I've spent my entire life supporting the Arts of the U.S. (My work) Over
the past fifty years I've given several million dollars in pro-bono lessons
to people I considered worthwhile for the future of American Art. Some
have panned out but most have sold out refusing to work unless they were
paid in spite of the gift from their teacher. Understand that it is
legitimate to demand payment for a finished product while hundreds of hours
spent in the preparation of that product (in a complex artistic expression)
are almost never paid for.
Unless the artist's reputation is at the very highest level, they are never
paid for the study and execution of their competency except in the final
product. That means that a concert of great music often comes out to less
than minimum wage in the preparation of that concert for the producing
artist. That is why unions are so important in the assembling of large
ensembles. Practicing the profession of Art in capitalism is confusing
and contradictory and basically makes no sense in capitalist theory.
Still I'm proud of the successes. This has been a time of cultural warfare
as the banal, predictable, barbaric and simpleminded "entertainers" have
continually been paid for their work while serious artists that expect to be
paid a living wage in capitalism are considered expressing "entitlement."
In the Arts, Capitalism is a stupid argument that knows nothing coming from
an anesthetized soul that feels little more.
But still, I've labored in the fields the greatness of the human soul. It
has been and still is a pleasure. Students today either have the capital
to afford to study and do the practice or they go to work to earn money to
eat and end up having no time for the perfection of their virtuosity.
Teachers are also dragged into this when their own reputations are damaged
by the student's inability to make time to accomplish the work. Both are
blamed for a mediocre and even damaged product in a field that begins with a
perfect, one of a kind, product.
I've solved that by teaching those who "do the work" often on a pro bono
basis. But I have had to make my peace with living with my wife in our
office and sharing my life with five different jobs in order to accomplish
the artistic task at hand. I interface them to make the time efficient and
carry over work from one to another. When those jobs disappear and I can
no longer support that work and when my partner is no longer in need of my
efforts I will most assuredly decide to leave this barbaric, inept, banal
and brutal place to the little Tasmanian Devils who invented modern
economics in the first place.
Like the mother who is unpaid but loves motherhood, artists are necessary
for the human psycho-physical instrument and the quality of the cultural
systems. The only difference here is that our students are other
people's children and there is no commitment to old age in this society for
teachers in the private sector. That being said, I would say to the
European who only now faces desperation and understands their only truly
free act: "Welcome to the club."
REH
-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of D & N
Sent: Thursday, April 19, 2012 11:34 AM
To: RE-DESIGNING WORK, INCOME DISTRIBUTION, EDUCATION
Subject: Re: [Futurework] AlterNet: Crisis to Suicide: How Many Have to Die
Before We Kill the False Religion of Austerity?
I think, under these continuing insanities, that we should be careful of
what we wish for. That same greed that has caused this may say yes to a BI
and then demand that no one receive more for any work they may do.
Thus we could have the beginning of a complete slave society instead of only
a partial slave society.
Darryl
On 19/04/2012 7:08 AM, [email protected] wrote:
> This story has been forwarded to you from http://www.alternet.org by
> [email protected]
>
> If true, one more trend that suggests a closer look at some form of basic
income Sally (N.American BI Congress in Toronto May 3-5 - check with
North American Basic Income Guarantee Congress
>
> -------------------------------------
> Crisis to Suicide: How Many Have to Die Before We Kill the False Religion
of Austerity?
> http://www.alternet.org/economy/155012
>
> The rate of people taking their own lives is soaring in Europe at such a
clip that the trend has given birth to a new media term: "Suicide by
economic crisis."
> -------------------------------------
>
> _______________________________________________
> Futurework mailing list
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>
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