The NEA: More Than Just A Little ‘Gay’
by Charles WinecoffLast month, National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Rocco Landesman said that, in American politics, ”the arts are a little bit of a target. The subtext is that it is elitist, left wing, maybe even a little gay.”
Well, the NEA has certainly earned that reputation these past few weeks. Just like the LGBT community, the NEA – which purports to help struggling artists of all kinds - is following in lockstep with The One, regardless of whether it’s good for artistic expression, free speech, or real people.
Last fall, I was amazed at how many folks in the gay community let themselves believe that getting Obama elected would be the magical first step towards achieving “equality” – at least in terms of appropriating the word “marriage” - despite the fact that He had already stated clearly that He is against gay marriage.
And no one seemed to care (much less recall) that, in 2007, The One had told CNN that building a consensus for gay marriage would be “difficult and distracting” – you know, like the Iraq war? (Or gnats.)
Then, earlier this summer, just as many of His supporters in the LGBT tribe were growing restless with His neglect, it only took one White House cocktail party to get them eating right out of His palm again. Sigh. Gays and lesbians weren’t always such docile lambs. But like many Americans, they have become lazy and apathetic - insulated by several generations of distance from any serious strife in their comfortable lives (sad but true, AIDS and 9/11 have largely gone MIA on the popular radar).
Now, thanks to the conscience of Patrick Courrielche, we see that same malaise has infected the artistic community as well (while energizing a few sycophants in positions of power). These are young people who should be using their talents to question and challenge authority, not ape it.
Instead, they’ve become as absurdly conformist as the gays - flying monkeys for the Obama administration, fanning out to spread the pipe dreams of Earth-saving ”green jobs” and the one-size-fits-all mystery health care reform bill. (Now there’s “equality” for you!) This clumsy new artistic trend makes Andres Serrano’s “Piss Christ,” Chris Ofili’s elephant dung-covered “Holy Virgin Mary,” and the ravings of Karen Finley look like the real thing. (And in the 1990s, we at least had Rudy Giuliani to get a dialogue going.)
Whatever happened to speaking truth to power? Or “power to the people?” Today, the NEA is nothing more than yet another tentacle of Obama’s massive stimulus monster, strangling individuality, originality, innovation – and hope.
On a recent Larry King Live, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal said, “Fundamentally, I don’t think $30 million for the federal government to buy new cars, $1 billion for the Census, $50 million for the National Endowment for the Arts is going to get the economy moving again as quickly as allowing the private sector to create jobs.”
To which New York actress and former NEA flack Jane Alexander (who won a Tony for her role in The Great White Hope) replied, “President Obama has said repeatedly… that he thinks arts education is vital for children of all ages, starting right away. We have the arts in nursery school anyway, but he believes in institutionalizing the arts so it’s part of the curriculum for every child in America….” That’s right, start the indoctrination early.
Perhaps I’m being too harsh. In a week when Obama is about to sit on the UN Security Council alongside the (homophobic) dictators he seems to long to emulate – minus Gaddafi, allegedly - it’s only natural that the National Endowment for the Arts should get with the manufactured consent program, right?
I will give the NEA credit for one thing: it’s come pretty close to turning corrosive American self-hatred into an official artform.
Fortunately, we’ve still got video artists like James O’Keefe to keep it real. Surely, Andy Warhol would have been proud of O’Keefe’s guerilla-style, cinema verite, ACORN project – blurry images and all. Very retro. Do you suppose O’Keefe will qualify for some of that stimulus green?
I used to think I was too bourgeois to get an NEA grant. But yes I can! If I turn off the critical thinking, I can be a ”just plain cool” Obamatron too. Maybe the administration really is leveling the playing field so we can all get our identical piece of the pie.
All you have to do is give up a little thing called your soul.
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73 Comments
Peeps- yum….
Even if they're gay Peeps we still love 'em. And Mr Winecoff as well. (In a very conservative hetero way, of course). But we digress…
He is spot on again, as usual. Paricularly about the malaise that affects that particular community and the 'sheeple' effect of being a gay Obambot.
Apparently it's not all that satisfying. Not like the Peeps…
Good post! I am wondering how hard it is going to be to find theatre companies and other art companies that haven't taken stimulus money or the NEA "grants". I really don't want to be part of the mouthpiece speaking for the Destroyer. (wow that was dramatic) I think maybe "guerilla theatre" may be in my future unless the arts community realizes that money never comes from the hands of a benefactor strings–including a benefactor such as Uncle Barack.
Wow! Thank you. My new buzz phrase: "..the one-size-fits-all mystery health care reform bill. "
Gay Peeps.
Creepy!
NEA propaganda.
Even more so!
“SPRECHEN SIE PROPAGANDA? WHY THE LEFT LOVES LIES” at http://firebreathingchristian.wordpress.com/2009/...
Excellent piece, Mr. Winecoff! Keep it up!
Norman Podhoretz is on PJTV, talking about why Jewish Americans vote Liberal Democrat, when Obama is clearly anti Israel. And now, it seems that another group on the Left ignores its own interests, so it can be 'cool' … or something. And the NEA scandel shows us all that lotsa 'artists' are willing to sell their 'freedom' for a grant of money, and the 'opportunity' to partner with the coolest US administration since at least the year 2000, so that Paradise on Earth will be attained.
Spot on. My new favorite line; " flying monkeys for the Obama administration, fanning out to spread the pipe dreams of Earth"..perfection! Yet I'm sure SOMEONE will find that comparison as racist! Poor monkeys.
Obama strikes me as being "indifferent" on the subject of equal-rights for homosexuals (or any other social issue for that matter) he's primarily an "economic issues" guy.
Perhaps you're fellows and colleagues have calculated that – if these be the only two choices – a president/majority-party that is indifferent to them is preferable to a president/majority-party that is OPENLY HOSTILE to them? It's not exactly an unreasonable approach in an imperfect situation…
Ultimately, gay equal-rights is likely to get "further" under Democrats, since they don't have the allegiance (read: need to pander) to the Flat Earther set that Republicans do.
Personally I'd just be happy with Peeps on Earth but I'm probably setting the bar way to high.
"All you have to do is give up a little thing called your soul."
Perfect sentence to end this article with.
"Sacrificing for your art" should not include self-sacrificing your life and soul to the service of The Dark One.
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Good one.
This administration is about the Chicago pay to play and curses on anyone who dares to disagree or criticize. (Humana for example)
Maybe it's just because I live in New England, but the republicans aren't really doing that convincing of a job pandering to us "Flat-Earther's".
I'd imagine that the GLBT crowd is more interested in Obama and the Democratic party because rather than propose an amendment to the Constitution that would prevent their marriages from being legally recognized, the Democratic party is actually behind efforts to pass laws that would protect them from discrimination, allow them to serve openly in the military, and enjoy the same 1000+ legal rights granted by a civil marriage that opposite-sex couples currently enjoy. Just a guess.
Real good read, Mr. Winecoff.
Regarding what "Lady Jane" said about " he(Obama) believes in institutionalizing the arts": Wow! Does she truly understand what that means?
Where are the loner, miscreant( I mean that in a good way believe it or not), stand alone, brave, creative, individualistic, anti-social, social questioning, shrugging off politics, funny, quirky artists?
Quite so. And really, you could turn the phraseology around — on the economic issues, at least, conservatives too prefer an indifferent Washington DC (however annoying we may find it) to an openly hostile Washington DC.
The Dark One.
RACIST
Gotcha, I was waiting for that.
That does not qualify as that is done by extension, when you pledge yourself to the servant.
Now let us see what you do with that.
Speaking truth to power, what does that even mean? And I thought the term "gay" included both sexes, since when did it only include males?
"manufactured consent"
That covers 3/4 of congress, the zombies at SEIU and ACORN, at least 3/4 of the student population and almost all the considered urban poor, who remain poor because of…."manufactured comsent". Why should "artists" be any different?
Thanks, Charles!
Ben,
Great one. Today was hell, I needed a smile.
JK
No! The Democrat party just wants to burn Christians at the steak!
Charles,
I truly respect your writing. 9/11 made you see clearly about politics. Please let the fine Christians at Exodus International cure you of your mental illness.
http://exodusinternational.org/
Great piece Charles! We must understand that the “Barry” requires obedience look to another great propagandist, Joseph Goebbels:
“If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State.”
I am sure that Obama is planning on a second term, then and only then will the LBGT agenda get the lead.
Barry Soetero is against gay marriage? When's the expiration date on that?
You are coreect in your assessment of our Pres. But………………..
Black churches for the most part, Islam religion beheads them, Barry's church in Chicago. Farrakhan A good friend of Barry's all against the practice. Its a pretty safe bet he will try and play both sides but he is most likely to remain not a friend of Homosexuals.
You are correct in your assessment of our Pres. But………………..
Black churches for the most part, Islam religion beheads them, Barry's church in Chicago. Farrakhan A good friend of Barry's all against the practice. Its a pretty safe bet he will try and play both sides but he is most likely to remain not a friend of Homosexuals.
If the ARTS cannot make ends meet on donations, let them fail. Tax monies should only fund infrastructure, Military and police.
"that's deficit neutral, come on, trust me…"
Just after he'e re-elected. Or more likely when he goes down in a 1980 Carter style *flaming* (no pun) crash and it's never mentioned again. It's always about the political angle. Pimping for the gay lobby isn't the healthist ~position~ to take as a politician…even Sotero knows that.
Charles never ceases to amaze me. Excellent work!
Great post. You have insight many of us don't have and you're spot on about the despots hating gays. Hitler targeted the gay&lesbian community and gypsies simultaniously with the Jews. That's how "inclusive" he is and Islam isn't one bit better and maybe worse.
Darogr, below says it very well. I think the Islam, Black churches in general and his own
church in Chicago all not likely to change their opinion of the practice. Islam beheads them
which I fear would be Obamas "solution" if he became Potus for life. You of course could be right StlDan.
Darogr, below says it very well. I think the Islam, Black churches in general and his own
church in Chicago all not likely to change their opinion of the practice. Islam beheads them
which I fear would be Obamas "solution" if he became Potus for life. You of course could be right StlDan
he is a politician.
[...] Read more here: The NEA: More Than Just A Little ‘Gay’ [...]
"They send one of yours to the hospital, you send one of theirs to sexual reassignment surgery."
Nah, doesn't quite work, does it.
Excellent….and the mystery health care reform line…that was classic.
Just a footnote, here. Jane Alexander was on the PBS special show 'Nova-Jeopardy' a few years back. It was hilarious! She was the dumbest one on the panel and ended up in the minus column, after which she wailed, 'Can't you ask some questions about the theater!'
Gotcha, I was waiting for that.
That makes you totally not racist if you knew someone would think it was racist.
The putrid stench passed off as "Law Enforcement" enables this swill.
Maybe even a little gay?
I hadn't ever noticed.
Although, many years ago, when I was young and a artist in the local art community, I sometimes suspected something was amiss. Yes, I was an artist, used to do quite well painting barns and chicken-coops. I always wondered about that little Dutch boy character on the paint can; he had the cutest little homo haircut with that yellow pixie do; and he always was dressed in matching cap and coveralls. That was my first suspicion…………
Peeps creep me out. All of them – blue, pink, straight, gay. I'm just glad to find out they reproduce sexually, not asexually, like protists and Tribbles. Every Easter I've feared we were about to be overrun!
[...] Big Hollywood: by Charles [...]
Great blog!
I love "turning corrosive American self hatred into an official artform." Too true!
Going by what passes for "the national debate," the most racist thing you can do is not think about race at all.
Where is the LBGT to go. There is no third party for them. The libertarians come closest but fail in many ways,
like lack of power and money. The Republicans hold no future for them. They must beg beneath Obama's table until some liberal assumes the lotus er… POTUS position and provides a seat and a czar, should czar's become traditional by then. They will not overlook Obama's anti gay stance, they will however still prefer to target churches and Mormons and such because it is safer. If they make the libs mad they lose everything.
As a gay man, who has been "out" since the 70's and seen and heard it all, been afraid, very afraid of the Right in my life. Every gay person I know votes Democrat because they say "How can a person like me vote any other way?"
I say, I would feel safer in this country under even a President Palin or a President Huckabee than I do under a President Barack Obama.
Gays need to remember there has never, in the history of the World, been one Communist country that has been kind to gays. Believe me, we will be thrown under the bus by Obama the second it suits his purpose.
Liberals are homophobes (as the hippies were) much more homophobic than the right-wingers I know, who basically don't care, but just don't want to hear the graphic details. The Libs make a great show out of being gay-friendly, but dare to veer away from their path and you will soon see what they really think about you.
Trust me on this. Obama is NOT our friend.
we are out there…..with targets on our backs…..
" Kindly all neatly into pit….." – Rule # 12 . p. 21 Obama's Little Red Book aka Fascism for Dummies. ( Available in 4 languages. ) The NEA edition has full color illustrations.
Pres. Opompous may SAY that he is "against gay marriage"……but he does lie…..and lie…..and lie.
I would expect him to come out any day now and change his 'mind' in the issue.
The art 'community' is really highly overrated. No talent nowadays.
Charles, I am always glad to see one of your pieces whether elsewhere or on BigHollywood.
I do have a question. I do not understand why/how President Obama can be so statist and leftist on nearly every issue imaginable…
And yet not be an aggressive supporter of (trying to be very careful with my language here) the "typical" LBGT social-cultural agenda.
As a guitar player and songwriter, I've always been uncomfortable with the term and have refused to refer to myself as an "artist" even while all my lefty friends were quite secure in their own definition. I think I've been vindicated. It's now official. The "arts" suck. It's Dear Leader Obama with his arm around his tool, Bruce "The Boss" Springsteen. Makes me want to vomit.
You might be on to something with that. It's now racist to ignore race. Good Lord- Orwell was an optimist…
The disease that infects our society to which most of our problems can be traced is the dreaded 'short-sighted stupidity' virus (SS2S1).
Corporate America has donated, commissioned, purchased, and attended more toward the Arts in any one decade than the government has in any one century. Yet, who is the “great evil”? And who does the artist community chase for more dollars offering votes and adulation? They support anyone “Big Government”, or anti-Corporations (Liberal Democrats). Why? Because it’s cool. Maybe there is an underlying desire to be a “starving artist”. Must be, because that’s all that has ever come from listening to the give-you-another-handout politician’s siren song.
Another example: 50 years of a Democrat controlled Congress did nothing to solve “The need for more Welfare Entitlements”, other than campaigning every two to four years on “The need for more Welfare Entitlements”. Anyone remember those years and years and years? Welfare, welfare, welfare from the late forties until…. Oh yeah, the early 90’s. Gee… what happened to hearing that word constantly? I haven’t heard it since, well, the Republicans took control of Congress for the first time in Fifty YEARS. No more overwhelming Welfare issue.
These sorts of revelations are endless when you take the time to look for results. One has to look beyond the campaign poster and get out the vote out for-you-know-who hype. You have to look toward facts and results, not the orchestrated BS. —It’s LONG sightedness—, ahem.
This works until you get to the Gay issues. Social conservatives do not like gays pushing their lives in anyone’s face, particularly their children’s. Sooo… what does the gay community do? They respond to these 150 million or so Americans by pushing their lives in their, and their children’s faces. I dare say that if the gay community would demand all of the benefits of marriage for their own unions, and propose to call it Pairiage or Life-Union or something, they would have 90% of social conservatives lobbying WITH them. They don’t seem to get it: It is the promoting and pushing their lifestyle which is seen as destructive by conservatives that keeps them in strong opposition.
The truth is this: Until We the Artists, We the Gays, We the Conservatives, We the Liberals, We the Mormons, We the Pagans, uhhh… We The People stop listening, following and fawning over the most idiotic of our citizenry, “Those, the Politicians”, they will keep us divided and conquered so they can keep the We the People power sucked out of us.
But, let’s keep on with half the population pointing, screaming, insulting, at the other throwing stones and getting nowhere. Pay no attention to the fact that the United States is the most successful, prosperous, inventive, generous, and productive society in the human history of Earth. Pay no attention to other examples, like the Soviet Union, where the socialist experiment produced empty store shelves, hundreds of thousands of exterminated noncompliant citizens, and a twenty year waiting list to get a crappy little “Soviet Car”. Let’s keep half of us screaming for more Socialist Programs, and following Obama while chanting “Yes We Can, yes we can”. As long as we are thus divided, the highly superior minded and “Father-knows-Best” politician will be able to “Change” this wonderful land of opportunity into anything their $500. toilet seat buying minds want to come up with.
Not all gays drank Obama's coolaid and many of those that did are not waking up, hence the N ational Equality March in Washington this month.
I love when other gays act so disappointed in Obama, as if they had no clue before the election. Hell alot in the "community" still are rabid defenders especially withe whole notion that in"secret" he's really with us. Even if true what they hell good does that do us? Being gay you are expected to march lockstep with the liberal agenda, if not you, I, are attacked as self-loathing and other bull.
Gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "me and my peeps". You know, "just hangin' with ma peeps". Just another way of indicating how socially dependent you are. What's bad here is that the "artists" use to be renegades and now they are allowing themselves to be sucked into the "mainstream" only to be "institutionalized" along with everything else that once held our nation together.
Don't count on it. Let's not forget how low he was willing to stoop to win the last election. Surely he will willing to go further next election if it means he will, like Bush, be positioned to spend all that political capitol. I would also expect him to focus on immigration "reform" next as a means to secure even more votes. Especially before the 2010 elections. No Doubt this is why they are pushing so hard to get health care "reform" passed ASAP. They know well how contentious that issue will be and they will need all the time they can get to push that through to leverage themselves before they loose their majority hold on our government.
Lets face it, his creed is the end justifies the means.
If that is true and it is, then anything is possible. That and the
fact he is a politician means he will use whatever is available
to accomplish his desires. If the 6% that are LBGT will make the
difference then he will kiss whatever needs to be kissed until
after the election. If he wins look out because he is not going
to be their friend. He is too much a sympathizer of the Muslim/
Islam religion if not a true believer to keep up any pretense of
friendship or keep any promises he may have made. That
much I will concede
Well said. I think it also bears mentioning that the "Right" is not your enemy. While most conservatives do not embrace the lifestyle you have chosen does not mean we harbor any hatred or contempt for you.
The LGBT community simply needs to stop demanding society "tolerate" them. They need to stop demanding the government force us to tolerate them. Here's how I look at it. I can tolerate a headache but that doesn't mean I want one every day. Show society that their beliefs and opinions matter and they will, in turn, respond in kind. It's no different then telling the fire "give me more heat and then I'll give you more wood". Such demands will only leave you cold and alone. There's another saying that goes something like this, "ask me and I'll give you the moon, demand and you can go do it yourself".
You say you want legal unions/accommodations (not rights) close or equal to that being extended to married couples by the government? That's not a problem. Insist that we call them marriages? Big problem.Want the right to hold hands in public? You got it. Insist that we not stare and snicker? Problem. Want to "celebrate" the freedom to be gay? Say no more. Insist that people dressed in S&M gear riding around on floats is an expression of pride? Problem. More like flaunting their anti social behavior in front of the people whose acceptance they claim to want. Beginning to see a trend yet?
In ages past, the Vatican funneled a fortune into art, and the Sistine Chapel happened.
Today, Congress directs a fortune into art, and we get the words "Hope" on a t-shirt, spelled out in 24 pt. Tempus Sans ITC.
Guy,
"since they don't have the allegiance (read: need to pander) to the Flat Earther set that Republicans do. "
sure they do.. their paste eating moveon.org kos rejects never met a moderate or right idea they didn't recoil and hiss "racist" at, not yet anyway. The hard left admits they see truthers as a pretty common view on the left, and you think the democrats don't have a HUGE lunatic fringe to feed and maintain?
When leftwingers finally see the point of the post,.. the One kisses up to gay murdering mullahs,.. and you guys p*ss and moan about the religious right? are you always this dense?
not giving you gay marriage,.. EVIL ,… boo hiss,…
executing gays,… handshake from Obama and demands of Israel,…?
Lord you folks need a reality check.
Like I said before: I DO love me some Winecoff. Excellent post.
Have you ever noticed that the eyes of peeps follow you as you walk around a room?
I love how pronouns relating to Obama are capitalized.
Well, considering that Bill Clinton WAS behind DOMA and DADT, and many conservatives DO want DADT repealed. . .and want a solution that respects both gay people and the rights of states. . .
It rings a little hollow. And there are so many other issues here that to place it down to that is a fool's game.
*MissQuinn*
And do not get some gay people started on bisexuals or trans people… that can be a very eye opening look at prejudice.
*MissQuinn*
Add to the collection of "art" buffoons Charlize Theron wo just took the vows not to marry untill the marriage will be a available to all…
Jews don't vote Republican because Jews aren't stupid.
Do you really want to leave "Well, at least we're not as bad as Islamofascists when it comes to this stuff" as your ultimate defense? That's like if Michael Vick stood up in court and went "Hey, Your Honor! Okay, sure, I beat down a few dogs… but in, like, China or wherever they EAT `em! So I ain't nearly that bad!"
"At least we don't EXECUTE them for it!" is NOT good enough for a country that calls itself the Land of the Free and the home of the Brave.
it's certainly true that the gay rights movement has allowed itself to be overtaken by the far left over the years, but the community 'leaders' who are more enamoured of cocktail parties with the elites than the best interests of gay folks do not necessarily represent the 'rank-and-file.' i know nearly as many gay people who supported mccain/palin, or other candidates, as those who went gaga for obama. even so, it was barack's gay voters who were 'the canary in the coalmine' for rumblings of discontent and regret for having backed his candidacy. they 'hoped' it would be different this time but, having been burned by another dem president who 'felt their pain' and then stabbed them in the back, many were sensitive to the warning signs of betrayal and were quick to make their disappointment known. surely, there are those who still blindly follow the Dear Leader, but they are not limited to any particular sexual orientation.
meanwhile, the arts community has been SO in barack's back pocket that there was certainly no need for the foolish attempt to 'organize' them. outside of some clever bumperstickers, i'm not seeing ANY anti-administration/establishment artistic endeavors which, when put in a historical context, is actually kinda scary.
[...] We have often wondered why so many on the gay left salivate over Barack Obama when there is little evidence of his eagerness to address issues of concern to gay people–or even their leaders. When gay bloggers start complaining about the Democrat’s inaction on gay issues, gay activists are palliated by an invitation to the executive mansion, complete with Gray Goose Martinis as Charles Winecoff observes: ”Then, earlier this summer, just as many of His supporters in the LGBT tribe were growing restless…“ [...]
[...] We have often wondered why so many on the gay left salivate over Barack Obama when there is little evidence of his eagerness to address issues of concern to gay people–or even their leaders. When gay bloggers start complaining about the Democrat’s inaction on gay issues, gay activists are palliated by an invitation to the executive mansion, complete with Gray Goose Martinis as Charles Winecoff observes: “Then, earlier this summer, just as many of His supporters in the LGBT tribe were growing restless wi…“ [...]
[...] this past summer when, as Charles Winecoff writes, “many of His supporters in the LGBT tribe were growing restless with His neglect, it only took one…” President Obama knows one thing: if you want to curry favor with certain gay activists, [...]
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