Month: January 2018

While re-reading the article “Is Art a Waste of Time?” I continued to express frustration with the article but also found myself agreeing. I still believe that money may be the best way to help those in need, but I disagree with the fact that artists are useless. While reading the article for the first time I could see that Rhys Southan was back and forth between whether or not art was a waste of time, most likely because that is his passion. What I did not realize when reading the first time or at least did not think much about was that while he was trying to understand how artists may not be valuable, Robert Wiblin, who is the executive director of the Centre for Effective Altruism, claimed that he “would really love to have some artists” (Page 437).  He also stated that they need visual designers and would like to see how they could promote art. It showed me that not only are the artists hesitant on how to react about the debatable subject but so are people who are committed and work for the group.  I was also more disappointed by the fact that the group “wants everyone to be happy and fulfilled” (Page 436), yet they encourage that artists stop wasting their time doing what they love and donate money. This is a reasonable argument when taking in account the lives of people in need, but may be hypocritical for them to say in the first place.

Glossing over the text once more gives your mind and eyes another chance to analyze the text. When first reading the article I was confused by Southan’s wording when he stated: “We were already halfway there when my second reasoning for going threatened to undermine my first” (Page 435). I did not understand the arrangement of his words and decided to move on rather than refer back to his point before. By refreshing my mind on the word undermine (http://www.dictionary.com/browse/undermine) and giving myself another chance to read it again, I realized what he was saying. His second reason for going, which was to learn more about the EA goals and do something else with his life, threatened his first reasoning for going which was to work on finishing his script. This is due to the fact that the EA believes art is not the right way to give to the needy and defeats the purpose of the group’s mission.

Art is a controversial subject to the article written by Rhys Southan who realized the group he has joined, also known as Effective Altruism, does not believe his creative style of film making is helping those who are suffering in this world.  Southan states, “Like Hilton, most of them seemed doubtful that art had much power to alter the world for the better” (Page 436). The members of Effective Altruism like Hilton believe that art is a waste of time and resources, when people could be working hard and giving the money they earned to those in need. Although money helps better those in a poor situation by purchasing food, water, medicines and more for them, art is a way to promote donations and bring awareness. I see art as being a creative way for talented people to grasp the attention of those who are not artists but can still appreciate it. An artist can paint or write about people in need or a problem in the world and make it appeal in an emotional sense for other citizens. These citizens then feel the need to help by donating money to those in need, but in order for donations to be received, awareness needs to take place and art is one of the best forms of presentation. Also, I find it frustrating because not all people can afford, as much as they work, to give away their money to other people as much as they would like to. Art is often a cheaper way for them to use their talent to reach out to others who may be able to help in greater amounts.

This article also quotes the idea that, “Artists, meanwhile, paint the beautiful landscape in from of them while the rest of the world burns” (Page 437). This may be true in some circumstances but the article brings a harsh tone while stating this. I found this as being negative when there does not have to be a negative aspect to it. There can be positivity in people who see the good in the world because it motivates them to better the environment. It is also not the case for all artists. There are many talented artists who paint landscapes and other things that can be disturbing because it brings awareness to their audience and opens up the eyes of people who need to start making a difference.  Although there are some points  within this article that I agree with, such as we sometimes waste our time when we could be saving lives, and that money is a big step in helping those in need, I also believe that it can be too narrow minded. Everyone is in a different position and art can be just as useful as money can in some situations.