A Forum for Vigorous Debate, Cornerstone of Democracy

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A FORUM FOR FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND VIGOROUS DEBATE, CORNERSTONES OF DEMOCRACY
[For the journal--guidelines, focus, etc.--go to www.theamericandissident.org. If you have questions, please contact me at todslone@hotmail.com. Comments are NOT moderated (i.e., CENSORED)!]
Encouraged censorship and self-censorship seem to have become popular in America today. Those who censor others, not just self, tend to favor the term "moderate," as opposed to "censor" and "moderation" to "censorship." But that doesn't change what they do. They still act as Little Caesars or Big Brother protectors of the thin-skinned. Democracy, however, demands a tough populace, not so easily offended. On this blog, and to buck the trend of censorship, banning, and ostracizing, comments are NEVER "moderated." Rarely (almost NEVER) do the targets of these blog entries respond in an effort to defend themselves with cogent counter-argumentation. This blog is testimony to how little academics, poets, critics, newspaper editors, cartoonists, political hacks, cultural council apparatchiks, librarians et al appreciate VIGOROUS DEBATE, cornerstone of democracy. Clearly, far too many of them could likely prosper just fine in places like communist China and Cuba or Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Russia, not to mention Sweden, England, and Austria.
ISSUE #45 PUBLISHED MAY 2023. NOW SEEKING SUBMISSIONS FOR ISSUE #46.

More P. Maudit cartoons (and essays) at Global Free Press: http://www.globalfreepress.org

Sunday, September 2, 2012

Agnieszka Kolek



From: todslone@hotmail.com
To: agnieszka@agnieszkakolek.com
Subject: Your statement on artists is a farce!
Date: Wed, 22 Aug 2012 19:28:17 -0400
To Agniezka Kolek, Curator of the Passion for Freedom exhibit:
Your statement is a farce: "
There are regimes that are afraid of art, but artists are not afraid of regimes." 95% of the poets and artists I've observed are in fact part of cultural sectors of regimes. 95% are cultural or academic ladder climbers, thus fearful of regimes. 95% would not dare stand alone to protest against anything for 95% are herd members. Is that you the gorgeous blond in black dress standing in front of the picture of a nude woman? I was looking for your photo so I could do a satire on that statement of yours. To add to the already over-bloated myth of the artist and poet only helps keep his or her art and poetry bland and safe usually in some academic cocoon.


[NO RESPONSE]


From: todslone@hotmail.com
To: todslone@hotmail.com; agnieszka@agnieszkakolek.com
Subject: RE: Your statement on artists is a farce!
Date: Sun, 2 Sep 2012 11:48:47 -0400

To Agniezka Kolek, Curator of the Passion for Freedom exhibit:
A satirical cartoon on you is featured in this week's American Dissident blog entry: http://wwwtheamericandissidentorg.blogspot.com/2012/09/blog-post.html. Please feel free to comment. Comments are never moderated or otherwise censored. Thank you for your attention.
Sincerely,
G. Tod Slone, Ed.
The American Dissident

2 comments:

Timothy Bearly said...

It's always frustrating to see safe and predictable artists pretending to be audacious, avant-garde and controversial.

"Not afraid of regimes," but afraid to respond to a critical email.

Great job on this one!

G. Tod Slone said...

Hey, Tim, I like your first sentence. It is quotable. And your second sentence hits the nail!