Artistic Hope and Keeping Artistic Expression FREE

I am worried. I know I am not the only person. America was created as a secular government for a reason. The founding fathers saw what religion did to people. In the early days of the colonies there were hangings and witch trials due to religious driven bigotry, misogyny and fear. The current state of America is moving in a direction away from freedom of speech and Potus is blatantly violating the Constitution by promoting Christianity. Despite the fact some are saying that Potus being Impeached would divide this country further, this division is happening because this Country was not intended to be Christian or Religious at all.

According to the ACLU Artistic Expression (the E in Artistic HOPE), we all have this right with Free Speech. Here is a link to an article explaining this concept. Artistic Expression.

Now I do believe that limited censorship is necessary, when people’s lives are threatened, when children or women are being abused and objectified, and the time old classic, do not yell Fire in a building not burning.

Now you may think by not allowing prayer in schools this some how defies freedom of speech. But there is a reason there is also the clause stating the Government does not have the right to promote religion. By keeping religion out of schools and public work places, it allows people to relate without cause for hate. Children do not know bigotry. It is taught. If kids are taught by their parents a religion, but in school they meet people of different faiths and make friends without the barrier of religious categories then we have a society of tolerance. Parents and kids can still have a faith but we can not have a society where one religion is viewed as superior or just.

I am very disappointed in the actions of the Senate this past week and Potus. I hope the art world pays attention and comprehends the threat these events pose to our very ability to freely chose what we express. Please think as you create how can we get a democracy back. I am sorry but socialism is not the answer. Just look at the history of RUSSIA. It led to violence and corruption. Because when you have a group seeking a Utopia sooner or later someone gets a GOD complex and that leads to a dictatorship.

I took a semester of Political Science in College before I moved on to Economics and Theater. I was also a class short of a minor in creative writing and two classes short of a minor in Music theory. I was a very busy girl in college. I was taught that political government types run along a line with Totalitarianism and fascism and one end and communism at the other. As a history student in high school though I discovered that efforts to create communism inevitably become fascist or a dictatorship. To me it is a circle and where America is its best is when it is in the middle of fascism and communism. We need democracy. We need the equivalency of a Star Trek Federation of tolerance.

I know many artists do not like to get political. But Hitler put artists he did not like into death camps. I think the Art World needs to wake up. I am not telling you to not create art that is based on your beliefs. That would be hypocritical. I am asking you to think about the ramifications of a world without the right to chose ones religion or to chose not to be religious. I am asking you to do one thing that is imperative, VOTE out the people who would destroy the right for all of us to decide how we define art for ourselves.