Klarinet Archive - Posting 000811.txt from 2003/06

From: Bill Hausmann <bhausmann1@-----.net>
Subj: RE: [kl] Political postings - ON topic?
Date: Tue, 24 Jun 2003 13:00:56 -0400

At 05:00 PM 6/20/2003 -0400, Feodor Tereshchenko wrote:
>In many countries (USA included) politicians restrict the freedom of
>artistic expression. There are no such thing as "forbidden" or
>"politically incorrect" words in Russia. Nobody will be ostracized for
>use of "French Horn" in their score in place of "Freedom Horn". :)
>Just try to imagine what will happen if somebody will write "Osama ben
>Laden Symphony"! Will it be analyzed and judged based on the merit of
>music? I doubt...
>Therefore, an artist should be constantly aware of restrictions and
>limitations imposed by kremlins and white houses, and either make a
>conscious decision to put his art in risk of being banned, or chose to
>produce only "politically correct" version, with risk to be banned later
>when a politician decides that this oeuvre became politically
>incorrect.

You are mistaken in your assumption that the White House or any other
governmental agency in the US can censor artistic expression. The nearest
to that which can be achieved is denial of government FUNDING for a work,
and even THAT will be fought over in the courts for years. If someone
writes the "Osama bin Laden Symphony" and can find no group willing to
perform it, that is NOT censorship. If they find someone willing to
perform it and nobody attends the concert, THAT is not censorship,
either. In fact, that is DEMOCRACY at its finest! That is voting with
your wallet. For example, when the Dixie Chicks made their incredible faux
pas, it was not the GOVERNMENT who rebuked them, but their own fans (and
non-fans, whose opinion really did not matter, since it cost them
nothing). They are entitled to hold any view they wish, but expressing it
in a context which they had to KNOW would be hostile to that view was
simply stupid, and cost them financially, as they should have realized it
would. But that is NOT censorship. It is not GOVERNMENT restriction of
freedom of either artistic OR political expression, but simply the free
market working as it was designed to.

Bill Hausmann

If you have to mic a saxophone, the rest of the band is TOO LOUD!

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