Is it possible that a nation's culture experiences disassociation with itself and laxes, not only lapses, but goes to hell with attitude? Into what? Into a mid-world of unknowing drifting such as in this new absurd-seeming, American era of blurred boundaries between truth and lies (e.g, is or is not D Trump a Russian asset, pizzagate? Butina and the National Rifle Association?? NRA, 'WhaThF' you say? Yup!
And Russian intelligence walking around America loud as daylight, enjoying our Disney World and shooting craps in Vegas and staying at Trump Towers? ...
And much more. Weirdness is now commonplace.
Yet we seem to ride above it and not be really, deeply caring in the midst of the flood of uncertainty rushing around us. Caring a lot yet uncaring enough to go to work (what's left of work and how uncertain that's become)!
This is where America now stands but a bit confused because what we used to be proud of as being uniquely American institutions, circuses, persons, streets are being revealed as long ago sold off party favors to what we thought were enemy states and demonic, God-cursed dictators who all along were drinking pals of our leaders, or at least some of them. America, meaning us citizens, remain standing somewhat still tall but feeling the dizziness creeping in.
America is where Berlin was in the 1920s when up was down, or maybe sideways, and cabarets were voicing the 3-ring circus that life had become... with barrels of money needed to buy a couple of loaves of bread. We're not at that point yet; the PTB say the economy is roaring along full steam. And unemployment is historically low (but the new jobs pay shit so you have to work two or three to support a family, which no human can do for long, so well-intentioned alt-right white former factory workers have started to die off younger).
And so it goes in the land of the free. (Aren't we free? Of course! At least we can still stockpile our own private armories, in many red states. Oh' yesss, can't let our guard. Now we're previledged to worship new Uncle Vlad who we didn't know was related until a month ago. What a lucky time to be alive and a citizen.
But back to 1920s Berlin. Berlin, then, had its artists who painted, composed and wrote of the tumultuous social whirlpool that characterized that world at that time. Isherwood, Kolwitz, Brecht, Lenya, Cabaret society. America doesn't have those 'voices but we do have other expressions of the sister of Nihilism, the current American culture of Absurdism and posturing for no real reason except that our cultural expressionists don't possess artistic talents, skills and don't want to, or can't, take the time to learn real artistic skills like painting, writing, singing, playing instruments (violins and cellos not bass rhythm guitars) because we've become instant actors on a digitalized stage.
But Miley is 'imho' one exception to the ingestion into cultural falseness: Miley is the face of comedic-tragedy American kultur which seems to be characterized by a plentitude of hero-to-zero cultural icons. But Miley is a survivor, and a thriving one too, because she has apparently surfed the absurd to remain ahead of public boredom. How, by remaining two or three steps ahead in that world of absurdity.
Is Miley's secret her skill as a performer dressed in fake fur ('Not'! to be retro)? Or, is Miley a real-in-the-flesh child of virtual, American unreality and so is genuinely absurd as reflected by her life narrative, eclectic style, dress, 'partners', gender flexibility, etc?
Pericles21 thinks the latter - that Miley is a genuine absurdism, an iconic formula for survival and thriving in the new Absurdist America. In other words, 'MC' is a character right out of 'Alice in Wonderland'. Laughable, maybe, but indicative of dark currents under the seducing clownishness of Amerikan kultur.
Does Pericles21 like Miley's art? Yes! Enthusiastically! But not as the reader of this blog might think - Pericles21 likes, tremendously, Miley's in-your-face courage and apparent insistence on 'being'...real. Miley's art is a whole-being-in-it commitment!
American culture has had, in previous history, several such iconic self-artists. Predominantly, they have been artists and writers and especially in the marginalized segments of America's art world. Jazz artists stand out in this respect. One has to mention the 'whole-being' artists such as Charlie Parker, Miles, Gillespie, Coltrane, and even Blossom. And of course the original whole-immersion, American Faustian, the blues guitarist Robert Johnson.
Our Absurdism is prevalent in the crooked-smiling, alt right, media star utterances of patent lies about far-fetched conspiracy theories. Whole movements have grown up around those conspiracy themes... such as the mysterious, cultist, tribalist 'QAnon'movement.
The above is from Alternet zine, August 1, 2018. What? In just two years?
((More To Come!)
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