Civilization Discussions

  Good day to all.  Here at work, not much to do.  But that’s alright, I’m keeping busy.  The weekend was okay.  Not great, but not bad either.  Krillen and I went out on friday after work.  We were going to do some sword practice and sparring, but the usual places were being used, so we had to abandon our plan.  So we went to eat and then we headed to the mall.  I went to look for a new leather jacket, but didn’t find one I liked.  Its so hard to find the right style.  Anyway, after that we decided to head back to my house to watch a movie.  On the way there we got caught in traffic out of the nearby high school.  Their football game had ended, so everyone was leaving.  This high school had recently reworked and added onto their stadium.  We also happened to pass by their weak excuse for a fine arts wing.  So that got Krillen and I into a conversation.

  The first part was based on the premise of that useless arguement of, "The fine arts just don’t bring in the money that football does."

  Well, most people who make that statement never stop to think about it.  How many high schools have a concert hall?  Not a gym, a concert hall, that place where orchestra, symphonic band, and symphony belongs.  Its no wonder that they don’t make as much money if you don’t invest in them.  How many schools have a music wing with sound proof practice rooms?  How many have a music wing at all?  How many have a decent theater, with stage, adaquate backstage facilities?  How many of schools actually invest in proper places to play, perform, practice?  How many give the fine arts the budgets for materials, music, furniture, uniforms (yes, uniforms like a tux for men)?  Most people can only speak of a few like that and most of them are not public schools.

  If you have just a big field with the goal lines painted on, ratty old bleachers, and sub-standard lighting, how many people would still come to the games?  How much money would they be able to make? 

  Its pointless to come up with an arguement like ‘they don’t make as much money’ if both parties involved do not have the same amount of funds, resources, and support from the school.

  I should know, I played in a portable for four years in high school.  A portable!  That’s probably the worst place to play, sound wise.  And no matter how many competitions we won, no matter how we were ranked, did our principal or any representative from the school or the district show up? No, of course not.  But when our football team was on their usual losing streak (including not winning a homecoming game for 7 years) the school administrators were there every game.  What kind of logic is that?

  Here’s the second part of the discussion.  You walk up to the average person and ask them to name at least one athlete from the 1700s, the 1800s.  The average person can’t do it, they don’t know anybody.  But the average person will recognize the name of Mozart, Beethoven, maybe even Bach.  Throughout history there has been no civilization that has been more known for its athletics than its arts.  What kind of legacy are we leaving today?

  How many times have schools cut out their orchestra, choir, theatre arts, art, symphonic band (but not the marching band), in order to keep athletics in general and football in specific going, no matter if the team is winning or not.  How many times has funding been cut from an already threadbare fine arts budget because the football team needs new uniforms, new bleachers, new something?  How many times have we heard about the athletic departments funds being cut to keep the arts going or because the arts needed something? 

  Even women’s athletics has some idea of what the fine arts goes through.  For a long time many of their programs were being cut to keep the football teams going.  They probably still are being cut in some schools.

  The arts are an important aspect of any civilization.  I’m not asking everyone to buy a tux or a formal dress and start going to symphony concerts, theatre plays.  I’m simply saying that we need to have a balance.  There needs to be equal opportunity to our arts as well as our athletics.  The football team will survive playing in uniforms that are a little old.  After all, they’re supposed to be tuff, they’re athletes.

-Damien