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In 2015, two events highlighted the state of Western culture today: the premier of the film “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” and the publication of the book Notes on the Death of Culture: Essays on Spectacle and Society , by Mario Vargas Llosa. Notes on the Death of Culture is a brilliant and challenging work that argues for the vital importance of high culture in human flourishing and the health of societies. “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” is a piece of junk that serves as a prime example of the cultural collapse Llosa describes in his autopsy.
With amazing lucidity, Llosa drives to the heart of a devastating problem in the West: the erosion of genuine culture. While culture can certainly encompass comic books, movies, and pop songs—I love all three—increasingly we have lost sight of, and appreciation for, the more complex and challenging works of art that can more deeply change us. Llosa cites books by T.S. Eliot, James Joyce, Homer, and Nietzsche; works of art by Picasso, Rembrandt, and Seurat; and plays by Chekhov, O’Neill, Ibsen, and Brecht as examples of things that “enriched to an extraordinary degree my imagination, my desires and my sensibility.”
One thing all of these works have in common is the great effort involved in creating them and the effort it takes to consume them, at least if we are to truly understand them. Great works of culture should change who we are. They should also attempt to engage with complex cultural and spiritual issues. But with the democratization of culture, the digital revolution, and the elimination of middle and high brow culture in favor of pop culture, this is all too rare. Llosa argues: “Now we are all cultured in some way, even if we have never read a book, visited an art […]
We Often Feel Like David Taking on Giants
Today’s Goliath is the Mainstream Media Industrial Complex that brainwashes the masses.
Our mission is very straightforward: To counter the false narratives and nefarious agendas destroying America today. It isn’t easy for obvious reasons; despite incredible growth over the last year we are still a very tiny fish in a huge media pond. But we’re fighting and we will continue to do so, Lord willing, for as long as we possibly can. The battle for America’s present and future is too important for us to back down to the giants that stand in our way.
We need help. I don’t want to say “desperately,” but the need is definitely great. If you have the means, please donate through our GivingFuel page, PayPal, or our Substack page. Your generosity is what keeps these sites running and allows us to get the truth to the masses. We’ve had great success in growing but we know we can do more with your assistance.
Thank you, and God Bless!
JD Rucker