Diogenes’ Middle Finger: Julie Andrews, known mostly for her roles as Maria in the ‘Sound of Music’ and as the beloved ‘Merry Poppins’, along with her daughter wrote an Op-ed column for the network posing as news, CNN, pleading for elected officials to reject Trump’s budget cuts for funding the Arts.
“Decades worth of research attests to the fact that the arts are among the most profoundly important and valuable ways to improve learning and promote success, from early childhood through adulthood . Now, with the shifting priorities of our new presidential administration, artists and arts organizations are at serious risk of losing the support they need to do their invaluable work.”
“The arts are fundamental to our common humanity. Every time we attend the theater, a museum or a concert, we are literally feeding our souls, and investing in and preserving our collective future.”
Ms. Andrews may be correct about the education. But what she fails to see are what the alternatives to Government funding are. And I think there are a few other things she overlooks.
One, for most of the History of Western Civilization, the arts were funded by the ‘Patrons of the Arts’. Leo da Vinci, Mozart, Will Shakespeare, Picasso etc. were not funded by any Government. They were commissioned by Religious Orders and Wealthy Patrons. more here
Who cares what she thinks?
I wish they would keep their mouths shut so that I could continue to enjoy their movies without the taint of their ill-informed politically correct brain diarrhea.
Just cut a check from your royalties Julie….
You’re in good comoany, Julie. Howdy Doody just tweeted his disapproval, too.
My bad. It was Chelsea. Carry on.
Show us your beads.
gee … I wonder how ‘the Arts’ ever survived without a gubmint grant?
… I mean, back in her day?
You know what so weird… I’ve NEVER seen the “Sound of Music”.. I kid you not! OMG, and I’m a film buff. I KNOW… It’s crazy!! I can’t even explain it. Oh well… tonights confessions are brought to you by wine… RED … in fact. :))
In her oxygen deprived bubble this all makes sense. But as a nation we are bankrupt. And this air head wants to try to spend our way out of bankruptcy? Good luck with that.
The Hills are alive with the sound of whimpering.
When my funds run dry entertainment is one of the first cuts I make. And I’m not $19.9 trillion dollars in debt.
Why can’t government do the same?
If the whimpering multi-millionaires want to support the arts, I have no objection as to how they spend “their” money. I do object that they insist my hard earned income be used for the same garbage they fund and produce.
By the way Julie Andrews net worth is over $45 Million.
Cut a check sweetheart !
If your “arts” are worthy of support, I’m sure that you will have more than enough money from your benefactors. I, for one, am glad that my tax dollars won’t be used to support the trash that has been passing for “art” these last few decades. Maybe if the school art programs of my generation weren’t replaced by the liberal social engineering classes forced upon students of the last two generations, we wouldn’t even be having this discussion. I remember the days of the “starving artist”. They were the ones that produced trash and called it “art”. Then someone got the bright idea that we needed to support their bad career choices. No more, MAGA!
http://tinyurl.com/lqtdq9j
What have the arts given to us lately?
A Crucifix in a jar of piss.
Rap/HipHop music.
A blank wall in an art museum.
Anything coming out of Hollywood, including Julie Andrews showing us her tits in a Blake Edwards movie.
Honestly, those were some pretty sad titties. Probably wouldn’t lower my blood pressure a point.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Wo3lkSqmCb0/UEIlxOxHV9I/AAAAAAAACP4/IikRno1_OT8/s1600/Julie_Andrews_(S_O_B_)_1.jpg
The arts can easily be funded by the “artists” in Hollywood and the music industry. Other than that, if they can’t support themselves they aren’t worth it.
Cate, I’m not a film buff so my opinion is meaningless. But I have been drinking red wine, so we have something in common. My wife, my kids, my grandkids, all have enjoyed both Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music. It sure is a shame when those that play the roles you enjoy prove to be someone you just plain disagree with.
Dear Julie: The reason we have so much crap disguised as ‘art’ is because of government funding.
If ‘art’ is true art, then it shall rise above the detritus of that which claims itself ‘art’, though the rest of humanity disagrees
rejoice in your freedom from the tyranny of mediocrity! aka … government bureaucracy grants … where ‘taste’ isn’t a factor
Well, that’s different then. I can’t think of a better way to literally feed my soul than to go to a govt-funded and govt-approved theater performance preferably under the influence of some govt-funded and govt-approved MKULTRA brand hallucinogenic drugs. Yum! *burp*
Her program for funding the arts [FARTS] is short on donations. No one likes FARTS in public or in private, Hopefully FARTS will be a distant memory, why does she bring them up now?
@Cate, never saw it either, I read it in Mad Magazine, they called it The $ound of Money.
Hate musicals, unless I am in the orchestra. The only musicals I ever enjoyed were Paint Your Wagon and Best Little Whorehouse in Texas .
Hard Boiled Haggerty, Lee Marvin and the awesome Clint, now that’s a musical I can get.
What has passed for “art” as defined by the Oh So Important People, has been for decades, just ugliness. There is beautiful art out there, but it is seldom promoted by the Arts Community, because it appeals to the peons.
I am a proud peon. I love beauty and when I see it in art, I recognize it. When I see ugliness, I recognize it, too.
The idea that tax dollars support either is anathema – art should rise or fall in the marketplace just like any other commodity.
When you have to explain it, it is not art.
When it tries to ‘teach’ it is not art.
When it addresses issues, it is not art.
Art is not contrivance to manipulate.
Actually she’s allowed her opinion and expressed it without resorting to the usual Trump bashing rhetoric that the other showbiz folks resort to whenever they slither up to a mic to get attention. I’m not surprised there is a pushback from the arts community because so many of the cocktail parties that are tres, tres chic are funded by government grants. Unfortunately just like up here (in the Great White North) you also have too many elected officials that vote for arts funding just to get invited to the aforementioned cocktail shindigs. Having said all of that the other commenters are quite right in suggesting that Ms. Andrews pony up a portion of her own fortune to supporting the very arts that she wants ordinary taxpayers to pay for. I wonder what her tax returns for the last few years would say regarding deductions for donations to the arts.
Inquiring minds want to know: How much arrogance is required for someone to think they are just automatically entitled to some portion of hard-working, over taxed-paying Americans money for being someone you aren’t?
Or
Maybe it’s time for Uncle Sucker to stop paying them to be democRats.
She is right, but her thinking the government has ago play a role is where we part ways.
@Bad_Brad: They’re probably a lot sadder now. That picture was taken 36 years ago. Think fried eggs, ironed flat.
🙂
Same as any other taxpayer-subsidized socialist entity, like PP – if a free market can’t keep it afloat, it should be allowed to sink.
Or hey, how about Whollywierd ginks that draw $20 mil per movie subsidize it?
Ms Andrews makes her plea civilly and with dignity. Good for her. Her interviews and offscreen charity work suggest she is possibly a genuinely nice lady, despite the Blake Edwards thing.
Defunding NEA and the PBS octopus is long overdue.
Let Leo DiCaprio, George Clooney and Cher chip in to fund the next “Piss Christ”.
Oh, and since it was government funded, a good case can be made that the US Treasury owns the rights to Sesame Street , the Muppets merchandizing empire, etc etc.
put the royalties into the Social Security fund.
Trump’s budget cuts? Now that is the sound of music.
Support my shooting habit and I’ll support your arts.
Gov’t funded “art” is rarely art – if ever.
It usually follows the same path as all other gov’t funding – lowest common denominator – and raises filth and trash to the forefront of the “art” world.
Gov’t funded “artists” are grifters who finagle ignorant, artless, Philistine bureaucrats into giving them money, knowing that the bureaucrats are complete fools – or are granting the money sight unseen – through a written grant process.
Either way, the taxpayer gains NOTHING: for the soul or otherwise.
(except an empty pocket)
izlamo delenda est …