ksavino@BUCKEYE-EXPRESS.COM on tue 21 aug 12
It seems that one observation ties these threads together:
People who are struggling to survive don't have time or energy to focus on =
creativity.
Children who live from one beating to the next and don't know when they wil=
l next be fed are not taking violin or painting lessons on the side -- are =
not exposed to art, music, theater -- and do not have the energy or resourc=
es for anything but survival.
The refugees of Sudan may whittle and sing but none of them will produce ar=
t in a lasting or meaningful way: that requires leisure, a full belly, a ro=
of, and a society that offers opportunity and example of life beyond hand t=
o mouth survival.
I'm not sure I agree fully with mel's suit and tie approach, though I love =
to point out -- when my first day art apprec students list every artist the=
y have heard of on the board -- that they are all men, all painters, all Eu=
ropean, all formally educated, and all weathy or supported by wealthy benef=
actors. maybe that has more to do with what art got "recognized".
And my best student artist looks like the girl with the dragon tattoo... so=
metimes people who live off in the margins have a different perspective tha=
t the rest of us find interesting. The artists and writers who hung out wit=
h hookers on the left bank in Paris, swilling absinthe -- are the artists w=
e remember today.
And Lili: It's true that kids are given more time to grow up than they once=
were. In my grandfather's time an 18 year old man would be running a farm,=
a girl of high school age would be married and having babies already. But =
the world has changed, hasn't it? Kids looking for summer jobs -- once the=
entry level menial labor fry cook stuff grown ups didn't want -- find them=
taken from laid off elders from Jeep and men with long resumes and lost jo=
bs. There is no handy war to march off to, no farm to run.
My 18 year old needed $1500 worth of wisdom teeth removed. How many lawns w=
ould he have to mow to pay that? Should he have used his college tuition mo=
ney? Or should his parents have ponied up the money? Six months ago, that's=
how it would have gone. Thankfully one of us got a job with health benefit=
s.
Which, by the way, are not free. They eat a good chunk of every paycheck, a=
nd have since forever. But they mean that a college kid with appendicitis d=
oesn't have to quit school, or stick the taxpayer with his medical bill.
It's all good.
Yours
Kelly in Ohio.. a big hawk hunting my henyard this morning, nothing I can d=
o. the hens won't come out from under the bushes to be shut in the coop and=
I have to leave for work...
Robert Harris on tue 21 aug 12
Kelly et al.,
My last response on this subject.
I certainly agree with your specific points about the starving in Sudan.
Any hand-to-mouth agrarian society (or those living hand-to-mouth
anywhere), are going to have far less OPPORTUNITY to invent, create etc.
What I was addressing was the basic will to create, invent, investigate,
Indeed it is these attributes more than any other that make us human.
Therefore they will be present in whatever society we grow up in. This is
totally different from opportunity. Incidentally some of the arguments that
were presented were using comparisons with the absence of society. I was
only talking about the different possible societies humans have lived in -
not its complete absence, which is a totally different matter (and
nonsensical since we are social animals).
I would also point out that although "major" inventions or pieces of art
might said to be the product of societies with spare wealth, invention and
artistry is present in all societies, whatever the level of wealth. One
only has to look at the pictures in Pioneer Pottery, or the patterns in
neolithic grass weaving, to realise that humans imbue everything that they
make from need with some "extra" artistry.
I will leave with that almost cliched quote -
"Necessity is the Mother of Invention".
Robert
On Tue, Aug 21, 2012 at 11:44 AM, wrote:
> It seems that one observation ties these threads together:
>
> People who are struggling to survive don't have time or energy to focus o=
n
> creativity.
>
> Children who live from one beating to the next and don't know when they
> will next be fed are not taking violin or painting lessons on the side --
> are not exposed to art, music, theater -- and do not have the energy or
> resources for anything but survival.
>
> The refugees of Sudan may whittle and sing but none of them will produce
> art in a lasting or meaningful way: that requires leisure, a full belly, =
a
> roof, and a society that offers opportunity and example of life beyond ha=
nd
> to mouth survival.
>
> I'm not sure I agree fully with mel's suit and tie approach, though I lov=
e
> to point out -- when my first day art apprec students list every artist
> they have heard of on the board -- that they are all men, all painters, a=
ll
> European, all formally educated, and all weathy or supported by wealthy
> benefactors. maybe that has more to do with what art got "recognized".
>
> And my best student artist looks like the girl with the dragon tattoo...
> sometimes people who live off in the margins have a different perspective
> that the rest of us find interesting. The artists and writers who hung ou=
t
> with hookers on the left bank in Paris, swilling absinthe -- are the
> artists we remember today.
>
> And Lili: It's true that kids are given more time to grow up than they
> once were. In my grandfather's time an 18 year old man would be running a
> farm, a girl of high school age would be married and having babies alread=
y.
> But the world has changed, hasn't it? Kids looking for summer jobs -- on=
ce
> the entry level menial labor fry cook stuff grown ups didn't want -- find
> them taken from laid off elders from Jeep and men with long resumes and
> lost jobs. There is no handy war to march off to, no farm to run.
>
> My 18 year old needed $1500 worth of wisdom teeth removed. How many lawns
> would he have to mow to pay that? Should he have used his college tuition
> money? Or should his parents have ponied up the money? Six months ago,
> that's how it would have gone. Thankfully one of us got a job with health
> benefits.
>
> Which, by the way, are not free. They eat a good chunk of every paycheck,
> and have since forever. But they mean that a college kid with appendiciti=
s
> doesn't have to quit school, or stick the taxpayer with his medical bill.
>
> It's all good.
>
> Yours
> Kelly in Ohio.. a big hawk hunting my henyard this morning, nothing I can
> do. the hens won't come out from under the bushes to be shut in the coop
> and I have to leave for work...
>
--
----------------------------------------------------------
Martha Barker on tue 21 aug 12
Read this:
http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=3D10005416
All this activity took place under the periscope of the German
occupation and most of it in response to the German occupation.
Martha
On 21/08/2012 8:44 AM, ksavino@BUCKEYE-EXPRESS.COM wrote:
> It seems that one observation ties these threads together:
>
> People who are struggling to survive don't have time or energy to focus o=
n creativity.
>
> Children who live from one beating to the next and don't know when they w=
ill next be fed are not taking violin or painting lessons on the side -- ar=
e not exposed to art, music, theater -- and do not have the energy or resou=
rces for anything but survival.
>
> The refugees of Sudan may whittle and sing but none of them will produce =
art in a lasting or meaningful way: that requires leisure, a full belly, a =
roof, and a society that offers opportunity and example of life beyond hand=
to mouth survival.
>
> I'm not sure I agree fully with mel's suit and tie approach, though I lov=
e to point out -- when my first day art apprec students list every artist t=
hey have heard of on the board -- that they are all men, all painters, all =
European, all formally educated, and all weathy or supported by wealthy ben=
efactors. maybe that has more to do with what art got "recognized".
>
> And my best student artist looks like the girl with the dragon tattoo... =
sometimes people who live off in the margins have a different perspective t=
hat the rest of us find interesting. The artists and writers who hung out w=
ith hookers on the left bank in Paris, swilling absinthe -- are the artists=
we remember today.
>
> And Lili: It's true that kids are given more time to grow up than they on=
ce were. In my grandfather's time an 18 year old man would be running a far=
m, a girl of high school age would be married and having babies already. Bu=
t the world has changed, hasn't it? Kids looking for summer jobs -- once t=
he entry level menial labor fry cook stuff grown ups didn't want -- find th=
em taken from laid off elders from Jeep and men with long resumes and lost =
jobs. There is no handy war to march off to, no farm to run.
>
> My 18 year old needed $1500 worth of wisdom teeth removed. How many lawns=
would he have to mow to pay that? Should he have used his college tuition =
money? Or should his parents have ponied up the money? Six months ago, that=
's how it would have gone. Thankfully one of us got a job with health benef=
its.
>
> Which, by the way, are not free. They eat a good chunk of every paycheck,=
and have since forever. But they mean that a college kid with appendicitis=
doesn't have to quit school, or stick the taxpayer with his medical bill.
>
> It's all good.
>
> Yours
> Kelly in Ohio.. a big hawk hunting my henyard this morning, nothing I can=
do. the hens won't come out from under the bushes to be shut in the coop a=
nd I have to leave for work...
>
>
| |
|
