Re: [Harp-L] Politics and Blues Harp

[Scott Harris <scott@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Isn't this the beauty of America?  Artists are free to express their political beliefs (and equally free to keep them private) both within their art and outside of their art.  At the same time, as an audience, we are equally free to allow those expressions to impact our choices, or not.  There is no right or wrong answer, simply options that are available to all of us as musicians or members of an audience.

Scott Harris


On Dec 15, 2011, at 8:58 AM, michael rubin wrote:

Bill,
You say it is a terrible mistake for a performer to inject the current
political/social zeitgeist.  Yet while they may lose your business,
they may gain other's who are in line with their politics.  It is even
possible that a song may contain even of a good argument, albeit
sometimes an emotional one, to change the mind of a listener.  If the
artist believes in his politics, isn't it living in integrity to
discuss his politics in song and possibly hope to convince an audience
member?

Perhaps this is Meta and dangerous because I am going to bring up a
religion example.  I am a Jewish man who has considered Christianity
seriously.  I have read the bible many times and gone to various
churches.  Ultimately it does not ring true for me.  However, I rarely
get upset when a Christian prostyletizes (Sp?) me.  Why?  Because the
Bible, what they believe to be the word of God, tells that that it is
their duty as a Christian to do so.  If they truly believe this, they
would not be within their integrity to not try.  Now, at a certain
point, I reserve the right to say I am too busy to discuss it.  I also
reserve the right to argue my beliefs.  Some people are annoying in
the way they do it and I reserve the right to get away from them.
Whether or not they convince me and whether or not Christ is the true
God, I am grateful for them for trying.  It is within their integrity
to try and it is a good thing to try because they believe they are
saving me from a bad fate.

I would like you to consider how right the political musician thinks
he is and how much he believes your belief system is damaging to
yourself and others.  Then consider how much he is acting within his
integrity and trying to do good for the world.  AND  perhaps he will
change your mind if you give him a open minded listen.

So to me it is not a terrible mistake.  It is a person fighting for
the common good.  That said, I find most political performers annoying
and I try and avoid them.
Michael Rubin
Michaelrubinharmonica.com

On Thu, Dec 15, 2011 at 8:57 AM, Steve Shaw <moorcot@xxxxxxx> wrote:
> 
> I would have thought it quite difficult for anyone to inject such when their gob is full of harmonica metal.Thing is, you're simply exercising your democratic right. Long may you be able to do so.
> 
> 
> 
>> From: bkumpe@xxxxxxx
>> To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
>> Date: Thu, 15 Dec 2011 08:36:03 -0600
>> Subject: [Harp-L] Politics and Blues Harp
>> 
>> I am a born again Christian, politically conservative, blues fan.  There are
>> a lot of us.  We just don't talk about it.  There is a tendency among some
>> in the performing arts to adopt the attitudes of and inject into their
>> performances whatever they perceive to be the current political/social
>> zeitgeist.  That is a terrible mistake.  While nobody begrudges a performer
>> their honest expression of their views on any subject through their art, the
>> self-serving agenda of many performers is obvious and that degrades the art.
>> I flee political correctness, especially the self-serving genre, and will
>> not pay good money to support performers who inject it into what is supposed
>> to be entertainment.  I am a social and political conservative and my money
>> tends to follow my beliefs.  While I never inquire into the politics of any
>> performer, the first time they force PC or liberal orthodoxy upon me in a
>> performance, I walk, if need be in the middle of the performance, and never
>> support them again.
>> 
>> Bill Kumpe
>> Tulsa, OK
>> 
>