Fiddling With Fire
I enjoyed Cincinnatus Hibbard’s Aug. 6 piece on The Museum of International Propaganda; fascinating subject, well told. But it left me thinking about how the implicit biases of local media, including the Bohemian and Pacific Sun, might be shaping what we see—and what we don’t. By focusing so much on the vitality of the local arts, are we not ignoring the obvious cultural apocalypse we’re living through?
I’m all for coverage of the arts (God knows, we need beauty, meaning and a little escapism), but at what cost? The world outside our gallery openings and music festivals is a dumpster fire of political instability, environmental collapse and creeping authoritarianism. It’s hard not to feel that we’re distracting ourselves into oblivion.
And then there’s the optics: Putting a “professional” air guitarist on the cover of the Bohemian is charming on one level, but isn’t it also the modern version of Nero fiddling while Rome burns? I’m not saying we shouldn’t celebrate creativity, but maybe—just maybe—we should also keep our eyes on the bigger picture, even if it’s uncomfortable to look at.
Micah D. Mercer
North Bay
Micah, I hear you—but the arts, and our dedication to covering them, isn’t fiddling while Rome burns. Art is the bucket brigade. It carries meaning, empathy and vision across the firebreak. Without it, we’re just spectators to the flames—with it, we stand a chance of imagining and building something better from the ashes. Moreover, it starts conversations … like this one.
—Daedalus Howell, Editor
