The Grass Roots Movement

Porno Wednesday proved to be a nostalgic blast back into the past of pop culture in America. The stark retro party celebrating the existence of the porn industry in America probably was the most artistic rendering of the tough choices facing American politicians. Here was a campy and almost sentimental reflection of an America gone by, yet under closer scrutiny well does not represent the condition of human sexuality in America today. Instead it represents the excesses that were prevalent in decades of economic prosperity. The Roaring Twenties jump to mind, an era issuing in the “Jazz Age,” something about which F. Scott Fitzgerald often wrote. The feel of this era was dramatically different than the feel of America today, and Wynton Marsalis will be the first to tell you that. “The spirit of jazz music in America is not to be found.” That mainly is because the political and economic infrastructure of the county is in jeopardy. A case can be made about any kind of art, that its creation and showing in ill economic times could be considered superfluous. Glenn Miller would tell you otherwise. In the tumultuous times of World War ll, his band traveled across America providing diversion from the war and dancing enjoyment for millions. Maybe a resurgence of art is what America needs to revitalize her culture. The question raised by Porno Wednesday is one of modernization. America is bursting at the seams to grow. That growth surely will be inhibited if the clothes she is wearing are hand-me-downs that are too small. For America to grow modernism must be understood and embraced, not as a foe of Conservatives but as a plan for reconstruction. At the moment the existing problem is no one in government seems to know the answers. Clinging to remnants of conservative policy once may have worked in America, but as a country ages it is destined to evolve. To remain viable in a global economy America must grow. An examination of modern art, especially Abstract Expressionism could bring insights about the future of America. Why must Washington exist in a vacuum? Unlike past president John F. Kennedy’s presidency, the Bush White house seemed to have no interest in the artistic community in America. Isolating itself from the very life blood of America was a grievous mistake, one that will take time for Barack Obama to correct. At the onset of his adoption of power in Washington, the vacuous black hole of Congress and the media all ready seem to be smothering the President-Elect with social and political baggage. For life to exist there must be freedom. For good ideas to exist there must be no oppression. For ideas to become policy an adroit and politically savvy atmosphere must be created. Is this possible? With the swearing in of the 111th Congress this seems unlikely. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid seem like aging grandparents to Barack Obama. I’m sure it is an image Mr. Obama wants to shed as quickly as possible, yet he is faced with the test presented by Porno Wednesday. How does one shed the failed past history of something while keeping the relationship vital? Obviously cheesy porno movies from the l970’s realistically don’t represent America’s sexuality today. They do contain a necessary history of the country and a blood relationship with the American people. How the porn industry evolved may hold key, and the lock is is the internet. The internet has changed America, but because of the dot com bubble of the early l990’s corporate America has turned a blind eye to her possibilities. In grand tradition it seems if Wall Street cannot reap sizeable and immediate monetary rewards from companies, then they do not deserve to be recognized as fruitful entities. This antiquated view is the antithesis of the American way and is predicating entrepreneurship only deal with “big money.” With this decision to stifle “indy” ideals, America sealed her own economic fate. The field worker was stomped out of existence by the plantation owners. Until Washington realizes a revitalization of the Grass Roots movement is needed in America, the economic turmoil will continue. When America attempts to continue to understand the human condition including her sexuality, steps can be made to become modern.