The Tyranny of Vulnerability

The Tyranny of Vulnerability:

Now, still in the Crisis, although the worst first onslaught seems to be over, at least until the second wave reaches us, the mind goes out to art, wants distraction again, experience, aesthetic challenge and performance. And is immediately thrown back as if hurled against a wall. The sad fact remains, that Art, specifically art in music, concerts, theater, dance are still among the things we are not allowed to enjoy in public or together with many people. For this joy we have still to wait. I very much miss having these “profound experiences of Art“ and long for the time they are to be enjoyed again. 

And so it is doubly sad to be forced to observe a tendency in recent years, ever becoming stronger, of groups in society, in social behaviour, to criticise, condemn and even ban art (painting, photography, video, film, theatre, opera, literature) for alleged insults and injuries to sensitivities.

It is sad to see this tendency coming from a mostly young, internet affin clientele, from people who seem to define themselves solely by being “different”,  by belonging to an assumed minority (vegan, gay, trans, feminist, gluten intolerant, birdsong allergic ...) and therefore feel entitled to claim more rights for themselves than others. Their sole purpose of living seems to be being a victim or being just “different“. Sadly the fact that usually a person is much more complex than just being gay, vegan, trans, (… you name it), seems to be forgotten. 

I call this The Tyranny of Vulnerability.

If everything which could evoke a feeling of insult would lead to a ban, then the door opens to an unsustainable state of things, since potentially everything could be insulting to someone. This development would be the end of all freedom of art.

In a society like ours one has to learn to live and endure contradictions. Not all of them are solvable, some of them we just have to learn to live with and thus continue living the absurdity of life.

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