The Arts in New York City

No matter where we look, controversy always seems to lurk around in societal life.  Throughout the semester, I thought about this and I wondered what causes so many issues in a society.  Why is it  such a problem for the public to accept a certain piece of art or literature? Why is it so hard for us to not approve of something being taught to children without any problem?  Are we afraid of things that are different all the time? What is causing such a hesitance for the new and the different? All these questions ran through my mind as I chose a piece that portrays the artist as the social critic. In my opinion Adam Rapp shows controversy at its finest, criticizing society for its rejection of the new and different.

As long as I can remember in history, the American majority was always afraid of change something different.  One example that I always refer to are immigrants.  My history in teacher in high school explained that America was centered around the WASP acronym.  America was pre-dominantly the White, Anglo-Saxon Protestant country and if someone was different than this, he or she was an outsider.  I wonder why is it that the majority is always so willing to reject change so rapidly. I saw this in the “Metal Children”, and I wanted to write about this idea because controversy is something that is definitely not new to us.  Something is always occurring because of many people wanting to reject the new and the different.

Out of all the artists’ work we viewed so far, “Metal Children” appealed to me  because it interested me the most.  I think its because I have heard about so many controversies and the clash of different opinions so much, that I just read it with ease. Adam Rapp is such a vivid and blatant writer which is why he deserves the title of a social critic. He does not sugarcoat his language or plot for his audience.  If he wants to convey something about an issue, he will instantly apply his pen to paper and write it.  I think that his willingness to  write what is on his mind is what makes Adam Rapp a social critic; he would not silence himself to please the public.

The “Metal Children” fully explains why society can have so many controversies.  Each person has so many opinions of their own that you wonder if anything can be agreed on.  So many people want to be heard and express themselves. There’s just one problem to that, everyone that expresses their voice has a different opinion from the other.  Some people do not want their voice heard, but they want the society they’re in to be peaceful and comfortable.  In order for the society to be comfortable, they do not want any sort of conflict at all. We have societies that are filled with these type of people which is another reason why it is so hard to get along.

This is why the artist has a heavy responsibility when they decide to put their work for public display.  You will never know what result your going to get from them.  One side could view it as innovative and captivating, another may want all copies of the work burned.  This is because the artist puts their opinion out in the open for all to see. They are taking a risk of putting their work in a society where so many opinions are present. The public can get joy from the work one day and contempt and hatred the next.  It is so hard to be a social critic because you are putting your work that you are personally attached to in the open.

Adam Rapp took on this responsibility willingly thinking of no regrets. He wrote about how controversies form using Tobin Falmouth as an example. Tobin who wrote a novel as a catharsis from his divorce sparked a city to have such controversy and strife with one another.  Tobin inspired youths to have a say of their own and gain their own voice.  Sadly this leads to the banning of the book and much debate because as usual people have different opinions.  Adam Rapp had a similar scenario happen to him as well.  In the play, Adam Rapp wanted to convey that society should not be so eager to form controversy.  Controversy as seen in the play sparked more rebellion as seen by Vera.  What started as a little issue went further into drastic rebellion.  I think Rapp wanted to show that this can happen in many places of society, that the artist is not displaying radical ideas and there is no need for such controversy.

Adam Rapp was blatantly honest in his work.  He was not afraid of possible consequences that might arise in societies.  He took on the responsibility to convey his thought and criticize how society should not have so much controversy.  It is basically not needed to have controversy every single time a new opinion arises. This is what Adam Rapp discusses and what makes him a social critic.  His writing clearly states what he is criticizing about society.  It does not matter to him what society thinks about his work, he will express his opinion for years to come.  I am certain this will not be the last time I see Adam Rapp filling his role as a social critic.