"We all know that art is not truth. Art is a lie that makes us realize truth. At least the truth that is given us to understand." (Pablo Picasso)
In any and every political season, I find myself burning a low-grade anger. Mostly, it's the lies. Political speech is foreshortened. It's deliberately lacking depth or distance. I care so much about my country and about public policies that help people and the creation. I sound like a pollyanna, but every year, I find myself wishing political speech were more high-minded, deeper, and more humane.
I can't remember ever being satisfied on that account.
The saving grace I find in the coarse texture of politics comes through a comparison between its untruthfulness and that of art. When politicians bend, foreshorten, or amend the truth, they are, perhaps, telling us more of the truth than may be immediately apparent. Broad strokes, sharp angles--deciphering the truth is an interchange between the performer and the audience.
It's not exact representation we're really seeking--in art or politics. But the burden of disentangling truth from the rhetoric lies upon the observer or the citizen. You and me. We can't expect objective truth to be handed to us. We are invited to perceive it.
The real kicker is that perhaps political rhetoric HAS to be deceitful in order to be truthful.
I highly doubt any politician could win an election saying
ReplyDelete"Look, if you want services, you gotta pay for them, so taxes may rise. Ill try to limit them, but I cant promise anything. Im a decent guy/gal, but yeah in college I did some wacky stuff, and you may find out I inhaled. I go to church when I can, and I am not so sure about the God thing anyway...
We don't want the truth, we want ators who will tell us what we want to hear, and keep gas prices low, taxes low, but give us jobs, jobs, jobs. We want the ideal ( which is impossible)
Here in Ky we are facing the Rand Paul/Jack Conway showdown, which has become nationally covered for some reason. Just this week a Rand Paul supporter stomped on the head of a Conway supporter......lovely. This is where the political climate has brought us. Folks stomping on each others heads.