Courtesy of Vanity Fair
Trump’s name is synonymous with vanity. As a New York entrepreneur, he profited by plastering his name on as many buildings as he could. That same hubris marks his presidency. Recently, he carved his name on the U.S. Institute of Peace Building, a nonprofit organization that receives government funding. When no one questioned his behavior, he floated the idea that the Kennedy Center should be renamed to honor him.
Since the performing arts center has faltered during his leadership, it’s fair that he should take the credit, in my view.
He’s not the first would-be tyrant who has sought to control Art. But unlike his predecessors, who feared its power to rally dissent, Trump seems beguiled by its glitter. In so many ways, excess attracts him.
Plato banned artists from The Republic, his utopian view of governance, because he believed they were untrustworthy. He had a point. As the poet Ezra Pound reminded us, art is unpredictable. Its obligation is to reveal what was previously unknown.
Two poets in an upcoming edition of Just Read It, my book talk show, made the same observation, which, by the way, isn’t Pound’s but can be traced to the Bible. Both artists interpreted “new” to mean discovery. Centuries of evolution are necessary to make a diamond, for example. Yet, when we discover it in the dirt, it is new to us. Ideas are similar. They remain unseen until we are ready to understand them. Art acts as a portal to what’s possible.
Tech bros may flatter themselves that AI is their invention. Being narrow thinkers, they fail to see that what they revere is human creativity, a capacity that extends beyond their algorithms. Artists turn their backs on formulas. Beauty is their tool–a device deemed potent because it can stun the mind.
Donald Trump and those of his tribe will never experience the power of revelation, a prize more valuable than money. Let them carve their names a thousand times upon the Muse’s temple; they are barred from entering. “Lord! What Fools these mortals be.” (Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act 3, scene 2, William Shakespeare.)
BOYCOT: Tesla, Apple, and Amazon
