was the inability to escape a political opinion from my favourite artists. Specifically the open letter to Radiohead urging them to not play in Israel, and while I appreciate people's reasons why - it's extremely important to respect whatever decision Radiohead decides to make.

While I understand that Art can be used as a tool for "progress" and "change", I think that we have caricaturized that trope to an extreme and rendered it almost meaningless. So I will proceed with a bold statement -

ART IS NOT ABOUT POLITICS

It's about so much more than that!

First of all, politics are lame. To the artist at least, who has always been a strong opponent to the form of power that shapes political thought; something which is very easily corrupted in countries that lack the type of freedom we have. So you can imagine how I felt when my favourite artists start to side with specific politicians...not happy.

Beethoven once said that, "Music is the revelation of all wisdom and knowledge". Although ideals have changed slightly since the enlightenment, most people are still attracted to the ability of art and music to reveal profound beauty and truth. I believe this is a more fundamental and pressing reality and priority than whatever political trend is currently taking shape. And if that indirectly affects conventional wisdom or politics - then so be it! But should it really be the main goal?? This leads to the next logical question - What *should* serious Artists deal with then?

Life.

I am in no way saying that you cannot use your music or art to make a political statement - but remember that political statements are superficial in nature, because an artist must deal with the underlying truths first. Some of which go deep into the shadow, the primitive and elegant parts of the human being, all of which are contradictory at times, and extremely difficult to understand - it's more like a religious or spiritual truth.

Another irksome trend is how people believe that everyone is so easily influenced, posting things like, "such and such wrote a song about this", or "an open letter declaring that" - so? I'm sorry, but influence doesn't come easily. Cultural impact is among the highest achievements an Artist can reach, but that doesn't mean people will follow you at any whim. Also, a famous artist can be a genius at music, and simultaneously be a complete imbecile when it comes to political thought.

Art reflects life at its most fundamental level. Difficult to find are the words that will perfectly encapsulate (spoiler alert) Mimi's death at the end of La Bohème, or the climax of the fugue in Beethoven's Eroica, or the subtle nostalgic beauty of the song Strawberry Fields Forever - for example.

Great Artists seduce, they don't convince.

Again, that seduction might coincide with a political belief, but it was never intended as it's main purpose.

I truly believe that Art is the most important medium for mankind. It is the spirit behind progress, the mirror for your woes, the champion of individuality and the motor of understanding that which cannot be said, but only seen, only heard - and further, the Artist's fundamental purpose is to teach us how to see and how to hear.

So please. Stop writing songs for/against Trump. He is, and always will be utterly irrelevant in the eyes of the great Goddess of Art. The only way to fight Trump, if that is what you wish to do, is to stand above him, to make him irrelevant. Saying "Fuck Trump" - doesn't do anything but imbue him with more power. Hate is equal to Love in granting someone power - irrelevancy is the only weapon that will work, and let me tell you, with the amount of protests, there is a long way to go to making Trump irrelevant.

So if you champion truth as Artist first, before anything else, even when it goes against the conventional wisdom of society - you will have a long lasting effect on peoples hearts.

Also, fuck Trump. hehe