There is no doubt media affects our cognition of what art is in the exchange of different ideas and perception. In his famous Cambridge University debate in 1965, James Baldwin articulates, “In the case of an American Negro, born in that glittering republic, and the moment you are born, since you don’t know any better, every stick and stone and every face is white.” To capture the connection between perception of reality and media, Baldwin elaborates, “It comes as a great shock to discover that Gary Cooper killing off the Indians, when you were rooting for Gary Cooper, that the Indians were you.”
As protests in Hollywood and the art world are aimed at fixing systemic problems, conspiracy theories have risen in conservative echo chambers accusing art institutions of infiltrating their products with politically motivated messages. They often claim postmodernism has deteriorated art.
Art has incorporated ideas of morality since even before Homer wrote “The Odyssey” in eighth century B.C. Therefore, there should not be a disconcertion to the issue. Art is a platform where artists communicate their ideas through aesthetically or sonically pleasing pieces. We can only accuse art of malice if there is an imbalance in power within cultures of the community. This concept is known as cultural appropriation. Otherwise, the conflict strictly relates to whether the critic believes the concepts presented are moral or not.
Traditionalists believe in matrimony followed by children, and gender roles which emphasize the role of a husband as a provider and a mother as a caretaker. It is easy to determine why they would be upset when many renditions on television, such as the show “Friends,” feature a storyline about Rachel and Ross, a couple who have children out of wedlock.
To think art should be morally sound throughout its entirety is to ignore the fact that adversity is what creates stories. “Friends” received critical acclaim because Rachel and Ross’ relationship created anxiety for audiences who wanted them to overcome their obstacles. These audiences were fiending for the result of the show.
Conservatives are often critical of the shows “Maude” and “Will and Grace” for their effects on the perception of abortion and gay marriage. It is safe to declare that “Maude’s” storyline about abortion did not remove the stigma against abortion, but the storyline did contribute a gentle wind to the storm of justice which followed the next year, as the court case Roe v. Wade ruled for the right of abortion.
Asserting “Will and Grace” played an overwhelming role in Obergefell v. Hodges ruling, which legalized gay marriage, is overlooking the abundance of admirable work by LGBT activists, such as Baldwin.
Music has also been subject to criticism by pundits of the art movement. Since its origin, rap music has been devalued and not included as an art form. In recent years, conventional hip-hop music has finally been regarded as genuine music by a consensus of critics. Rappers have been labeled “wordsmiths,” as they can use potent lyricism and linguistics to provide great pieces of art. Still, many new rappers aren’t granted respect for their artistic integrity.
Modern-day hip-hop has been given the name “mumble rap,” an inaccurate description of rappers articulating words uniquely. Since rap mogul Kanye West’s record “808s & Heartbreak,” rappers have been using cadence rather than lyricism to provoke emotion in audiences.
In 1946, George Orwell wrote an essay entitled “Politics and English Language.” Orwell explains how the English language is deterring because authors are not attempting to display a clear message. He argues that the writing at the time had shifted toward attempting embellishment, and in doing so, writing had become ambiguous.
It is important to note in a genre heavily tied to linguistic ability, musical productions play a prominent role. We exhibit this through alleged mumble rapper Future’s album, “Dirty Sprite 2.” Future relies on refrains and inebriating production rather than lyricism to conceptualize messages about drug abuse and
intoxication.
Critics also claim messages in rap music today are immoral compared to alleged conscious rappers such as Tupac Shakur, Biggie Smalls and Scarface. This is ironic because desire to censor these artists because of their vulgar lyrics was
prominent enough for rappers like Scarface to produce songs such as “Hand of the Dead Body,” which claimed rap is being used as a scapegoat for greater
societal issues.
In “Dead Poets Society,” Robin Williams’ character John Keating expresses, “Poetry, beauty, romance, love — these are what we stay alive for.” Art is the pinnacle euphoric state of the human experience. It should not be limited by
traditionalism and stopped from pushing boundaries of human consciousness. Innovation has contributed to art’s evolution, not de-evolution. Art’s progression is truly bound to time, a fact we should keep in mind when generations after us create their own forms of art.
Soheil Saneei is a 19-year-old biological engineering freshman from Metairie, Louisiana.