Art is for Morons at AoSHQ

Art

Long before a certain drunken would-be tyrant segregated huge segments of Americans into a basket of Deplorables, some brave souls had already self-identified as a Moron Horde.

This endearment refers to the proud followers of the mighty Ace of Spades HQ blog. It’s a site I visit multiple times daily, eager for the latest sardonic commentary on the news of the day. The humor there is biting, the wit caustic, the tone irreverent. Ace is a nice counterbalance for all the serious yet prim hot takes offered throughout so many other sites of the conservative blogosphere. Because despite it’s studiously immature style, the analysis on Ace is sharp and illuminating. Its consistent disrespect towards pretentious elites is a fine old American tradition, and is especially needed these days, as we enter a new phase of the existential struggle for the future of this nation.

As an artist, a regular feature of Ace caught my attention. It’s called the Mid-Morning Art Thread. Usually on weekday mornings, after an effective aggregate of the daily news arranged by moderator J.J. Sefton, another moderator, CBD, posts an image of a work of art to start a new thread. (CBD stands for “Charlie Brown’s Dildo.” That’s a mental image I work very hard to resist.)

A great range of works have been displayed, from Old Masters to art of this century, and everything in between. Occasionally a contributor named Kris will add some intelligent art historical analysis of the piece. The self proclaimed Morons are free then to comment, though it is requested the first 100 comments stay on the art topic at hand. Once a new thread gets started later in the day, comments are closed for the Art thread, so time is short. Being Ace, the commentators don’t hold back.

The art works offered up inspire snap judgments, a whole range of reactions: praise, abuse, informed anecdotes, puns, limericks, lewdness, inside jokes and pop culture references all appear in rapid fire succession. It’s endlessly entertaining. But I feel there’s something important happening here, mixed in with the calls for “more bewbs” and warnings about where snipers might be concealed in the artistic scenery.

I’ve written before about how the Postmodern establishment is working hard to exterminate the experience of real art from our culture. They believe, correctly, that losing art will undermine our society, and make us easier to control. They have been hugely successful.

For example: Quick, name your favorite living American artist.

If you are like most people I’ve met from outside the art bubble, you can’t do it. You don’t have one. Elitist mismanagement has marginalized the arts in the West, and caused a crisis of relevance. We have not lost art, it has been stolen from us.

Part of this theft is to cut us off from our artistic heritage, the art of more creatively accomplished ages not degraded by the Postmodern disease. Per the latest corrupt Ivy League agenda, the soaring achievements of the past are now nothing but grist for the grievance mill, yet another field to be choked out by Wokeness.

Another part of the stealing of art has been accomplished by over-intellectualizing it. The assumptions of academia have indoctrinated us all into the “correct” ways to think about art. This pedantic approach is used as a weapon to convince people art is not for them, just because they don’t “get” the pieces of politicized crap our cultural institutions have inflicted on us as surrogates for real art.

The Mid-Morning Art Thread is a remedy to that totalitarian snobbery. It gives us a straightforward presentation of our legacy, offered up freely to the public for their insights, appreciation or rejection, no Yale stamp of approval needed.

People don’t need to “get” real art; you experience it. It’s a visceral reaction, open to everyone. Honestly it’s probably impossible to put into words just why it makes you feel the way you do, but you know it when you see it. The more you see of it, the richer your life becomes.

The elites want you to live in spiritual poverty. By consistently putting artworks in front of an audience that might not have realized how art is vital to their human development, the Ace Mid-Morning Art Thread is creating wealth beyond measure. These sarcastic Moron pundits are doing their part to carry on the glory of Western Civilization, at the same time our ruling classes are doing their worst to try to bring it down.

As I state in my book, Remodern America: How the Renewal of the Arts Will Change the Course of Western Civilization:

Postmodernism has been a Trojan horse for the same old power games that have kept humanity at bay for eons. Postmodernism is a betrayal of America’s ideals and accomplishments; Postmodernism has caused much damage acting treacherously from inside our own cultural institutions. The elites had a great vision for America. They would wreck our culture and trash our heritage, and be the managers over our decline. They’ve been implementing their program for at least 100 years. However, in their long march through the institutions, they overlooked part of what makes America unique. We aren’t compelled to follow our “leaders.” We definitely aren’t going to follow them off a cliff. Many compare the United States to earlier empires that declined and fell. The familiar pattern is happening here and now. Elitist mismanagement and ennui is encouraging social breakdowns. History demonstrates it’s only a matter of time until the barbarians overrun their dominion. The existing society will be overthrown by primitives from outside the complex system of assumptions and niceties cherished by the ruling class. The great news is, here in the United States, we are our own barbarians. Understand the current upper echelons are predominately not representative of the American way of life. They’ve been compromised by Postmodern delusions about their own omnipotence, and it’s ruined them. They should have studied Classical literature. It clearly warns about the perils of hubris. To these upper crust pretenders, nothing is more backwards and uncivilized than their own fellow citizens, who cling to such notions as God, guns, and honor. Yet these traditional Americans are exactly the people who are best positioned to put an end to the current elitist shenanigans for good. Far from not understanding their Postmodern poses, we understand them all too well. It will be traditional Americans who rise up to clear away the rubble of the establishment’s failures and decadence. America has an amazing record of achievement, when we put our values into action. We have the wisdom which Postmodernists thought they were too smart to need. America isn’t dying. It’s the artificially imposed Postmodern worldview which is disintegrating. Remodern Americans will carry on, better than ever.

Edit: Welcome Instapundit readers! Please visit other articles for more commentary on the state of the arts.

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