Paying the price of free speech

The Spectator ^ | 19 May 2021 | Roger Kimball

[Rummyfan]

The union of fragility and intolerance has given us that curious and malevolent hybrid I have called the crybully

Last month in this space, I wrote a few words about what had happened to the practice of art in the West over the last century or so. That of course is a gigantic topic, and in a thousand words I was able to touch upon but a tiny part of the story — or, to tell the truth, only a tiny part of a tiny part of the story. Mostly, I described and lamented the eclipse of beauty in the metabolism of art, which is another way of lamenting the eclipse of aesthetic pleasure.

In the 18th century, the world was awash in commentary that talked about the beautiful and the sublime as central categories in the appreciation of art. At some point, those terms were retired, replaced in the first instance by words like ‘interesting’ and, in our own day, words like ‘challenging’ and ‘transgressive’. It is, er, interesting to ask what had to happen in the practice and the appreciation of art that words like ‘beauty’ were deprecated, replaced by terms like ‘transgressive’ as tokens of critical praise.

I’d like to suggest that what happened to art is a special case of a much larger process of cultural devolution. It used to be that we looked to art for a certain species of ennobling pleasure. Today? To ask the question is to short-circuit it, for who speaks of ‘ennobling pleasure’ these days with a straight face?

[Rummyfan]

[Rurudyne]

Offending the Woke at every opportunity is both fun and what they deserve.

[Rummyfan]

There are two central tenets of the woke philosophy. The first is feigned fragility. The second is angry intolerance. The union of fragility and intolerance has given us that curious and malevolent hybrid I have called the crybully, a delicate yet venomous species that thrives chiefly in lush, pampered environments.

[kaehurowing]

Degenerate art and music were the precursors of degenerate civilization and culture.

[Rurudyne]

When the Woke announce that you’ve offended them smile warmly and say things like “You’re welcome! How may I offend you some more?” or “Oh, I’m so happy you’re offended! I must be doing something right!”

[Pollard]

In the 18th century, the world was awash in commentary that talked about the beautiful and the sublime as central categories in the appreciation of art. At some point, those terms were retired, replaced in the first instance by words like ‘interesting’ and, in our own day, words like ‘challenging’ and ‘transgressive’. It is, er, interesting to ask what had to happen in the practice and the appreciation of art that words like ‘beauty’ were deprecated, replaced by terms like ‘transgressive’ as tokens of critical praise.

That was one of the listed goals of communists. Make art ugly in the US.

[Rurudyne]

How Modern Liberals Think, by Evan Sayet

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaE98w1KZ-c

[equaviator]

So passionate...So phony!

[Nateman]

There was a BBC series in 1969 called 'Civilization'. It was meant to usher in BBC color by way of a history of art. It focused on Western Europe. It was a great series built on the views of a great art historian , Kenneth Clake.

Jump forward 50 years and there is another Series now called 'Civilizations'. I only watched one episode of that. After one commentator after another praised this ugly modern stuff I figured the rest of the new series was an equal waste of time.

[FlyingEagle]

I didn’t really believe this Snowflake Aggression until I personally experienced an unprovoked verbal attack from a 23-year old unemployed Mommy’s Basement Dweller.

It was mind blowing to hear the twisted reality that creature lives in.

Nobody ever told these lost souls to just shut up and be a man.

[Nateman]

Clark. Would be Kenneth Clark.

[SuperLuminal]

Communist Thought Police Have Joined The Communist Purge & Nothing Is Being Done About Any Of It!

[Dick Bachert]

2 1/2 MINUTE VIDEO: THE STOLEN 2020 ELECTION
https://www.brighteon.com/839346d6-da5d-48e0-9737-5a5fda8a4e4d

[sauropod]

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