It's 10 am and already I'm talking political theory.
I've been feeling a little lackluster in the blogging arena lately. Perhaps it's because I've chosen to stay [relatively] neutral in terms of political posts or maybe because on some level, what's happening lately isn't sparking my interest in the slightest. The economy and political scandals, housing crises and mudslinging are all issues that, while important, are overshadowing so many other things that are consistently on my mind. And it always feels like there's nothing I can do about any of it.
Okay. Stick with me here for a moment, because things are going to get a bit heady. I'm an admirer of Hannah Arendt: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hannah_Arendt. A brilliant woman with a lot to say, Arendt was a political theororist who explored (amongst many other things) the idea of creating something new, or in her words, action. Simply stated (so simply, it doesn't really do this any justice) turning ideas into action is the highest level of human existence. The movement from democracy as an idea to a functioning form of government constitutes action in Arendt's view (her book, "The Human Condition" details this theory... and does so magnificently). It's a fancy thing to explore this theory in the arts, where ideas made visible is the basis for the entire endeavor; automatism, existentialism and Jackson Pollack might be a good example.
But back to how all of this relates to my inability to blog. So agreeing strongly with Arendt on the idea of making ideas tangible, visible or concrete makes me a little sad whenever I read the paper or turn on the T.V. Because really, we can all be mouthpieces for any number of causes or ideas, but the action seems to be lacking all the time. We can talk about strengthening our education system to provide equal opportunity for all of our children, but I'd like to see it put into action broadly (we're lucky here in Denver to have a school system that is ardently working to accomplish this - but I'm not sure that's the case elsewhere). We can talk about running campaigns with no personal attacks, but it never ceases to devolve into just that (again, I'm feel privileged to be in Denver - our current Mayor John Hickenlooper when running for office the first time promised to run a campaign about the issues and not personal indictments on other candidates. And he did. And he won. And he ran for a second term ostensibly unopposed. So for anyone who thinks that mudslinging is the way to go, I disagree. Our fantastic Mayor proves that to be true.). So we've not gone so far to widely put any of our ideas into action. And here's how this all relates to Cinemocracy: I would like to see if you or anyone you know is putting ideas into action. Are you angry that many first graders can't read? Did you start an after school reading program in your area to try and fix the problem? If you did, I want to see it. I want to feel hopeful that others are out there turning ideas into action and making a better world out of it. So make a film and post it here. You'll have my attention.
What am I doing to turn ideas into action, you ask? Okay. I'll tell you. I've been at my job about a year. When I decided to apply for a job in a government arts agency, it took awhile for me to reconcile my beliefs in Arendtian action with not knowing if I could actually make any of the changes I believe in. And I came to this conclusion: I think that arts and culture shouldn't be the provenance of the elite and wealthy. But rather, the arts should be available to anyone who wants to engage in dialogue about contemporary issues (or even enjoy a symphony concert in a park). Because nothing sparks conversation more than art and culture. So in my position, I get to provide free, cultural opportunities for anyone interested in taking me up on it. In effect, I get to make this arts thing more accessible and pedestrian And all that means is that I get to make good on the idea that anyone can become involved with the arts.
Alright... enough proselytizing about Hannah Arendt and such intellectual things. Right now, I'm really interested in what's for lunch. Rick, I'm hoping for Indian food.
And hey, Cinemocracy is now on YouTube! Find us at: www.youtube.com/cinemocracydotorg.
And finally, a little hello to Eileen at the Denver Film Society! She's the one reading this blog and I thank her for it. Shameless plug: the Denver Film Society is supported by memberships, and Eileen is the queen bee of that program. Information on joining this great organization is available at www.denverfilm.org/join.G
