Poet Norman Fischer says, “Art provides a way to discover truth, but not the sort of truth that is handed to us as already vetted. Instead, we must find it ourselves anew. This is a much more difficult and intimidating proposition.” (from "Saved From Freezing", Tricycle magazine, Spring 2005 - note sub required).
I hate to take the emphasis off of art - and I mean art in its most expansive definition - but I think that statement succinctly states how the blogosphere emerged and what sustains bloggers to pour their energies into the upkeep: Individuals vetting truth in every domain conceivable rather than having art and truth handed down to them.
A few weeks ago I heard a TV station executive say that MSM's onging contribution in this participatory world still lies in its ability to do the vetting and the filtering. Yep, the precise word "vetting" was used. Hmm, I scratch my head and I gotta wonder.
I also recently heard Naomi Wolf emphasize this point to her audience: "Don't let Viacom define what a real artist is."
While initially scoffed by her school buddies and inquiring adults ("You can't grow up to be a rock star, silly!) Wolf's daughter Rosa isn't backed by music labels like Britney Spears but with some adult help she cut her first music CD at age nine. So she's well on her way to becoming rock star - even if it's just to her friends and family - and more importantly, for herself.
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