Culealipis>"Therefore, I hereby charge the "Cultural Elite" with having been ignoring the need to make Art real by making Art be about the real work of staying alive, rather than corrupting young girls with flattery about how good they look naked."

If art were dictated by idiots, you would have mediocre rubbish. Honestly, just shut up. Do artists tell farmers how to farm? Or economists how to do economics? Where does your presumption and arrogance come from? Last time I checked society dictating what artists produce, it was communists producing their "art for the people"...the thought that many Australians must share your opinion is greatly disturbing. All that propaganda about "the social good" and "for the good of the country" has become a frankenstein...

JHH>"australia does not want a society of gamblers and pornography
of that I am sure of"

JHH, since when was "Australia" an entity to be invoked to assert what can only be described as a totalitarian agenda? Only a communist or similar would write like that...where the hell do you people hide in society? If only normal people knew what passed for opinion here on OLO, I think they would be absolutely horrified. I really do know what they mean now when they refer to Australia's ugly (and seemingly vast), sick underbelly...I'm going to guess for a minute but I think you are all concentrated in South Australia and perhaps Queensland. Is this true?

It's OK steely, but remember: the star-shaped block goes into the star-shaped hole. Ergo "if art were dictated by idiots, you would have idiotic art" [Seems to cover the topic well enough].

Pay no attention to their rude and naughty cackling. They just don't understand, and they're really just jealous because they know your special. And some of them probably are naughty communists too, as you cleverly warned us.

Steel, if you are trying to charge me with being a non-artist, dictating to the REAL Artists, that Art needs to be about how life continues to exist; then perhaps you are a little mistaken about me, but I hold to my belief in what Art is.

However, rather than tell you that you ought to make your own Art be about life, you can just go ahead and be my guest to make your art tell the story of death if you prefer.

hi all, hi steel,
re my remark australia does not want a country of gamblers and
pornographers

perhaps I did make a broad wash here
however I live in australia and to me from personal experience
gambling, and pornography is a escalating problem here

look up Andrei Sychev, russian cadet 18 year old, who lost both his legs, fingers,
and penis due to bullying just a few years ago
this is ongoing with others, and many of them
the gov is being perceived to doing something about it
this might give you an idea of my observances

I lived next to a 28 year old gambler, his mother, her boyfriend,
his girlfriend, and three children, one of the children
was fathered by a herion addict, this in a small two bedroom
flat
he came and went with tirades and daily borrowing of 5 plus dollars
every day, many times a day, for a year
I had to listen to the emotive bullying which was highly
aggressive for all that time

and his 5 year old boy, not going to school, and who already
thought that you made money gambling
needless to say there was serious mental abuse to the kids
and physical abuse

gambling is predominant on our tv shows, and so is bullying....
gambling including sms and phone

is this not conditioning ?

and while I am at it, how come on late tv one night
they said 5 russian ladies, to ring for photos, of the nude ilk
why not 5 australian ladies, so insulting

regards JHH