It’s coincidental that just this morning, my thoughts had turned to politics and government in the United States. Jeremy Peters’ article in the New York Times, “From Art to T. Rex, Shutdown Stirs Worries,” drew my attention to an interesting link between culture and government that I also had thoughts about. I had been thinking specifically about political activism and how to get people to lend their voices – and how to get the government to hear them. (These thoughts were inspired in part by the recent protest in front of the Macaulay building in which footage was taken of a clash between police and protesters – the incident has given my thoughts about lots of things.) I was hung up on how many people are disillusioned with the government of late, yet there isn’t enough uproar or activism, not enough to urge the government to act any faster. The looming government shutdown is one of those things that have people annoyed and even angry, yet it seems like there’s nothing regular citizens can do, or want to do, to move along change. My question is, how much will it take to get us out of our stupor?
We are distracted. I personally feel angered and annoyed that Congress is taking its sweet time to make a deal about the budget yet again (among many other issues), and not only do I feel powerless, but I am distracted. I’m distracted by my computer and my phone and my classes and my work. I’m distracted by all the wonderful things around me, by the beauty of the city of New York and jazz music and Star Wars. Not only are these distractions taking me further away from voicing (and more importantly, acting on) my frustration with the way things are, but the lack of people around me taking action is not encouraging for me. Yet I talk to my peers and classmates and folks at the dorm and they are just as, if not more, passionate about this subject matter as I am – yet no talk of true action has occurred yet. Perhaps we simply aren’t at the stage of anger that inspires action. Perhaps the environment of distractions has taken its toll already, and we’ll never get to that stage.
Not necessarily bad things, our daily lives are made up of distractions which take our attention away from matters more consequential.
But what if the pianos in the music practice rooms at Baruch were taken away? What if social media was blocked at school or in my dorm room? What if the local parks closed their gates and didn’t let people in? Would that be enough for me to gain focus and take action on the larger issues of the nation?
The potential closing of the museums and facilities of the Smithsonian is something I hope to be eye-opening to the citizens in Washington D.C. A beloved and unique source of knowledge and culture could close, indefinitely (theoretically). Is having our arts and cultural facilities blocked off the key to getting us up and active?
Look to Detroit, where streetlights won’t go on at night and the police take upwards of an hour to respond to a call, as a result of its government’s failings monetarily. Talks of the city’s pension plan freezing are being seriously discussed to combat the effects of the city’s bankruptcy. Does it have to come to that for people to not only notice that something is wrong, but be bothered enough to finally do something about it?
The effects of government shutdown seem far removed to most. But when our distractions are taken away, such as the Smithsonian facilities in D.C., our focus has the chance to shift – hopefully to the cause of why our distractions are gone. It’s worth noting that there are many individuals who find the inspiration to join a cause and be active in supporting it – they can fight through the distractions. But from my perspective, the general population is too entangled in their own lives and distractions to take to the streets. It seems that the government shutdown isn’t an inconvenience worthy of that these days. And perhaps it truly isn’t, but there surely are other issues that myself and others have strong feelings about. My general attitude, if not already apparent, is that citizens of the U.S. need to be more involved in government – or in getting the government to listen to its citizens’ needs.
The arts can be distractions from the misgoverning of this country, but they can be other, much more positive things as well (in fact, I feel bad framing the arts as distractions in this sense – the arts have an indescribable amount of value and oftentimes themselves can inspire action). And while I certainly don’t want this country’s cultural assets to be diminished, if that’s what it takes for people to be inspired to demand change, then that’s what it takes.
Works Cited:
Peters, Jeremy. “From Art To T. Rex, Shutdown Stirs Worry.” New York Times 26 Sep 2013, Late Edition – Final. Web. 27 Sep. 2013.
I think your response to Peters’ article did a great job in connecting the current crisis of federally financed institutions closing to the overall stagnancy of our society. At a time when there are an abundance of mindless forms of entertainment within the easy reach of a remote, I think it’s deplorable that serious institutions of culture and history are suffering. It’s even more disheartening to hear that such museums and libraries are temporarily closing because our own government cannot come to a timely agreement. It isn’t the first time that Congress has neglected to punctually come to a decision and the general public has had to suffer (i.e. the debt ceiling crisis of 2011). And now, their shortcomings are affecting not only the U.S.’s financial state but also our cultural. It makes me wonder if such institutions such as the Smithsonian, National Portrait Gallery, or National Zoo would be better off as privatized organizations. As such, the organizations would benefit from greater innovation due to greater investor risk. However, one private cultural treasure comes to mind when I think of suffering. The New York City Opera, an organization that has a proud history of private success, is soon to close its doors. I think that all these soon-to-close cultural institutions show that the U.S. and general public neither prioritize nor value the continuation of artistic culture.
Great analysis! I can connect with your point that although we feel like acting on something, it’s still hard to go out and do it. Distractions are far too prominent in the current day with all of the social media and video games. Post government closing, I am hoping that this does not go on for a long time, as that would be very unfavorable for the economy. I also agree with the point you make where you reference the need for action to be taken. Honestly at the moment anything would be worth congress coming to a consensus. Hopefully the Smithsonian facilities are restored after this transgression in congress. Culture is very important to understanding a country in general, and for such valuable resources to disappear America would lose part of its identity.
Hi Jeremy
I agree with all of your statements and opinions that you mentioned. I especially like the way you question the “what if’s.” I think a lot of the things you talk about where how much can we be distracted before it takes us to notices what’s really going on, relays to the idea of where “you never know what you have till its gone.” All of the little things and opportunities that we have right at the end of our fingertips are just some of ways that distractions act upon our daily lives. Although none of us actually go to museums as often that we’d like to, it’s quite devastating to have that access to go to them at any free will taken away. It maybe be superficial to focus on the collapse of the arts right now while there are so many people who are in much greater trouble, but, its something to take note of considering the day and age were in. While I don’t completely agree with the drastic measures to bring our government back to full function, we have to do what we have to do.
I don’t know exactly if I would agree that all the distractions have to be take away, but I too wonder what it will take to force people to act. I feel people have become complacent because their immediate lives are not hurt which you mentioned. All the distractions are keeping people from noticing that the problems society faces are slowly creeping in and I fear that these distractions keep people from seeing the problem until it becomes too late to act. I have heard of this psychological effect where if a group of people witness a crime or wrongdoing, no one seems to act or do anything because they expect the other people to do it. They shift their responsibilities to others. I think that would explain some of the apathy people shows towards society’s issues.