Friday, February 06, 2009
Shafer makes a pitch for the marketplace of ideas
Glad to see that the press punditry is catching up with us on this matter.
We have to say that contrary to the stereotype, nothing has effected us as much as journalism in swinging us away from our socialistic (Trotskyite) leanings. In our news business we have found an imperfect beauty to the workings of the much hated capitalism.
We assert the obvious connection of art to ideas in framing this discussion. We also acknowledge (look at our Alexa ranking) the practice of art for art's sake. But as our societies developed, we found the means to produce and pay for art. Support for these cultural expressions has steadily progressed from a dependence on patrons, churches and governments to a broader popular support. Whatever form the model took, this support meant fruition for the art.
American society found the means and mechanisms for the fruition of ideas; an imperfect process largely determined by our brand of democracy. We cannot see a regression from popular support (willing to pay) for ideas and information to a model of large moneyed patrons as being good.
Inherent to the popular support model are checks to the likes of a Murdoch: The patron model offers little protection against the Medici. ¶ 2/06/2009 01:21:00 PM
We have to say that contrary to the stereotype, nothing has effected us as much as journalism in swinging us away from our socialistic (Trotskyite) leanings. In our news business we have found an imperfect beauty to the workings of the much hated capitalism.
We assert the obvious connection of art to ideas in framing this discussion. We also acknowledge (look at our Alexa ranking) the practice of art for art's sake. But as our societies developed, we found the means to produce and pay for art. Support for these cultural expressions has steadily progressed from a dependence on patrons, churches and governments to a broader popular support. Whatever form the model took, this support meant fruition for the art.
American society found the means and mechanisms for the fruition of ideas; an imperfect process largely determined by our brand of democracy. We cannot see a regression from popular support (willing to pay) for ideas and information to a model of large moneyed patrons as being good.
Inherent to the popular support model are checks to the likes of a Murdoch: The patron model offers little protection against the Medici. ¶ 2/06/2009 01:21:00 PM
