They need a wake up call

[Thestavinartist]

I’m an artist , but also a graduate in human health and behaviour . I thought what I’d find was people passionate about shifting this paradigm about the Anthropocene . I’m disappointed because the guys on my degree seem to be motivated by human , personal centred themes in their work , sexuality , political stuff , it’s very focussed on their own needs and narratives . There are some fantastic artists working to give voices to important issues within humanities and politics . But , I’m struggling to find allies in the conservation , eco critical paradigm and this worries me . We’re in deep shit ecologically and I feel like the art world influences the architectural and design world and if we are too busy Arguing about what a woman is they are missing the more important issue of how we can survive climate change . I guess I’m just worried now because if these guys aren’t passionate about saving our ecosystems , who the hell is going to speak for them? No one listens to the scientists , they aren’t sexy and interesting enough. . But the artists are abandoning us ? In favour of naval gazing Into gender ideology ?

Why do you have spaces before a comma?

It’s one’OClock in the morning . English is my second language and I’ve not slept properly In a week. What’s your excuse for being unhelpful and pedantry
rather than offering something constructive?

There's nothing constructive to offer here. You think people are selfish because they focus on their own lives and issues rather than what you want them to focus on.

Your degree should have given you the answer to your question, surely?

YANBU OP, I agree with you. I work with university students, and they’re very political - but it’s never about economic change, capitalism, Brexit, geopolitics or climate crisis: instead, it’s endless obsessing about pronouns and identity and gender ideology.

I want to shake them sometimes and say “wake up! There are really important things going on in the world to be exercised about — more important than your feelings and identity obsessions!” Getting all upset about being misgendered by being called she when you “identify” as “they” is a waste of your fucking time on earth as we all slowly boil to death!

I find it pretty narcissistic and selfish tbh, and it doesn’t make me look kindly on the keyboard warrior faux-activism virtue spiral politics that’s so popular at the moment.

Oh you sweet summer child. Welcome to your first lesson in how your ideals don’t mean shit to other people.

Your thoughts and priorities are just that…yours. If you want to work on something, by all means do it. Hope you find some results, I truly do. But to be really honest those navel gazers as you call them are probably wondering what is wrong with you banging on about the eco systems of tree frogs while there are more important things like…what was it…gender ideology

You’ve put this better than I did . So much better . These young bright people should be focussing on things that can better our chances in the future . There’s so much work to do.

In the nature of debate and conversation please tell me why it’s wrong that I’d like to see students concerned about their future? I’m not trying to say that culture and human diversity isn’t important , of course it is , but we are on the cusp of a major extinction event , we are all about to die anyway. Why on earth aren’t we looking at mitigation of harm there ? Why aren’t we trying to stop that happening or reduce the impact . It’s just odd .

I'm far from a GC feminist, but what you are doing is exactly what you are accusing them.

They could equally say you are naval gazing into climate change.

I can't draw a straight line, but I always understood that artists will create works they are passionate about.
You cannot dictate what they should or should not be passionate about. Anymore than they, or us, can dictate to you what you should be passionate about.

If you want to give a voice to causes you are passionate about, then do it.
Other people giving a voice to their cause doesn't stop you from following your own passions.

It's a shame everyone isn't ready to be educated by you in the ways of righteousness. Must be a bitter pill to swallow.

I think you just need to convince them. You should totally keep telling them they are misguided and wrong.

Taking all comments on board . I’m forever learning. I’m just worried that in a time where we are in so much trouble ecologically that there’s a lack of focus on it . I’m
ecocritical I think humans are part of nature not more important than it and I’d like to see more young people embracing this . I worry for the future . There’s much more hope if we focus on that . That’s all .

And that's fine.

But the way you are coming across, to me anyway, is you are insisting the only cause to focus on is climate change. And all other issues are not important.

You can't dictate what people should be passionate about.

If I want to protest against a war, I will
If I dont want to join greenpeace, I won't.

OP as an artist you can properly appreciate other’s depth or lightness or political points..etc.
Art doesn’t exist to replace politics

I'm with you Thestavinartist.

Seems there's a bit of gaslighting (/dissociation) going on here - keep your ground & here's a hug and smile :)

I am wondering whether

• the mismatch in priorities is a form of dissociation/denial, i.e. collectively - the demise of the planet is just too much to take in
• the above dissociation/denial is borne from despair
• the gender debate/obsession is just the flotsam of a deeper conflict about the deep feminine and masculine in the collective psyche
• that very conflict is also, incidentally, at the root of our planet's demise

x

Completely accept the opinions put across here. thank you. I do appreciate that there are other urgent issues to explore . I just am fixated I suppose on trying to preserve humanity and I know if that if this isnt a priority then shortly we have nothing else to preserve . I love humans , I love the unique ability of our minds to do what they do . But we are just animals on a dying planet , prisoners of our own devise and our behaviour has caused the end of the Holocene. I’m not sure how we make peace with that .

Thank you . I doubt there’s a collective disagreement with the idea of conservationism. More a cognitive dissonance and nihilism based on the fact that no one , in their short lives wants to tackle the idea of the Anthropocene. And Therin lies the problem. Only Buddhists would act in a way that they think will do good in generations beyond their lifetime. But we have to , as educated humans take action now . I don’t want to die knowing my granddaughter will be short of food , she’s a tiny beautiful child and capable of living symbiotically as a result of smart science and thousands of years of knowledge . She needs to be educated to that and not exposed to a world where humans fight each other for resources because they’ve forgotten how to live as part of an ecosystem.

I do agree identity politics is 95% of the time a crazy waste of energy.

But then you lost me at art world influences architects and designers. No offence but do you not think that’s where architects and designers started? In art?

What exactly do you think your art is going to achieve. Why not just tell designers / architects here what your ideas are and we can shortcut the naval gazing.

I graduated from the Goldsmiths Fine Art Contemporary Practice & Critical Theory degree 20 years ago and it was just as navel gazelly as you describe your course now only no one claimed to be neither male nor female because the NB thing wasn’t fashionable back then.
Lots of Judith Butler on the core reading lists though, so it was heading in that direction.

I went on to do a Masters in Fine Art at a smaller, less prestigious Arts School that was far more outward looking, carefully chosen based on the careers of the professor and the course leader and how they came across at open days/at interview.
It was much better and I wish I hadn’t been sucked into my first course by it’s fancy reputation.

My BA was three years of utter puffwankery. Like being stuck in an episode of Nathan Barley.

Unfortunately I think you over estimate the ability of Fine Arts to influence anything much.
Being an artist in the 2020s is essentially just a choice between grant chasing (ie making local governments and big corps look less soulless) or making luxury goods for extremely rich people.
AI is going to fuck over most of us with illustration/photography/animation/painting skills and only a tiny fraction of the population can see the point of installation/performance art… I don’t know what the future holds really.

Handmade small, reasonably affordable objects is one of the few areas where integrity and skill are both valued (eg pottery/ceramics) but the sheer volume you need to flog to make anywhere near a living isn’t feasible for most. The one group of artists I can think of who make a consistent living without needing to be in a top 5% of artists worldwide (which takes extraordinary luck and a massive dollop of nepotism, frankly!) are tattooers.

I would not want my kids to do an Arts degree right now, that’s for sure.

Zzzzz you must be fun at parties

I'm an artist. YOUR climate change priority/anxiety is nowhere to be seen on MY list of priorities.

I'm interested in opposing the current (abhorrent) gender/sex ideology as I have a little boy growing up, about to join social media, still young enough to start puberty-blockers.

I'm seriously ill and coming to terms that it might be chronic. I'm devoting a lot of time to the latest research in human biology and medicine. I want my health back. I wouldn't care one iota if all the climate change (and gender-studies! ) funding would be transferred to research in immunology instead.

I'm worried about...creating art. As strange as it might be for a "creative" these days. I'm afraid to lose the ability to paint and lose my income.

I'm worried about dry rot in my house and losing my home.

Succinctly :I don't care about the climate change. It's all a bit y2k for me.
I feel no blame for the ever-shifting temperatures of the planet.

I also find that the most "selfish" are those who use that word often to negatively describe others - I suppose it's a form of backlash for not being important&special enough for all other people.