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ANTI-ART: NO CULTURE IN THE CANCEL CULT
by Gordy Grundy Criticism is easy. Creation is divinely difficult. There is a difference between throwing words and composing words. Between painting a mural on a wall or tagging on top of it. One can build a world of color upon a blank canvas or one can spark a match and easily set it ablaze. The Cancel Cult is anti-creation, anti-innovation and anti-art. You could say that there is a dark force compromising the arts. Artists are creating less work. Less art. Stifled by fear of the Cancel Cult. We cannot work like that; threatened by a mere social anomaly. I wear many hats. As an editor, I must prep a writer's words for publication and public consumption. Last week, I sat back, fat and happy over a job well done. Quite suddenly, I felt flushed. A wave of heat swelled from my loins and rushed to my cabeza. The pores throughout my body opened and I began to sweat. I had been editing an upcoming feature piece, "Blue Chip, Red Dot," for Art Report Today. The work of fiction by a clever writer was designed to entertain and enthrall with storytelling, bombast and humor. Quite unusual in the editorial process, the busy author, in truth a painter, had given me complete control over the presentation of her words and ideas. Pronouns. In the piece, the author expresses the difficulty of remembering each and everyone's particular pronouns, food allergies and personal issues. I thought it was funny. The sweat of shame flushes hot and freezes instantly upon the skin. Was it funny? I panicked. Did it inspire a laugh and an insight? Or would it dangerously rile them? Them! In a recent editorial for this platform, I wrote "Technology (and social media) has created a megaphone bigger than mankind can handle." Without the merit of effort, social media has empowered the lazy, the unreasonable and the profane. One can take a plowshare and cultivate a field of wheat that will feed many. Or you can forge it into a sword to slay and maim. Two of the ugliest moments in our human history occurred right after the French and the Russian revolutions. The fevered mobs, flushed with new power, beat their plows into swords. Blades of all kinds were swung thoughtlessly and indiscriminately, brother snitching on sister. What of this moment? To what does our contemporary American mob boldly aspire? The answer remains as vague and unclear as the participants. The Ku Klux Klan was equally unsure of their cause; they had to hide behind starched sheets. The Cancel Cult hides behind a handle. Beware the frightened, angry and sad soul who hides behind a mask. Them. At least a street gang wielding baseball bats has clear intentions. I would gladly hand over my wallet and thank them for being specific in their goals and purpose. A back alley beating is preferable to the unknown tortures of the Cancel Cult. Will I lose my job, without trial, as so many have? Will dear friends fear my call? Will my lover snuff our flame? Will Twitter suspend my account? I am not alone. A recent study finds that "More than eight in ten people working in culture and the arts feel those with “controversial opinions” risk professional ostracism." The study defines “controversial opinions” as ones that are considered “politically incorrect." Like the changing direction of the wind, it is hard to keep track of what is correct or not. Knee-jerk is never definitive. One colleague, a magazine editor, runs everything through a Millennial. It helps her sleep better a night. Add a "systemic" here and a gender hyphenated pronoun there and we are good to go. Visual artists tend to avoid this squall. Images and abstraction do not provide an easy hold with which to tear the artist down. Writers, poets and comedians are the literal suckers. Prose has an opinion. Them. In the research for this article, all of the creatives interviewed expressed a terror of the Cancel Cult. And all of them thought it best to remain anonymous. Their stories were the same. Fear. Uncertainty. Self-doubt. Them. Art-making demands a fearlessness, as by and of itself, art-making is an insecure process. Artists must be courageous in their efforts to sail in uncharted waters. Creation is best fostered in an environment without distraction. Fear tops that list. One is never free to create when oppression is knocking on the door. Every smart cult needs to keep the individual off balance. The creation of new terms for common objects or actions is the first step. From the Jacobins of the French Revolution to the modern Scientologist, language is the first virus. Much like my computer's Auto-Spell, I type "preposterous" and a second later I read "presumably." I doubt myself, my mind and my actions. That's how they get you. Life is aspirational. We dream and we hope. We create. And sometimes we destroy. Ultimately, one will admit that this is a choice. To create or to destroy. To uplift or to hinder. To love or to hate. Between the two, destruction is easy. Just ask any stage actor or comedian. It is far easier to inspire fear or tears than it is to get a laugh. Aim a gun at an audience and the reaction is swift. To tell a joke that inspires laughter is tough business. Actions are more indicative than words. Simply, the Cancel Cult seeks to destroy unabashedly. Cancel Culture is a misnomer. A cult is a society. It is not a culture. By any definition of the word, a culture nurtures growth. Like a rich compost, culture is an egalitarian soil that inspires life, innovation and art. The swing of the pendulum is about to reach its apex. Reason has entered this little drama. Vocal opposition can now be heard. The momentum of the Cancel Cult is slowing. Soon, we will be able to look back, scratch our heads and sigh "WTF happened?" Following are a series of articles and thoughts by authors and thinkers far smarter than I. At last the tide is turning. Marina Abramović Misses ‘Humor’ The Most Right Now Oliver Stone Says ‘Cancel Culture’ Would End His Career Today Bari Weiss Rips Cancel Culture As 'Social Murder' On Bill Maher Show Bravo! Trader Joe’s Politely Tells Cancel Culture to Shove It; Solitary High Schooler Created Panic Monty Python’s John Cleese Thinks ‘Woke’ Culture Is Killing Comedy John Waters: Insane Political Correctness Is Class Issue... Rich Kids Most Stringent Police... Poor Not Worrying About Pronoun Usage _________________________ GORDY GRUNDY is an artist and arts writer. His words and images can be found at www.GordyGrundy.com
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