i addressed the issue of art, music, ideals and ideology before, but there are still more aspects to look at.
which is that the removement of any kind of ideals and ideology and politics, as it happened in the last decades, is not only approved, but even celebrated, and all that in the name of "freedom" and "art". oh how wrong can you be. for example, if hardcore political punk fans disapprove of a punkband that are slipping from their former anarchist politics, this is seen as something backward. "artist should be free to do what they want", etc. it is seen in the way, that, like the reign of for example the catholic church or authoritarian aristocracy on art, the "reign" of ideology and ideals on art would be similiar oppressive. if art "has" to follow ideals, this is another rule, restriction that is necessary to overcome. if art follows ideologies like anarchism, utopism and such, this is seen as a hazard, a distraction to art and the process of creating art. "art has to be free of ideology!".
this is so dead wrong, because the cardinal error here, is that art *always* is based on ideals or idelogy, or politics, and similiar concepts. the underlying ideas and ideology are what give a given song, painting, poem, it's beauty, it's content, it's outline - all of it. the actual artwork is of lesser importance then the ideology and idea behind it. it's of almost no importance. if there is a great idea or ideology, the actual artwork will almost automically - will automatically be good. because, as i said, this is the very basis of the artwork. art is about understanding, apprehending, realizing ideals, political and other concepts, ideology and philosophy. if the idea is beautiful - its artwork is too. it can be compared to footsteps in the snow - these are just footsteps, not the man who caused them. the actual artwork is just a trace, the idea and ideology behind it is the actual art. if you remove the ideology and ideals from art, you remove the very core of art.
take punkrock. do you think the 3 chords and shrill voices was what caused the punk movement, the youth rebellion in the late 70s and 80s? it was the ideology of punk that drove people cracy, the anarchism, nihilism and uprising. and the songs were just a trace of this "ideology" of punkrock. which is why contemporary artists who create structually similiar punksongs by far don't cause an uprising like that again. they lack the politics, and ideology. the nihilism and anarchism that gave the punksongs their actual beauty - not the other way round.
again, the actual painting, book, movie, is just a trace - like a footstep in the snow. the true piece of art, is the ideology behind it.
even to diehard opponents of ideology-based art, it should be obvious that it is exactly the most political, the ideological, the most ideal-based art that is seen as the most beautiful, is the most praised. the hippie music of the 60s. the punkrock of the 70s. the nihilist rebellion of the 50s.
it is funny that people think they could apreciate the bands of the 60s movement, without being an anarchist or utopist themselves, and somehow leaving the "ideology" behind. oh what a fool you can be.
even the ideologeous music of ideologies you complete disagree with often holds beauty. think of an atheist appreciating christian choral music. even ultra-stalinist soviet music can be interesting, even if you complete oppose these "regimes".
this is because it is still better that art is based on a bad ideology, then being based on no ideology, or no politics at all.
as i said, the negatively amazing thing these days is that people appreciate - highly - bands and artists that were highly anarchist and political in their days - think of all the 60s bands - yet somehow think they could "leave" the politics behind in this, appreciate the art without it.
as i said, ideals and ideology can not be removed.
which brings us to the question, why do people actually try to remove it, and what is the result of this?
well, as i said, it is unremovable, which means that even artist how claim to be free of "politics" and ideology are actually very ideologous too.
90% of all music made these days, especially electronic music, is completely ultra-capitalist, authoritarian, hierarchic. just listen to common electronic house music, it's full of lyrics praising money, luxury, stuff like that.
oh, the artists of course claim they use these lyrics in a non-ideologeous way, maybe "ironic" way. well, it's still ideologeous. if the US army moves into another country but claims it is just peacekeepers or whatever, it's still the US army.
so, art cannot be removed from ideology and ideals, and it is what gives art meaning. of course this onslaught against "ideology" and "politics" is part of a bigger problem, which is the rapid onslaught of anti-intellectualism and anti-rationalism. at the core, people despise ideological and anarchist art because it is "intellectual", removed, smart. they cannot take this.
but don't give up the ideology - or the ideals!
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