Burning Ken Burns

the US Census didn't start measuring for Latinos until 1970. But today, they're America's largest ethnic group. A striking example of how fast demography becomes destiny. Less than 40 years ago the percentage of Latinos in the U.S. were so small they were not even worth measuring. The mind boggles.

This yet another reason to simply end government funding of the arts. This is something private foundations can handle just fine.

So, who is the Latino Al Sharpton?

...the utter arrogance of the arts bureaucracy, and the contempt they had for legitimate questions and concerns....If a majority of the American people don't want their tax dollars to pay for sadomasochistic and pornographic art, they have the right in our democracy to refuse to pay for it. So, Rod, you're part of the war against art. Can you explain to us why you hate art so much?--that is, if there's a more specific reason than the fact that conservatives hate art.

Bruce: Actually, the article you linked to denies this is what happened. "It was erroneously reported, by a writer who had not attended the performance, that the audience had been exposed to HIV-positive blood." Not true. This is spin. I wrote about the controversy at the time. It happened at the Walker in Minneapolis. As I recall, I spoke to at least one person who had been present, and talked to others in Minneapolis with direct knowledge of the show and the controversy (and who were NOT conservatives). Athey did in fact send out some sort of tissues soaked in his own blood out over the audience. Whether or not this constitutes "exposure" in the mind of the artist and/or the LA Times reporter is perhaps a medical distinction. But he did what he did. UPDATE: Forgot to add that videotape of the event exists. I've seen it. Note too that the LATimes piece to which I linked was written by a longtime friend of Athey.

Eric W: As Asif Mandvi said on The Daily Show, "if you're darker than a caramel, the Reverend Al speaks for you".

Ah, PBS, the folks who give us endless hours of Michael Flatley. A real beacon of culture . . .

Have you seen an American history textbook recently? Authors have had to sharply curtail their coverage of key events to make room for minor accomplishments, if those minor accomplishments happen to involve women or minorities. It's more than an annoying political correctness. It really is a false view of history, because it gives students the impression that discrimination was easily and routinely overcome.

I'm really tempted to leave hanging the question of whether or not my comment from last night is a joke, but can't quite bring myself to do it. Yes, I'm kidding, as far as my own views are concerned. However, what I said was lifted pretty much verbatim from any number of comments I heard from "the arts community" during the NEA wars.

As our demography changes, we'll have more ethnic bickerign to look forward to. I can't wait...

Ah, PBS, the folks who give us endless hours of Michael Flatley. A real beacon of culture I'd rather have Flatley than the 50s & 60s music group reunions they constantly play on my local stations.