Space Jawa said:
I have to say, that's a rather...interesting theory on what's at the root of the current economic crisis.
America's chief export, by a very large margin, is intellectual property - software, music, movies, games, etc. Half the world either doesn't buy this stuff or pirates the hell out of it. That's why the current administration has made digital copyright law such an enormous priority; they recognize that 1s and 0s aren't going to prop up our economy if no one's buying them. Personally, I don't think they
should.
Though I'm pretty sure that most the art we have these days is due to people being able to make a profit off of it. So yeah, "Art" can be a job. Or rather, a career.
And yet a sizable portion of the most compelling and important art throughout history was produced by poor men and women who were simply passionate about their work. The idea that money drives everything, including man's very ancient desire to create and innovate, seems insulting. I know I'm offended, but then again, I don't do everything for the promise of a cookie.
If someone wants to make a piece of art in their spare time and give it away for free, they are perfectly entitled to do so. But that doesn't mean an artist should always be expected to do their work with 0 expectation of possible compensation. Especially if it's something that would be far too big to accomplish if they had a paying job to worry about on the side.
The dirty little secret, in this case, is that we are all artists. Yes, some projects require full attention, and that's what gives birth to the career aritst. But that's a mark you have to earn for yourself. It shouldn't be gifted to you based on the time you spend or the choices you make, necessarily. And you shouldn't be entitlted to some ridiculously extravagent lifestyle for your trouble. Although, digressing once more, the tolerance of such extravagence is just another reason why we're in this economic mess.
