Pop Culture Alert

by Robert Maniscalco
From December, 2000 issue of Pointer News, Pointe of Art Column

As we approach the holidays we are again barraged with the empty promises of popular culture (the other PC!). It seems everywhere we turn people are trying to get us to buy something. Commerce is, after all, the driving force behind pop culture. We are programmed to crave the familiar. We go to McDonalds to be taken care of by Ronald. We surf the radio, the TV, the web, looking for something, anything. We let them fill our tired minds with the dribble that keeps us plugged in and tuned out. Have you ever turned off the TV in the middle of an important talk show discussing an evocative issue, say teen boys sleeping with their girlfriend's mother, only to forget the topic moments after? It's because popular culture is merely topical medication — it doesn't treat the cause, only the symptoms of our longing for true inspiration and meaning.

We long to be moved in a life changing way — to be truly transported, not just distracted. Pop culture plays on that need but can never satisfy it. That's something only the arts can do for us. I'm speaking of a great film that rises above the Hollywood ending, an original painting, where you can feel the presence of the artist in his brush strokes, a piece of music with structure and color that challenges the senses, a play that teaches and surprises us. These are the stuff of catharsis. These stay with us even after they are gone. Art is what teaches us to be human. We live in a world that confuses art with entertainment. There are significant differences, however. Art is an active process. Entertainment only pacifies us. Art has power in it. Entertainment is powerful only in it's ability to compel the masses. Pop culture markets individuality (i.e. Nike), art expresses it. Individuality is not only expressed by the creator but by the individual who is moved to action by the creation. The statement, "this is art," is not only an expression of our taste but a statement of who we are as individuals.

In the hands of a great artist mass mediums such as film and popular music have occasionally risen to high levels of both art and entertainment. Of course, any such assessments are purely subjective. But isn't our opinion, ultimately, the only means of expressing our individuality? What is sad is that most people can't or are unwilling to distinguish between art and mere entertainment. It is a laziness that has been programmed into us over years of a mass bombardment by pop culture. We say, true creative epiphanies are too much bother, take too much time or are too far over our heads — all of which is false, you know. You don't have to be smart or rich to be inspired. Art is like eating, sleeping or a warm embrace. All we have to do is raise the food to our lips, fall onto our pillows or slide into the arms of our lover. As we allow ourselves to enter deeper into the creative process, gently encouraging our senses, it becomes ever more satisfying. The difference between McDonalds and, say, Commanders Palace is worth the time, money and energy it takes to experience true culinary ecstasy.

Sensitivity to beauty, a deeper cultural awareness, doesn't come with wealth or conventional education. Granite counter tops or BMWs are no substitute for a work of art or a performance that deeply moves, touches and inspires us.

Sadly, we as a community, have had an opportunity to create an art center on the corner of Mack and Moross but will probably have to settle for another recreation center because not enough people in this area have dared to take a stand on the powerful impact the arts can have in our lives. Unfortunately, an art center is not a "popular" idea.

Of course so much art falls short of inspiration that we've grown cynical. Art has become elitist. In this world of over stimulation it's difficult to hear the still voice of inspiration. But we can hear it if we listen. It's there in the tapping foot of an elementary school band student, lost in the reverie of his first spring concert, the first painting done by a man in his sixties since he was 12.

On the other hand, labeling something as "high art" in no way guarantees a life changing catharsis, which is the lofty intention of full self expression. I'm talking about art that lays bare the vulnerable soul of the creator. Being disappointed is the chance we take as we venture forth into the world of truth and beauty. How dull an existence without those, even if only occasional, moments of revelation and ecstasy. We must hold forth, however frustrating the journey.

This all may seem obvious to fellow art spirits; if you've read this far you probably already know what I'm talking about. On the other hand, each of us needs to take responsibility for gently leading the way. Not by preaching (like I'm doing now!), but in small ways — by taking action. We all can engage in little acts of daring, like telling a great story in public, getting down on the floor and painting with children or taking a stand on censorship, whatever its source. Go to a concert. Take in an exhibit at a local art gallery (the best free show in town) or museum. Draw a picture on a birthday card. Turn off the TV. See a play. Doodle. Write a poem. Make up a song as you go. Don't apologize for singing out loud, or sharing your unique view on a touchy issue. Go ahead, make my metaphor!

When will we stop thinking of fine art, music, dance, theatre and literature as expendable luxuries or non-essential high-brow fluff for other people to appreciate. As we look across the dinner table this holiday season let us give pause to what it is that makes life worth living. It's our family, our friends, the people in our lives. Want to be close to the people that matter in your life? There are no instructions for being human. But we do have art to light the way. The arts are the closest thing we have to instructions for being alive; it is what makes each of us truly human.

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