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(And that's not because I am good looking or intelligent because I am not particularly either). But I mean just look for example at the American movie industry. In the 50s and 60s, the movie stars where generally better looking, better at acting and more sophisticated. And they also spoke better English and behaved like adults not like little ret*d children like many actors do today. Just look at "Dharma and Greg" and you'll see exactly what I mean. I know it's a great generalization but I do believe the actors and their acting was of superior quality back then. And that's not taking into consideration how the content has become more explicit and so forth, it's just the acting and the actors I refer to.
I also tend to find old movies much better acted and written. And I hardly watch TV anymore as most shows seems like trash, especially sitcoms. But those TV shows and movies are made the way they are for a reason. A lot of it is because executives
think one kind will make more money than another
(whether true or not, so other possibilities are not tested). I've heard that reality TV is very cheap to produce and brings in good ratings, and that that's why there's so that's why there's so many of them.
I guess what I'm really trying to get at is the notion that genius is "naturally" rewarded. That it will naturally rise to the top, and that if it doesn't, it's being artificially held back, or other things are being artifically propped up. Michelangelo didn't paint the Sistine Chapel ceiling because he was a genius. He did it because someone was willing to pay him enough that he could afford to live and do the work at the same time. His genius was necessary but not sufficient. And the same for Mozart and all the other artists of those days.
I have a relative who have been painting for over 50 years. She's apparently good, but her style isn't popular these days. And to get "big" and sell well you really have to know marketing, be part of the current art scene/fad/trend in NYC, have connections to the right people, and so forth. Just being a good artist isn't enough. She doesn't want to deal with all that, and so she just shows at local galleries.
So talent does not get naturally rewarded -- because nothing is naturally rewarded. There is always a system. Genius doesn't rise because it's lighter than air, it rises because there is a system to support and promote it. And that system is arbitrary. What it considers worth promoting is arbitrary. I might not like it, and you might not like it, but it doesn't oppress anyone -- it just ignores them, and leaves them no alternatives.
There is no natural "rightness," only a system that works as we desire. (And not that there is anything wrong with such a desire. Wanting a world more free of prejudice, for example. )
08 Aug 2010, 2:09 am
