Andrew bolt's Blog,21/12/15; Best 2015 Cartoons 2015; Artists are rarely excused some are mythologized Arkley, Whitely because it's the nature of Art and Capitalism; Bolt is saying Abbott wasted our $$ on ASIO and they aren't giving value he wants;
"I don’t think anyone’s life should be judged solely or even largely by
two such incidents, and surely not when it’s a life as productive as
Olsen’s. But I wonder how many other Australians - those outside the
charmed inner circle of our culture - would be granted such mercy." Bolt
"
Artists of all kinds seem excused from the usual norms." Tim Blair:
What a load of bullshit the Archibald prize was won by an armed robber who served his time and painted his barrister. Howard Arkley and Brett Whitely drug addicts they didn't live the mythologized existence Bolt makes out . Once your synonymous with value and find the patronage of the wealthy you achieve a glow forgiveness has nothing to do with it. Your indiscretions simply disappear behind the aura built. It has little to do with art and a lot to do with class real or perceived and more to do with the Art industry.
However Bolt overlooks the obvious that individuals need to be explained in terms of their social and historical context and that context differs significantly from Capitalist Socialist other societies. Bolt and Blair's "wonderment" about who is and who isn't forgiven in our society is quite simply answered in class terms and the statistics are there to prove it.
So why was Olsen "charmed"? He was discovered, patronized and commodified not alone but in a milieu of artists and galleries at the time. They were presented to the 1% of patrons as worthy of interest and investment neither a singular nor rare tale in the history of the Australian Art Industry. Melbourne had it's Heidelberg school which was seen as an equivalent. It's not an uncommon story in the Art Industry. It's as normal as the need for never ending new product like models of Rolls and Mercs are needed to show who we are in Capitalist consumer societies.
The majority of artists are not "excused" any more than the majority of us ordinary people aren't. Artists on the whole are in fact treated and rewarded very poorly and more often than not stop doing art because of it. In the main they are not recognized unless commercialized the majority only after death. Has Bolt encouraged his kids to be artists or just the self satisfied consumers using another person's labour for convincing themselves they are socially and upwardly mobile. That they have made it ?
The current PM's Book prize was awarded by a panel which Turnbull reinstalled after Abbott sacked it in favor of 'his' personal choice. That's arrogance and was entirely consistent with Abbott's general attack on all our cultural institutions declaring them too left wing and in need of his fascist revival. How in any way does that jell with any notion of Democracy? It doesn't and is more about conservative control in all areas of our life and culture. Bolt in some vague way tries to suggest the choice made by the new panel reflects badly on Turnbull and disagrees with his concern of domestic violence. Trying to correlate the PM's current concerns with domestic violence with those of a man whose life was set some 50 years ago in an entirely different social context is absurd? Bolt can't bring them together in any cohesive or logical way. Bolt's attempt to disparage Turnbull using Olsen's biography and the PM's book prize is simply the ludicrous act of clutching at straws. It seems Olsen wasn't up to scratch domestically some 50 years ago but neither was our society's attitude to women.
Who are "the charmed" as Bolt calls them? The nature of our class society determines who they are and it's always changing. Who is judged today and for how long is socially determined and that changes over time. Olsen was charmed not because he was an artist but because of his market value. Bolt tried bury Adam Goodes and all he managed to do was embarrass himself. However he did the same to Zacky Mallah and some would say he succeeded despite the fact that what Zacky said 4 months ago was in fact the truth. The Al Nusra Front were and still are supported by Israel and us yet you will never hear that from Bolt.
Bolt has a highly publicized profile but his a personal life is a highly guarded secret. Nobody is privy to his personal life ,what goes on behind his front fence let alone his front door. He is also judged like Olsen. Not however by the excellence but the poverty of his work as a right wing conservative propagandist. He is the tool of a side whose interests he promotes a side that would have believe he is an objective commentator and not a lobbyist. Since the loss of Tony Abbott his glow has diminished and it's is reflected in his plunging Radio and TV ratings. So why hasn't he been dropped by News Corp? Because the business of News Corp is propaganda, influence and lobbying not news They serve their interests and at the moment that's not Malcolm Turnbull. Unlike Olsen Bolt has never really achieved that glow of public admiration or respect he's not talented or charmed he is simply a tool. Artists aren't always charmed either ask Rolf Harris who has rapidly fallen from grace by the general public. However the value of his art work may have increased. Others like Pete Seeger and Frank Hardy who were fabricated and painted by the political class as "subversives". So no all artists are not excused nor are we.
What role does Andrew Bolt think ASIO plays in Australian security some symbolic one only. It seems MPs are off limits as far as Bolt is concerned. ASIO is there not just to be instructed by government but not there to advise as well. It's not just a billion dollar flag a token department to make governments look good. It works with the Muslim community to keep us safe.
In the 40's & 50's ASIO was certainly not that. It was the clandestine and secret police force a tool of government used to intern German and Japanese Australians and ensure 'reds under beds' were known to the likes of Menzies who used it as his personal political police. Like the FBI in the USA ASIO was there to hunt out and destroy lives of Australians who had joined the CPA or where thought to be suspicious and who needed to be neutralised McCarthy style. ASIO ensured some of us living in this country and seen as possibly anti government had an extremely difficult time and had less rights than 'normal' citizens.
This continued throughout the 60's early 70's with anti Vietnam protesters, communists and leaders of most left organizations being vetted so much so the word was passed down that if not given the nod by ASIO they were not be employed in any government areas ask Dr Gary Foley. Mad magazine's black and white spies were truley active and ASIO had a truley political role to play until Whitlam came to power. Whitlam , Hawke, and Keating gave ASIO a much more international & professional role to play. Unlike assisting the killing of 1million Indonesians in 1965.
"It is plainly stupid - a craven surrender - to refrain from criticising
Islam as endorsing violence for fear that Islam’s followers will commit
violence. That alone says all we need to know."
Bolt and News Corp have been clearly singled out as as agent provocateurs making ASIO's job far more difficult under Tony Abbott. Bolt doesn't know better than Australia's leading security agency if he did he might just have been appointed head of the organization. But no he's covering for the Conservative whiteanters in the LNP and it's why he saying MPs are off limits when being given advice quietly. The real question being the person who leaked the 2 phone calls made to News Corp and embarassed ASIO might be revealed. The only persons to gain politically are those Liberal Party conservatives who like Rudd continue to undermine the government.
Tony Abbott can threw $$ at Australia's primo spy agency but that agency is of little importance to Bolt. It was just another Abbott flag to be used when instructed by Abbott's government to act as it's attack dog and go after in this case Muslims along with News Corp propagandizing fascism as patriotism. No professionalism in the spy business for Bolt just simple thuggery. What's sinister here is who lagged on the head of ASIO? Who was it that leaked to News Corp? Whose relationship with News Corp was such it was still a political ally?. Hard to fathom Abbott's renegades in the monkey pod room being the beneficiaries of Bolt's blog.
"A memo to the ASIO boss. Your job is to keep us safe, but not at the cost of curbing debate." Bolt
There is no debate when vilification is one's only purpose. Look how Bolt deflects the blame away from the LNP leaker or leakers and away from the professional advice given by Australian Intelligence to MPs to make their work easier of better use to the country to simply one blaming our PM Malcolm Turnbull. In Abbott's words once spoken loudly through News Corp "whose side are you on " Andrew Bolt? Not on Australia's.
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