Mil, when you say the issue is ... "It's Henson's art, ..... " we are merely narrowing perception to a finite commodity with the shallow, process-free, apocalyptic wrath of the Savonarolas. i.e. The matter is settled and non-debatable. This is precisely the democratic deficit that represents the hollowing out of the central processes of democratic life.

I would comment that we have evolved long ago from this frozen-in mindset by offering just a great deal more spirit which is where intelligence evolves. Our spirit implies intelligence, consciousness and sentience. If we consider that we live in co-evolution with what our brains produce then our greatest potential lies in better learning how to learn where the true diversity is diversity of thought, of perspective and of creativity. Rather than assuming that our minds are like savings banks that we or someone else, just make bland deposits to, we need to actively find true diversity which includes an ability to adopt a framework of perspectives that can be inquiring, analytical, critical and evaluative. That is why we have art and science because they raise difficult, sometimes unanswerable questions about who we are and where we are going.

The measure of a society in anyone's value system would place significant emphasis on the core public institutions, places, public procedures and processes important for maintaining and deepening public trust for ensuring active, participatory democracy that enrich our public life at the local, national and global levels.

In Australia we need public debate whether prompted by the Henson exhibition or issues of science like AGW. Open public debate is welcome and important but our pathetic media and politicians rely on spin doctoring and how best to use the news to deceive the public into giving their fascist groups more money or more power.