I realize that I tend to be a broken record, but I must confess again to being busy. Or rather I have a lot of items I want to get done and therefore I prioritize. When you start making lists, then something has to be at the bottom. In the 2013, that was engagement with the Internet. I have largely been a passive consumer of the Internet this year. It's not really a bad thing, as there are lots of people more than willing to fill the void of my silence and, as my dad says, the Internet is a piggy bank of everyone's two cents.
Still there were some topics that floated up over 2012 that give me a small pinch of regret that I have not explored further; grit in the boot that needles my mind as I go about my day. In view of what else I have done and discussed, I will not lose sleep over it. Yet they are questions and I'm a curious sort of guy. I'll look into them more deeply in 2013, but I will lightly capture the questions here.
1: Prescriptive vs descriptive art; this one is probably only topic that has cut through all circles of friends, coworkers, acquaintances, websites viewed this year. It tends to start with the statement what art is not, usually in the context of why something is not a "good" novel/movie/video game/tv show, then proceeds with a diagnosis that said item is not a novel/movie/video game/tv show. The conclusion is a prescription of what a novel/movie/video game/tv show is. I appreciate the dislike of something due to taste (of which there is no accounting) and dislike of something due to quality (in the broad sense of plot holes, inconsistent dialogue, poor wardrobe choices, lack of budget) but I have been unable to reconcile the idea that a novel is not a novel if the author says its a novel (and it is a fictional story in book format) or tv show is not tv show (when it is filmed and shown installments). How to determine the quality of art without being blinded by taste is a problem I have not come to grips with. The other wrench in the works is whether a piece of art that doesn't connect with me is a matter of good/bad art or simply that I, the recipient, and the artist have knowledge/life experiences too far apart to connect; ships passing in the night. Where is the failure then?
2: How to talk about the news. If I could say one thing that wore on my soul, perhaps since 2006, is that it is harder and harder to find discussions of policy. This might be a failure on my part, but most of my Internet news seems to be more a lengthy political ad campaign and spin then a discussion of what the issue is. The rhetoric seems quite substantial and repetitive with little sense of history or memory. The barometer for me has been the pundit pages. The quality of journalism there seems to be worsening, where I can predict the end of the article by paragraph two. They don't seem to inform or challenge in any real sense, but give a badly written argument that doesn't really force me to think (whether I agree with it or not). I am not sure what the solution is, but thankfully the straight journalism seems to the same as it ever was,
3: The alternative to consumerism this is really a research question, if we stop buying things, experience, and real estate, what is everyone to do? Jobs consolidate, transform, and disappear with technology putting a lot of pressure of the world job market, but as long as people what "stuff" there will be jobs. The current consumption is putting the environment in dire straits (both the built environment and the natural one) and we really need to think about how to consume less. But what is the alternative? I often have this thought when I hear a priest or writer rail against consumerism. It feels like a knee jerk reaction, with little thought that to the number of people who touch a single product in some way to get it to market. Again, how do 6 billion have jobs and not destroy the planet?
That's it. Three questions I hope to look at in 2013. Provided time allows.
S
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