This kind of nihilism is the mark of a sort of Straussian bureaucracy of taste and resources. When artists are more talented at getting grants than at making art, you get this sort of thing. Happens in any field where ground truths are either absent or reducible to solipsism.
Conversation
Regular Straussianism is overly respectful attitudes towards “great men” (or more precisely, their high priests).
Bureaucratic Straussian is overly respectful attitudes towards the institutionalized tastes. The *best* outcome is mannerism. The worst is this sort of thing.
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Ultimately the only person who can keep you honest is you. If you’re moderately smart, it’s just too easy to get literate in the taste culture around an institution or powerful individual. You can’t help figuring out how to push buttons to make bank. The challenge is not to.
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It’s even harder to resist temptation when _not_ operating within a coercive taste culture with monopolistic ambitions attracts active hostility. If you happen to make it work without seeking (or worse, refusing) their approval, prepare for hell to rain down.
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Hell hath no fury like a tastemaker scorned. And it’s insecurely attached ones at the margins who are the worst. The ones at the center/top tend to be cheerfully mercenary about being the masters of the grift and tend to be grudgingly respectful if you care enough to stay away.
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I’m puzzled by this phenomenon. Seems like some taste cultures need to keep putting on reductio ad absurdum spectacles to self-calibrate. Whether it is this, or John Cage’s 4’43” or the real fashion show that inspired the Mugatu/Derelicte bit in Zoolander.
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I mean pop culture/low art doesn’t need to do this. McDonald’s doesn’t sell a nothingburger in the form of a paper bag with an empty wrapper. Hollywood doesn’t try to sell you tickets to a 2 hour blank-screen movie. So why does high-art need nihilistic absurdity to calibrate?
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I suspect it has no larger logic beyond simply pre-empting and co-opting criticism and arrogating to itself the sole right to judge itself.
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“You normies cannot possibly criticize us more subtly and cleverly than we criticize ourselves. Now give us taxpayer money or your ancient civilization dies.”
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Replying to
I’m ok with that barbell of public begging vs ridiculous $ laundry grift. Most arts grants just about cover the cost of an empty picture frame, and the aggregate is a single F-22, which also helps ancient civilizations die.
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I think an extra F-22 does less net damage tbh... especially considering it’s barely usable militarily and pretty much an art project too
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“The blue angels — America’s favorite waste of taxpayer dollars” — The Simpsons.
Gotta admit air shows are awesome, even when they feature the biggest white elephant and lemon planes.
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