Reboot Alberta

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Why Does Harper Hate Ordinary Working Artists?

Stephen Harper thinks artists are not worthy of public support. Not surprising. Good to see the event in Montreal last night where a protest concert was organized by artists to send him a message. Artist need to do more of this all over Canada. And they need to show up, vote, and defeat this Harper government.

Harper frames artist as “…on the TV…(with) a bunch of people at a rich gala, all subsidized by the taxpayer.” Boy, if that is the image Harper has of the ordinary working artist in Canada he lives in a fantasy world. That is so far from the reality of the “ordinary working artist.” The ordinary working artis are the very same people Harper says is not valued by other “ordinary working people.” Spare me sir!

Go to the Fringe Festival in Edmonton Mr. Harper, if you ever visit Edmonton again after us again after tomorow. You will see the talent, determination, perspiration, boldness and unabashed creativity of hundreds of ordinary working artist. This is far from your condescending characterizations of the “rich gala on television” set. This kind of artistic event, and thousands of other like it all over the country, represents the real world work of the culturally creative people of Canada.

This Neo-Con attitude is more of the malicious message manipulation Harper has honed in his pursuit of personal political power. It is tailored to the radical Conservatives in his base audience. It is intended to convey a negative image of good folks who simply use their talent, skills and crafts in ways to add meaning, value, insight and yes, even some entertainment, to our lives.

It is not like Harper does not know exactly what he is talking about when he says to the effect that “taxpayer subsidies are not something that resonates with ordinary working people.” He is right. Consider this. What is the taxpayer resonance of the negative television election campaign ads that are at centre of the dark heart of the Conservative Party “creative competitive culture?” Each and every negative campiagn attack ad was also paid for by taxpayer subsidized dollars.

Political party contributions are amongst the most highly taxpayer subsidized donations in the country. Those subsidized dollars can be used for partisan political purposes and even apply some “artistic license.” By that I mean those partisan negative political attack ads can just lie and mislead with impunity.

I know how that resonates with ordinary working people. Harper can lie and tell half truths in election advertising and even have the gall to cheat the system by running the ads before the election campaign spending controls kick in. And he still can make the ordinary working taxpayer subsidize those ads for him and his political purposes. Because the political party donor dollars are all income tax deductible and election campaign expenses are also highly subsidized by taxpayer dollars.

Given the chance to subsidize real artists doing real culture creative work that adds to our collective well- being as a society sure resonates with me. It resonate more with me than when I have to see my tax dollars going to subsidize some bullying politician like Mr. Harper. It is especially angering when that same bullying politician wants to reduce my democracy and mislead the public for personal power purposes and is being subsidized by my taxpayer dollars to boot.

Shame on you yet again Mr. Harper! You seem intent on dividing us instead of uniting us as citizens and as a country. Worse than that, your mean-spirited bullying political ploys and tactics show that you are better at MISLEADING THAN LEADING.

Danny Williams is right. Vote Anybody But Conservative. This is especially true if you value your freedoms of speech and expression as a citizen of Canada. That is what is at stake if Mr. Harper wins this election.

9 comments:

  1. Anonymous6:52 pm

    Gee Ken,

    Lighten up, only far left and far right wingers are "supposed" to not have a sense of levity... bring on some humourous Ken.

    The election seems to make your postings seem more and more like rants.

    I would like to mention the free market heavy lifting that artists play in urban redevelopment. [a much over looked function in my view]

    It is well documented that poor and seedy areas of urban settlements in the USA are "colonized" by the low income creative types that can't afford studio space in the 'better parts of town'. (With pressures on arts groups in Canada we are seeing similar affects. 118th Ave; Virginia Park, iHuman are some examples in Edmonton) These folks are intrepid pioneers and when enough of them get together in an area, cafes, etc. start to spring up, then craft shops, and edge-ee galleries.... which bring in the hip opinion leaders of the middle classes... and once they are less afraid in these areas... the developers and condos follow....

    the colonizing creative types that can not afford the galas (average art type wage $24k/ annum in Canada) move to a new district and the pattern repeats... oh yes a few of the successful "gala" artists may stay in condo heaven to add "local colour".

    Now imagine the devastation to our urban renewal non-programs if the artists actually got a living wage and did not all live and work in those marginal and scary urban areas.... where would our developers get the nod from, who would determine the next cool place to live. How would the rest of us find out that the poor are not scary?

    Ken, please think a bit before you take too much of a strip off the Conservatives, or any other party for that matter, for reducing arts funding... look what artists with the underfunded model are doing for US cities... this is starting to happen here... you want to mess with this?

    Did you invite Richard Florida to the Uof T business school??? It is no joke that he heads "the prosperity institute" at the UofT Rothmans School of Business....


    greengirl

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  2. I'm a computer programmer. Can I have a government handout too?

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  3. Sure can Mutton Chops - if you are creative and cutting edge and not just doing pro froma stuff.

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  4. Anonymous10:48 pm

    I paint crap on a wall. Can I have a government handout too?

    Ken, your post just reassures Canadians that the Liberals are not to be trusted with our economy. If the industry cannot sustain itself without government handouts, then we do not need the industry. Let us spend it on health care or child care spaces or child tax credits.

    The Liberals have promised more money in spending than the NDP! They have totally alienated the fiscally conservatives members of the party.

    Dion cannot be trusted. Dion is not a leader. Do not take the risk.

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  5. Anonymous11:20 pm

    Sorry Mutton Chops

    Prior to the election, the Conservatives cancelled the new media funds that have built the depth of talent and media heavies that are in the country today. Too bad they cancelled it, eliminating building of those people and businesses that would be the mainframes and biowares of the future. Typical lack of vision from neo con monkey boys.

    Given time they'll drive the stake through the heart of every canadian economic sector, even the oil industry. Tory times are *always* tough times.

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  6. Harper needs to control proproganda to hang on to and expend his power.

    The problem is Artist have creative ideas to get the truth out. Something Harper can not afford.

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  7. Anonymous8:24 am

    "Danny Williams is right. Vote Anybody But Conservative. This is especially true if you value your freedoms of speech and expression as a citizen of Canada."

    How do you come to this conclusion because of the arts cuts? Rights and freedoms of expression does NOT include the government funding you.

    Your posts are now like desparate rants from someone who has realized he has lost. Ken, Canadians are going to vote in a way that shows they reject your so-called liberal values. And you liberals deserve it - your party is weak on crime, weak on the environment, weak on the economy, and, most importantly, weak on leadership.

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  8. Anonymous9:09 am

    Harper doesn't hate artists. He hates the fact that they expect all taxpayers to fund their livelihood. Only a far left winger would suggest otherwise.

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  9. Go to the Fringe Festival in Edmonton Mr. Harper, if you ever visit Edmonton again after us again after tomorow. You will see the talent, determination, perspiration, boldness and unabashed creativity of hundreds of ordinary working artist.

    He might just do that. And what, pray tell, will this supposed group of "ordinary" artists put on? A bunch of plays promoting sodomite-marriage, scare-mongering about some "global warming" disaster, and cheap shots at commercial entities and right-wing personalities.

    As I have said many a time, the day that these "artists" contain so much a 25% conservatives, perhaps they might deserve the attention of conservative politicians. Until that day, you're just placating a group of people who's dangerous beliefs should never become national policy.

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