Business. As usual.

It is interesting how one little letter can shape our world view. We have replaced values, in plural, with its singular counterpart, value. To be deemed good, or worthwhile, an activity needs to generate revenue, make a profit, stimulate the economy.

A child who spends hours in front of a screen playing video games is not wasting their time or ruining their health, they are contributing to a booming industry which makes millions every year. An influencer is not admired for the things he or she says, but for the vast sums of money earned by promoting goods. That they are little more than a modern day sandwich board is by the by. They are rolling in it.

The President of Madrid is not praised for the number of lives she managed to save during the pandemic, but for keeping the bars open. Economy first.

Culture has given way to trade. A work of art is only recognised as such if it has a price tag. In fact all human endeavour is judged solely on the amount of money it is capable of making. Our heroes are the multi-millionaires, people whose wealth outweighs any other naïve concerns such as equality or human rights.

Value before worth, productivity before creation. Business as usual.

 

¡La Democracia Española es Perfecta!

Después de unas declaraciones de Pablo Iglesias, donde dice que la democracia española no es completa, la reacción ha sido la de siempre. En España, la política es concebida como un partido de fútbol; unos gritan ‘tarjeta roja y expulsión’, mientras el otro bando clama  ‘si ni le ha tocado’.  Si sales en defensa de sus palabras, eres un comunista, chavista, marxista etcétera. Si no, entonces eres facha, de derechas, casi franquista.

Pero la cuestión permanece. ¿Es la democracia española mejorable?

Felipe González hizo un trabajo inmenso durante su presidencia, sin duda. Eran tiempos difíciles, con la dictadura recién terminada y con l violencia de ETA como banda sonora. Modernizó el país durante la famosa transición, y España entró en el club de las democracias occidentales.

Pero la transición nunca se completó. Sigue habiendo mucho corporativismo. Erosionar privilegios ganados a lo largo de muchos años es una tarea ardua y lenta. Jueces,  grandes empresas, fuerzas de seguridad, ilustres apellidos, notarios, médicos… la lista es larga. Sin embargo todo este baile de amiguismo e intereses cruzados sigue ocurriendo en la oscuridad. La prometida transparencia nunca termina de llegar.

Los partidos políticos nos han enseñado a base de escándalos que tienen mucho que aprender. Cajas B, mordidas, tráfico de influencias y, finalmente, como siempre, impunidad. Aquí no existe la palabra ‘dimisión’, y mucho menos el término ‘accountability’, que ni se molestan en buscar traducción.

No es sólo España. En el Reino Unido acaban de descubrir que la reina, a través del llamado consentimiento de la reina, ha podido influir en las leyes que podrían afectar a su fortuna. En los  Estado Unidos el dinero de las grandes compañías a menudo decide el resultado de las elecciones.

Señalar las debilidades de un sistema no debería ser visto como un ataque al país, ni a todas sus instituciones. Más peligroso es obviar estas deficiencias y mirar por otro lado. Porque todo es mejorable.

 

The Cultural Bridge

Every year millions of people visit art galleries, go to gigs, watch movies or series, and enjoy performances of many, many different styles. Those audiences are comprised of people from every walk of life, of all ages, with political leanings from left to right. Your religious beliefs, your race, your sexual preferences are of no importance here. Nobody is excluded. This is why Culture is so vitally important to all societies. It is our common ground, it is the bridge than spans all divides.

Without it we focus once more on our differences; we become polarised, falling back into the Us or Them syndrome that causes so much distance, hatred and pain.

The Arts are not simply consumer goods to be likened to cosmetics or fashion. Culture is not frivolous, it is not a luxury item. It is essential for the cohesion of society. From the Last Night of the Proms to street carnivals, from Shakespeare to The Beatles, it is something we can all share.

There are those who would burn books, destroy ancient heritage sites, ban free expression. We cannot allow this to happen. Not again.

 

The Joy of Being an Atheist

Being an atheist has a number of benefits.

To begin with, we do not need to kneel or bow to anyone or anything, or promise blind obedience and unwavering loyalty some creed or other. No beseeching or praying or begging.  No Lords, Masters or King of Kings stuff. As if we didn’t have enough of that here on earth.

Neither do we have to suffer the embarrassing U-turns that major religions have been forced to make as science progresses. Watching them squirm their way out of previously held ‘truths’ is excruciating. The world is the centre of the universe, and it is flat. Did I say that? I must have been misinterpreted.

And amongst atheists there is no sibling rivalry, no vying for positions as occurs with other popular belief systems. And the Oscar for Most Influential Religion goes to….

No plan B, either. No Afterlife or Paradise or Heaven to take the sting out of harsh reality. No mysterious explanation for the deaths of children in an orphanage blaze, or the massacre of innocents, no twisted logic or infinite wisdom in abuse or torture.

Just us, here and now, faced with human problems that demand immediate solutions. No excuses, no putting things off till the next incarnation, no God Willing or Inshallah. We take responsibility for our actions and our inactions. There is no-one else to blame.

And we get the holidays, too!

 

Let History judge us-

Let History judge us. We watch, literally, al Kashogi is dismembered in a Saudi embassy. We turn away as Putin annexes part of Ukraine and poisons opponents. We say next to nothing as Belarus is beaten into submission. The list is terrifying. There is no accountability. From Manila to Rio, dissident voices are silenced in the most brutal way imaginable.  We slide, bit by bit, into authoritarianism or worse, aghast yet passive. We are drifting into fascism once more, and still we do no more than lament.

Let History judge us.

 

Art and Moral Judgement

I have just read a review of a new book about The Who bassist, John Entwistle. Whilst recognising the quality of his playing, the reviewer spends more time casting moralistic judgements about the deceased’s behaviour than analysing his impact on modern music. He finishes with a lapidary ‘If Entwistle was the last of the great rock stars, then good riddance.’

Then there is the case of Woody Allen. He has been accused of child abuse. That may or may not be true – we, as the ignorant general public, cannot know. Yet there are those who have judged and sentenced him without trial. If he really committed those crimes, and there is evidence to prove it, then he must be made to face the consequences, naturally. But even if that did occur, does that mean that Annie Hall is now not worthy of praise?

Roman Polanski is allegedly another suspicious character. Does that reflect back on his art? Can we only accept the works of those who are morally beyond doubt? If we discover that The Voice had links to the mafia, can we no longer enjoy My Way? And as times change, and our social values with them, must we all readjust, reassess, pass judgement?

No artist is perfect as a person. Possibly their private lives are a mess, full of contradictions and inherited vices. But their art can transcend their frail humanity. Are we able to accept that, or are we all members of the Moral Police?