LET'S ARGUE: Art Is Useless

[@iskandertime747]

Art is "useless" in the same way that happiness is "useless".

[@somedudeok1451]

Nah, happiness can be obtained in many ways. Art is generally important, because it can communicate ideas that would otherwise be hard to communicate, but I think it definitely is overrated and overvalued. At least a certain kind of art. The popstars, the ridiculously simple paintings that are sold for ungodly amounts of money - stuff like that.

[@incidentlyaniguana2193]

@@somedudeok1451 I mean some happiness could be considered fake or cheap too. Everything is relative maaan.

[@getreal2592]

Happiness is overrated. Without misery, art would always be too cheery and would lack any dramatic conflict. We need to increase misery to make art better.

[@trumpetking11]

“But will it make money though…?”

[@sarcasticschmuck4751]

Who needs happiness when you have Bosnians?

[@themaddestvillain-g4q]

Calling art useless is an insult to NAV’s music. NAV’s been making nothing BUT art since 1994 when he dropped Illmatic.

[@travisscottburber5719]

Pretty sure his first album was in 1984 and I think it was called Purple Rain or something.

[@themaddestvillain-g4q]

@@travisscottburber5719 his longetivity is unmatched

[@spoonmeanie5644]

Excuse me but NAV's first record is obviously 1967's Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

[@unduloid]

@@spoonmeanie5644 Nonsense. It was obviously 1959's Kind Of Blue.

[@dedasalmeida9047]

Love this thread lol

[@farimer1232]

Art is useless, except for the fact that it’s a defining trait of human behavior

[@Cho0segoose]

Art is human expression. Do you think people are robots? Music, movies, etc. brings light to so many peoples lives. Calling it useless is so shortsighted

[@antimissilemissile]

humanity and life is useless

[@quetzalcueyat]

Who cares tho

[@kianmacleod379]

You said "human behaviour" now I have to listen to Björk's entire discography in order.

[@johnmighty7534]

@AntiMissileMissile basically

[@insertwordshere6952]

Art literally is the reason why I choose to exist longer.

[@justsummers1559]

Same

[@tylere.8436]

Yeah, imagine just eating, drinking, and having sex for your whole life, it would get boring super quick.

[@bas_ee]

Edgy "I am 14 and this is deep"-quotes on tumblr arent art my friend (jk)

[@bbailey3055]

@@bas_ee nah they speaking truth. I know where I’d be.

[@wwxxww6289]

@@bbailey3055 Agree. Art is what u make it. Posting, gaming, cycling, roofing, who cares. We can all do it and all have to start somewhere. No one is great right out the gate. And f the gates. Those posters need to go rt on posting bc they love it

[@melancholy_hillz]

People need to understand that without art...there would be no evidence of previous generations or cultures throughout history ever existing. Writing, films, paintings, music, fashion etc. is all art.

[@emnersonn]

well also there’s no point in life if we aren’t making and/or consuming art

[@ytuseracct]

@@emnersonn exactly

[@kidsasuke93]

Excellent point.

[@wwxxww6289]

Agree. Art = Life, good bad or otherwise. Work = Death, good bad or otherwise. No one gives a shit about their soulless job. We all live to create and experience art and culture; everybody’s workin for the weekend

[@KINGBublepop]

Depends how wide your definition of art is. There's still dinosaur evidence without them making any art.

[@wadekemmsies7180]

You know what's worse? Mesothelioma. And if you or a loved one has been diagnosed, you may be entitled to financial compensation

[@getreal2592]

How much we talkin

[@StarBoyBooya526]

@@getreal2592 50 bones take it or leave it

[@omarpadilla8033]

@@getreal2592 about three fiddy

[@cdvideodump]

@@omarpadilla8033 yen

[@JamesKovacic]

@@omarpadilla8033 goddamn Loch Ness monster

[@tomato3972]

We, as a species, have been practicing art since we had the mental ability to do so. Art is heavily integrated into culture, tying itself DEEP into many culture's roots. Both music and visual art are something that is a basic necessity that all should have an option of indulging in. I'd much rather be listening to my favorite artist while doodling on my notebook, than listening to the constantly spinning fan in my window.

[@Jin-kn9zx]

I'd argue Art isn't just integrated into culture / our culture, but it's intrinsically human. And about farmers / home cleaners / etc. who should be making millions, it's an obvious lack of understanding of economics fundamentals and not understanding what value is

[@danang5]

yeah,we doing art is older than we doing agriculture and writting

[@TheMixCurator]

Art = Human expression and the embodiment of an idea manifested. Without art, the world would be a pretty sterile place.

[@fisticuffs12]

but i think it can be argued that the intrinsic human need to make art and the modern day conception of an artist are two very different things. the fact that some art is way more valuable based on the class of people that consumes it is at least worthy of a conversation, no?

[@tomato3972]

@@fisticuffs12 Well, yes. Corruption and greed is also something humanity has experienced our entire time on this Earth. From hoarding art, to literally paying a musician to stay I'm their castle/fortress, elite powers have been keeping art all to themselves. Now, a banana nailed to a wall being sold for millions? That's not art, that's money laundering.

[@mariomcp]

I do agree that "Country" is singled out often, but ironically so is "Rap" and I know many people who consider both to be opposites (Stylistically, "Racially", Politically, whatever) and that liking one precludes the other. Both get this very significantly more than other genres of music. I don't really know why that is the case.

[@caleb98963]

Some people might dislike them because they’re mainstream (the same people who vehemently hated Bieber and One Direction, and probably Kpop now). I think, though, a lot of people dislike them because they associate them with poverty. Country is associated with hillbillies, and Rap is associated with poor neighbourhoods in cities.

[@CypressDahlia]

The thing about Country is that it prefers to be niche in its themes and sound. Yeah, some other artists branch out into country pop like T. Swift but a lot of Country is stuck in its ways. Rap has subgenres that merge into like a million other genres and is way more versatile than people give it credit for. Country doesn't really care if people can relate to it.

[@iamlocus]

@@caleb98963 I just didn’t like Justin Bieber because of the old clips of him

[@CypressDahlia]

@Chloe Snowe It's probably an overexposure issue, NGL. People only hear like possibly the dryest and most boring EDM. Hell, there are probably tons of genres of EDM that people listen to without even knowing it. Like imagine me back in 2014 trying to get people hip to kawaii future bass and people are like "the fuck is that" and now it's every KZbinr's outro music.

[@TheVFDGamer]

one is predominantly white, the other black, if someone says every genre but rap 🚩

[@yawbyss981]

I find saying “art is useless,” an extremely bizarre thing to do. Generally the people who say this mean that it’s a waste of time in comparison to working a traditional job, but what necessarily makes that more meaningful? If you really think about it, it’s just shallow labor that needs to be done to keep our society functioning, or chores. Meanwhile, art allows every single individual to show their own unique voice, and have it be valid. Everything from your thought processes, media influences, feelings, insights, and ideas shape your art. There is no other human invention with as much potential for depth and identity. Art IS humanity. It’s the most effective way for us to show ourselves to the world. Becoming an efficient worker bee does nothing, it leaves you no mark. All it does is provide the general public with a needed service. It’s not something that should be aspired towards, it’s something that has to be done to keep society functioning. Art is what makes our lives worth living, because it’s a reflection of our lives. Edit: sorry if this sounded pretentious, but not really

[@jaredkodiak8160]

Exactly!!!!

[@uur_mum]

I didn’t finish reading but yea nah I gotchyu. It might be a little pretentious to defend arts importance but it’s even sillier to say that is entirely useless. Art is so so important. It’s just on a different level of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs than like food or whatever

[@PaendaTube]

you're probably just a kid, because if you ever had an emergency where you need a plumber, mechanic, electrician, carpenter, etc you sure as hell wouldn't be calling them shallow. I would love to see you call a plumber shallow and that the work they do will never leave Mark before you have them fix your leak. Or shout to your local post man that no matter how efficient they are at their job they will never leave a mark. Or go over to your McDonald's cashier and tell them they are shallow before making your order. You'll quickly see you aren't being pretentious. You're just being naive. Art has it's merits but language is still the best form of communication. Because you sure as hell didn't draw your KZbin comment. Nor do i think Martin Luther King had drawings from jail. They were letters. I don't think mlk interpretive danced i had a dream. He spoke it. No one should aspire to be an artist either if everyone did we wouldn't have anything other than cave paintings. It's work that brought humanity to the stage where we can even have the time and space to be introspective of the human condition. Art is the product of leisure, and leidure is the product of work already done. You literally would not have art without your so called "shallow" labor.

[@jasontorrens626]

Apples and oranges to even compare the two.. Work and art are both equally valid and equally necessary.

[@fisticuffs12]

i think this is exactly why this opinion exist. some people make art for a living and have their voice heard, while others do the basic tasks that everyone needs for society to function and they have no voice? i get why one might become a bit bitter.

[@andybaxter4442]

Being an adult does cut into you music listening time, but more importantly, it cuts into the time you have to learn about new music. Luckily, guys like Fantano exist now that can hip you to new stuff. Having satellite radio in my car is mostly how I try to keep my finger on the pulse.

[@silvaskiproductions3937]

algorithms on streaming services are pretty good for me. occasionally checking what is popular that month or whenever is a way to see what is getting attention, too.

[@jackmyers7141]

Reading stuff like this makes me so scared of (eventually) being an adult

[@ykshay]

@@jackmyers7141 You'll just take care of yourself, that's what an adult is. Kids can do it too if it's a must, they r just not that equipped. What I can tell u is that you won't start pathetically listening to radio like a dirty plebanian just because u turned 18/21. There is no single transformation bringing you from teenager to adult, it's just an idea. Take care of yourself and have fun, it's nice to hold more power

[@jasontorrens626]

@@jackmyers7141 Being a teen sucked. I'm having much more fun as an adult. And I've never stopped listening to new music.

[@usualdosage7287]

That's why i jam the shit out of my speaker as soon as my 8 hours is up, but than again im younger so i might not be in the mood when i get older, i hope not

[@zyngremlin7378]

I like how this country fan has convinced themselves that everyone feels superior for not listening to country. Go ask any country fan whether they like rap and let's see how condescending it gets.

[@CypressDahlia]

I don't listen to country because it doesn't try to evolve as a genre. It has no obligation to. It has its niche. But if it's niche, then it's niche. Nobody's fault, really.

[@Trouser_J_Slacks]

While that is completely true, as a person from California my view on people is more fueled by what I see in my daily life, maybe I could have worded my answer better but I feel as though most people only bring up country in the context of it being the only thing they don’t like. I bet the same people aren’t listening to metal all the time, or listening to ambient music. But you never hear someone say “I listen to anything but ambient music”. I’m OP by the way

[@CypressDahlia]

@@Trouser_J_Slacks Ironically I think country is very popular outside of the US, last time I checked. Maybe because it has a "worldly" appeal as being a deep rooted part of American culture. There is a strong cultural fascination from foreigners.

[@spenserwalker4361]

The amount of times I’ve had to hear country fans say “Rap more like crap” is so overwhelming that no part of me is worried about country music being looked down on. I like my fair share of the stuff but some of it is buttcheeks.

[@bradgasdia3927]

My two favorite albums are TPAB and Purgatory by Tyler Childers ama

[@TWRPband]

Viper rules. We just found out about him this week because he "sampled" one of our tracks recently. Feels like the same realm as Wesley Willis, or the 18 Naked Cowboys guy. Celebrate outsider art!

[@CypressDahlia]

excuse me it's called Ram Ranch put some respect on its name

[@pj1789]

Grant Macdonald, the creator of Ram Ranch, has sex with his nephew

[@sat.ellite]

@@CypressDahlia actually op was referencing the artist, formerly and also currently known as Grant Macdonald

[@jeansapplebottom9291]

Wesley Willis and A lot of Daniel Johnston are unironically good music

[@TheMFYeti]

Wait, Viper sampled a fucking TWRP song?

[@julienturner167]

bro if you think art is useless you have drank the corporate kool-aid, humans are meant to create, explore, and learn, not work back braking jobs until they die

[@AnimeProfilePicture]

Exactly, we are brainwashed into thinking we have to work at a 9-5. And when we work it, companies try to guilt you into not being someone who calls out, gets sick, take a vacation, or spend time with family. Don't get me wrong, work that 9-5 as needed, but it's not to be the end all be all for us

[@JahlisMan]

@@fisticuffs12 if that person for whom art is useless could create something that would generate those millions, they'd not say that. and I think that op thinks that creating art and making it into a career ain't difficult, which is also untrue. maybe not as physically demanding as a janitor, but again, tour as a guitarist/vocalist for a thrash metal band for 250 days a year, see if that's easy for your body. so there's a lot of layers to this, such a blank statement that "x is useless" is the most useless thing here.

[@fisticuffs12]

@@JahlisMan even if every person on earth was exceptionally artistic we'd still need essential workers. i think looking down on any of the people that make society function is not a smart approach to take. being a musician might be hard but i think we can ultimately see how most culture spending is a luxury, in hard times we can survive without it

[@stuart3690]

@@fisticuffs12 but most artists struggle financially ? and your choice of job btw. if you're jealous, become an artist and hit your millions? right ?

[@gunnarhanson2889]

@@stuart3690 - while I agree with you, you don’t choose every job you end up in. I was a janitor at a university for two years and they didn’t pay me enough to feed myself but I understand why artists that are loved across an entire nation and other countries make more money.

[@lightspaceman5064]

We should make art illegal for a year just so people who say it’s useless have to see how fast they’d want to jump off a bridge without it.

[@andrewnotgonnatellya7019]

I know a person who logged off for a year to never do anything other than their job and recorded contentedness. I wonder if they would do this voluntarily

[@usualdosage7287]

Art pervades so much aspects of society like even fancy rails could be considered art, ever notice a building's architecture, art is everywhere if u actually think about it, even places you wouldn't think to look like the damn highway bridge theirs art. art is like a fundamental human thing that goes deep as it literally being a evolutionary trait to seek out more symmetrical features, "beauty" as we know it is actually a pretty profound thing Kurzgesaget in a nutshell has a good video on it, also look up stoned ape theory

[@rogue9230]

I would probably be depressed all that year cause my entire personality ig is based of these sorta things

[@KINGBublepop]

Graffiti is illegal, ain't stopping anyone lol.

[@ooostarb3rryooo]

I couldn't do it, art is everything to me.

[@norahfarber7001]

this will probably sound corny as all hell but art is all around us. if you're watching this in your bedroom, or any room in your house, or even outside in a public place, look around and try to find something that can be classified as art. and it doesn't have to be just a painting. for example, it can be a vase, a book cover, a piece of jewelry you are wearing, a label on a random product, wallpaper, or even the design on your clothing. if your outside in a public area, it can be a sculpture, a memorial, a street sign, it can even be paint on a house. to say that "art is useless" in order to prove a point that people who work jobs that are necessary for human survival is discriminating people who make all different forms of art that you can point out in your everyday life. it can make up someone's personality with the labels on their clothing, the jewelry they wear, the shoes they wear, or the bag they want to accessorize themselves with. it can also make a place feel comforting and safe with having paintings or posters on the walls, books on a bookshelf, different types of pottery like vases or bowls, even a couch or a coffee table can be considered art. even the room itself can be considered art since architectural drafters or interior designers have to create sketches of what the room would look like in their mind. art isn't useless since its literally everywhere. people make money off of art since it can also be classified as a means of human survival. that doesn't just mean it is limited to paintings and drawings that give off a specific message, it can be the clothes you wear, the labels on the food that you eat or the fluids you drink, it can be anything. if you took away all the art in your home, you'd be sitting on the floor of a completely white house with absolutely nothing in it. hell, you wouldn't even be sitting in a house, you'd just be sitting on grass. art isn't useless if it surrounds our everyday lives.

[@furiiart350]

Art is one of the most important things in life but I agree that the top artists make more money than they should. Its not their fault tho, Its just capitalism doing its thing

[@wastedpotency]

right, the problem is with capitalism not art. I bet if art and capitalism weren't so entwined with each-other we'd get way better music.

[@yimnerr]

@@wastedpotency absolutley, because money ruins art. I love when people are soooo devastated when movie franchises or video game series are driven into the ground with terrible sequels and such. Those companies don't care about necessarily making the greatest sequel or whatever. They don't care about the art. They don't care about the integrity of the series. They just know that the name and brand will continue to make them oodles of money and then fans lose respect for the series. I personally don't care enough about any franchise, and i'm sure most of the films are actually pretty fine in some cases, but a lot of people end up getting really mad at the companies behind them and feeling as though they did not do justice to the series when all they did was just pump out more films or games to make crazy amounts of money.

[@dydx_]

@@yimnerr In addition: Copyright protection is ironically anti-art. Artist used to borrow heavily from another, it wasn't even considered stealing because it was understood that artists produce for others to work on the foundation that you build off of the foundation a previous generation had build. Music especially has suffered from this.

[@rw4025]

That only applies to a miniscule portion of artists though. Bankers almost all earn way too much, why don't they get the criticism?

[@Wabuu-zoo]

Yes, exactly what i was trying to say, thank you, you are a lot smarter than me

[@e-o-o]

Without art we wouldn’t have the deepest, saddest, and funniest character ever constructed that being Peter Griffin from Family Guy.

[@immortalx50]

I thought you were going to say Garfield (from Garfield)

[@andrewoliver7095]

100 percent true, thank you king

[@dydx_]

Art is what created civilization, what united us together in groups and what gives us an identity. At the same time it acts as an reflection of our society as well, topics of political importances get discussed by the public through the art it produces. It's a fundamental pillar that makes us realize, yeah this is why I go to my shitty 9-5 job in the first place. Art isn't just random, art is living, it is unity, it inspires, reflects, and helps us grow. Music, Litterature, Satire, Comedy, Architecture, Paintings, Fashion, Poems, Lyrics, Sketches, Design, from cars, building, house hould appliances to films watched at cinemas, it is all art. The word art originally in meant "technique/skill" in homeric greek. Art is creation and we live to create. We live for art. (Not to mention, often times it is movies/stories/paintings or just art that brings attention to the injustices of the world. This is why fascist like the Nazis were so serious about art, or rather the destruction of "degenerate art".)

[@jm6406]

Without art we would be eating our own feces and running off cliffs for fun

[@lalitthapa101]

Exactly. As long as humanity exists art will be there.

[@testacals]

@@jm6406 That is the dumbest thing anyone has ever said

[@mr.selfdestruct5845]

God I despise those pretentious nihilistic people who always say "art is useless" "everything will be pointless" it's always a 14 year old atheist who thinks he is the smartest man alive for pointing something "wrong with society"

[@cdvideodump]

Don't forget the Elon Musk-worshipping mindset as well

[@getreal2592]

I'm happy that they're recognizing there are problems with society at all. Everyone has those edgy phases. We should nurture their recognition of seeing things that they think are wrong into a force for good.

[@CypressDahlia]

Their heart is in the right place, but their logic isn't sound. Blue/gray collar people do deserve more money. But it also seems they have a fundamental misunderstanding about art.

[@Satire_Filmz]

Athiests in General are cringe. “Ha ha look at me! I hate religion! I’m such a good person! Science is better than anything even though it’s philosophies are fundamentally flawed!” - 🤓

[@Tornadosage]

What is with this alt-right hate boner for nihilism and atheism? We get it... you're a white religious fundamentalist who doesn't comprehend philosophy

[@RapperViperVEVO]

Thanks fo the Shout out Family!! Appreciate u bro. One.

[@milos1967]

Anyone who cares more about "Use" than everything else deserves to hear the low-tier god speech

[@Kalitayy]

Exactly

[@cublics3810]

the viper thing aged. it certainly ages.

[@prodbyzaqq]

Bro but ART da 🐐 no 🧢

[@GeorgeMcF]

Let’s agree: Anthony is very handsome

[@treychris8944]

I agree that essential workers need to be paid more.

[@verycalmgamer4090]

based

[@tylere.8436]

All that does is inflate the economy, that is all that minimum wage does. Think about it, companies aren't going to sell products for cheap if everyone gets paid at least $15 an hour, that wouldn't make any finacial sense they will adjust their prices to reflect that. It's a sad reality with life, there are people that want to make more money than others and those positions that have hefty paychecks aren't as plentiful. It also rewards the sloth of workers at the expense of diligent workers. Look we all need to make money, but we need to be serious and intricate about the economy.

[@simcard96]

@@tylere.8436 "All that does is inflate the economy."Just in case you're being serious, this isn't true. Prices will rise less than the minimum wage does. So things would be relatively cheaper for the poor and more expensive for the rich, with stability occurring around the median wage. There are definitely more effective ways to bring about this type of change though, such as taxation. But minimum wage should at the very least rise with inflation and compensate for missed raises in the past.

[@ree6487]

@@tylere.8436 why do you talk about things you don't understand

[@tylere.8436]

@@simcard96 Just because you say what I said isn't true, doesn't count as proof or a proper rebuttal. I provided logical reasoning what would happen if minimum of $15 happens across the board, what companies would automatically do. Unless you can actually rebuke my point, you provided nothing but simple negation. Want me to provide more stats and logic? Take the state minimum wages of states for example - California is $15 an hour, in my state of PA, it's the same as federal, $7.25. Look at gas prices now. in these states: California has an average of $5.27; PA has $4.00. Want acres of land: California has an average cost of $39k per acre; PA has $32k. Sales tax is higher in CA compared to PA, car insurance is higher in CA than in PA. A lot of this phenomena, including the minimum wage, are symptoms of a much deeper cause: regulations and taxes. I never said minimum wage was the only way to inflate after all, that is more of a symptom of a larger and complex problem, the symptom in itself further inflates the economy of e.g. California. California is just a perfect encapsulation why minimum wage isn't the answer for inflation and helping low-income workers. If anything, raising the minimum wage would encourage businesses to lay off workers and invest in AI and robots or resort to offshoring to cheaper labor. Businesses simply aren't to give their workers more money if they are struggling to keep up with regulations and higher taxes and higher property taxes. Long Beach in particular lost many grocery chains due to the city voting to increase pay for workers in 2021. The best possible solutions that actually address the roots of the problem are deregulations and less taxes. You do that, then land and rent wouldn't be so high, therefore stores wouldn't need to charge more for their goods and could actually put that money into their workers or improve the working conditions. We haven't even addressed gentrification and supply-demand, point being minimum wage doesn't address inflation, let alone solves it.

[@Rosterized]

I wonder if the art question asker pondered about the ratio of artists that are barely scrounging by with their art or needing to work full time while making it to support themselves and the amount of artists that are millionaires of their art. Most art painters for example are lucky if somebody even wants to buy their art in the first place for 5 bucks a pop or something

[@Wabuu-zoo]

Yeah, i know, my point was that i don't believe that any artist deserve to be a millionaire, i never actually said that artist are the richest people in society

[@CypressDahlia]

Anyone who says art is useless is probably not well versed in art. I don't mean to sound like an elitist, but the way common art education teaches people about art is "if it's in a frame and hanging in a museum, it's art." Yeah most of that stuff is practically useless. But did you know an artist designed all your clothes, the chair you're sitting in, the interior and exterior of the house you live in, and the computer that you're probably furiously typing on to argue with me right now? Anything in this world that requires VISION, requires some form of artist. Which is the vast majority of things.

[@davezarairl]

true

[@jdamourep]

Somebody with art drew the concept for the car they are probably driving, or the bike they ride. The packaging. This person's take logically makes no sense, from a human perspective.

[@jasper3706]

Seriously. As an artist planning to go into video game design, so many people have responded to that by saying things like "There's a job for that?" or "How would you get work?" As if things like textures, 3D models, character designs, environments, sountracks... just come out the ether. Like yes, believe it or not, there is a person who painted the grass texture in that video game you're playing and they did that in exchange for (probably too little) money.

[@Wabuu-zoo]

That wasn't the art i was talking about

[@CypressDahlia]

@@Wabuu-zoo if there is a kind of art that doesn't apply to your statement, then the statement "art is useless" is patently false

[@zzeroara9511]

that first guy gives off major isnufferable vibes. vibes that let you know they're not fun to hang out with. your brain should be studied if you think art is anywhere near ""useless""

[@matthewwilcox1437]

Bought vinyl from viper in 2019 and never got it but I’m not mad honestly, I didn’t ever really expect to get it and I’m proud of him for scamming his fans

[@t_ylr]

Life would literally be useless without art.

[@mergo4934]

Please, indulgue us and yourself and elaborate.

[@markmayer3886]

Please, indulgue us and yourself and elaborate.

[@r4slen]

Why would anyone live in a world without music

[@eaglesandowls]

@@r4slen Because there are other things in life other than music. Life would be less enjoyable without music but I could still fall back on tv shows, movies and sports.

[@thekid1568]

yeah if you love earth so I like eARTh from my art teacher

[@NateTheNoble]

Yes art is useless because it has no real practical value…it’s the INTERPRETATION of art that makes it meaningful. Art isn’t meant to be useful….it’s meant to be experienced

[@steviejettstvset3462]

💯

[@shade4835]

Well said

[@spenzo5822]

and a bazu to you sir

[@anandboss7034]

That makes it useful tho, it has a use, to stimulating our minds so that we don't live boring uninteresting lives. You can word salad it as much as you want, but at the end of the day, yes art does absolutely have a use.

[@ht-th456]

If art just suddenly ceases to exist, I might actually kill myself

[@codymccormick7317]

I tried to imagine a world where all art just up and disappeared one day and it’s beyond dystopian. It’s more cosmic horror if you ask me. I can’t even wrap my head around it. Art has been such an integral part of the human experience since there were humans around to experience it, I’d argue it’s absolutely necessary. Imagine if the oppressed didn’t have music to record their struggles, or if Michelangelo didn’t free David from the marble. Two examples out of millions that prove that art is one of humanities greatest achievements. Whether it’s a record of a time and place and feeling, or just a supreme display of skill or creativity, art in all its forms is just quintessentially human.

[@randomavenger3048]

My recent hot take (better than aRt Is uSeLeSs): One-hit wonders are a essential part of music as industry and as art as well. They are help the musical scenario to be more diverse.

[@nathanielwygal6693]

art is everything it’s abstract art is what i have in my backpack

[@EMBYMATTHEWS]

The fact that we have to argue art being useful proves that it is. It gives people purpose on so many levels.

[@phillipbell4394]

Country literally gets a bad rap not because people hate southerns or whatever, but because top singers literally make songs about confederate flags and how we should forget slavery happened featuring LL Cool J, and the second that a song like "Old Town Road" organically tops the country charts it literally gets removed for "not being country enough" whatever that means. I mean tomato-gate goes without mentioning. Despite everything I've said the numbers indicate that country music is stronger than ever. Look, it's just a lot of us "young liberal snowflakes" have a lot of motive to be anti-establishment, and nothing seems to be more establishment right now than, you know, the music genre that fanaticizes patriotism and is still dominated by radio which is a medium we don't even use.

[@dylanbaron__]

As an artist myself, I often have shower thoughts about if what I’m doing is useless. But in reality, art and specifically music in my case is kind of like a medicine. A good one too

[@valuerie]

I am a janitor AND a musician and fuck do I not run, work out, or eat like a Basketball Player

[@valuerie]

Oh yeah and I can't do art for a living even though it's my dream

[@nickwoltjer688]

Whenever someone brings this argument up, I remember how when you tell a kid who has cancer that they get to make a wish....They want to meet Lebron James or Taylor Swift....Doctors/Janitors and construction workers allow us to live, but art is what we live FOR.

[@gabrieltobia]

This was a delicious episode of Let's Argue, thank you Melon

[@nickl2854]

It really was solid

[@maverickREAL]

Person says that art is useless and then implies that money isn't useless

[@benmwaba2735]

Art is the easiest and often most engaging way to get people to participate in thought provoking conversations. It can encourage critical thought and often is an avenue for introduction to new ideas, cultures, ideologies etc.

[@livserte]

Cal is an artist and deserves his status as a multibillionaire. Tonethony Deaftano needs to recognize that all the artists bringing down the pay average for US musicians are making avant-garde droning fart noises while reciting their MAGA poetry in the lowest register they can speak; everyone besides them is making millions every minute.

[@bobo-zs9zv]

@Random Username we too spicy for their bitch guts

[@livserte]

@Random Username Now, wait a second... I'm poor, so no.

[@popogeejo]

Still love how that Taylor Swift private jet thing wasn't even just about her but about celebs in general with Tay just happening to be at the top of the list. it was a critique of needless, excessive waste by a wealthy group who sycophants think are now above ethical choices.

[@Oae119]

“The eARTh is just a rock without thought the voices of ART” - Kendrick Lamar

[@miikomakes8083]

Also for the pay thing another important note is under capitalism your wage is not based on the importance or quality of work but on how replaceable you are. Chefs may work hard as fuck but anyone willing can get there in 6 months of training, neer nobody can replace lebron in the nba

[@33up24]

It's not just based on replaceability. Matter of fact, most important thing is on the name itself, capitalization. Sure, sanitation services are important, but try creating an entire entertaining and exciting sport around it. Don't get me wrong, it sucks that the janitor gets paid jack shit while lebron just cuz he won the genetic lottery gets paid massive dollars, but one is not at odds with the other. You can have every person get paid their true labor whole also appreciatating the athleticism and mental hardship that goes into ballin like the best to ever do it.

[@idontcheckmynotifications]

@@33up24 i think part of “replaceability” is in the personality yea I don’t think those are mutually exclusive

[@feelshowdy]

Sometimes the only thing that can get you through a grueling blue collar job is being able to listen to music at work or go home to your small collection of kitschy landscape paintings. Art is a balm to the soul, and the harder your job the more you need such reliefs. The people working the most useful and necessary jobs in society need to be paid and treated better, yes, but not at the cost of art. You should be angry at the corporate and executive class which sucks wealth from us all.

[@bentn13]

I'm 31 and I'm more active to listening to music than when I was 20, but less than when I was 27. And even so the music I tend to listen to is quite new, always last two years tends to be 80% of what I listen to.

[@Kalitayy]

God, so many edgy people agreeing with the "art is useless" thing

[@UndarZ]

Bitch, where

[@haydinwebkinz]

You always seem to come through with unexpected but relevant topics in these regarding myself and music. I've been recently worrying about my relationship with music constantly, trying to somehow justify that I still love it to myself or how much I consume of it has been more of a worry than actually enjoying it. It's moments like in this video that kind of help snap me back to the simplicity of the love for music and the different forms it can take. Big love, Fantano

[@sandwhichism]

Not gonna lie, Art Garfunkel was pretty useless as far as writing the songs was concerned

[@nedkuczmynda3236]

Regarding the issue about being an adult and not listening to music. No matter what you still have to commute to work, mow the lawn, clean the house, cook dinner, all prime times for vibing out to some music.

[@stuffenjoyer2223]

Have you listened to modern country music? Much of it sounds the same, has the same themes about patriotism and farmer girls, and made by people who grew up with more money than their fans or critics while still LARPing as a small town farmer. Of course, this is all mainstream stuff and similar criticism can be made about other genres. The people who single out country music can frequently pride themselves about finding “underground” artists but won’t spend 5 minutes discovering country music that actually have soul.

[@Trouser_J_Slacks]

Hi I posted the country take and I kinda want to clarify my position. I’m not saying that people don’t like country because they think they’re superior. I mean that they BRING UP their hatred for country to seem superior. And I know that country fans say the same thing about rap and hip hop, but I often hear them being called out for it, and not the other way around. It’s obviously ok to not like country, I just feel like people go out of their way to dislike it. Sorry I definitely could have worded my take better. By the way I’m from LA and I’m middle class so when I said coastal middle class people I was including myself. I used to blindly hate country country cause everyone around me did.

[@TheTrueChrisA.K.]

As someone who's gone through poverty, depression & more than ever list.... I can vouch 2 Art's use. It gave purpose & has saved my life more times than once.

[@glennlavertu3644]

Even the few artists at the "top" aren't the ones making the most money in the market. While this is true in music, it is even more so in visual art. The artists that make those paintings going for millions get pretty much none of that money. The art market is basically a bunch of rich people getting together and trading fancy collectables and showing off how much they paid for or got for the trade.

[@murielkellertavares3517]

“We can forgive a man for making a useful thing as long as he does not admire it. The only excuse for making a useless thing is that one admires it intensely. All art is quite useless.” - Oscar Wilde

[@nintendude7cubed]

As someone who just turned 30 and listens to more music than ever, I absolutely hate it when people talk about music as if they've outgrown it after gradeschool (be it playing or listening)... "mUh GrOwNuP ReSpOnSiBiLiTiEs"... yeah, you havent outgrown bitching at your friends on twitter, yet it's music you don't have time for anymore 🙄

[@wwxxww6289]

very true. Sounds less like they’ve given up music than just plain given up. Idk, I’m sure they do art in their way though, it prob just looks different to us lol God bless ‘em

[@mafiablokes]

Luckily as an adult I work in a record store, so I have the ability to discover and listen to WAY more music than I did before

[@vhufhu]

I can't understand how some people look at the inequalities of the world and instead of thinking "why don't the richest in society have less so that everyone else can have enough" they just blame artists, for whatever reason.

[@raven_g6667]

I give a 9/10 for class awareness to this person but a 0/10 for insinuating that even IF the world had janitors making as much as basketball players, art/entertainment would have no use. Reminds me of the older Marxists I use to talk to who see class as the only important thing and completely ignoring things like intersectionality. Same energy lolz

[@flyingteeshirts]

Changing the sequencing on Eminem's Revival is literally rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic

[@tylerhackner9731]

Art is a basic necessity imo. I don’t know what I’d do without it

[@ataco1770]

They don't realize that salaries don't depend on how important the work is for human survival, but on how unique and asked for the skill is. And it comes with a lot of luck too, it's never really fair. People working in food production are absolutely necessary, but the industry works very differently from the sports and media industry. It's all about how much the public wants to see you and having the right connections, those factors don't play a role as much in other industries

[@omnitone]

art is what make life worth living. hence why art is held as high. entertainment isn't necessary, but art is more than entertainment. it is a higer stimulus that shows the difference between people and creatures.

[@rw4025]

I know for sure I couldn't motivate myself to work every day if I didn't have art (and sport, for that matter) to pick me up on the hard days. Being able to attend concerts is also a big motivation for my paycheck. Life would go on without art but fuck it would be boring.

[@mitchellanderson3068]

Let’s agree: The “art is useless” guy is useless.

[@Wabuu-zoo]

Ok, man, jesus

[@Topcatyo.]

These Let's Argue videos have become some of my favorites of yours because your takes and responses are just so gosh darn REASONABLE

[@gibbonbasher8171]

Art not only influences people but it also stimulates us. Everything would be so boring without art and entertainment.

[@mellifluente]

usefulness is a modern world, bourgeois, industrial and capitalistic value, that was born in late 19th century. art is beautifully useless, essential, and the only proof of human existence through the chaotic course of time.

[@TheBurpMan]

Viper is absolutely fantastic, both his "real" legit albums and the meme stuff made by fans on the so called "official" KZbin channel. On his own stuff "Tha Night of Tha Murda" is great and on the meme stuff "F**k Earth Im Gon Wage An Interstella War" is just a legit, unironically masterpiece.

[@A_Simple_Neurose]

I'd trade literally anything instead of art. Pseudo-pragmatic opinions like "not entirely necessary for survival as a species" seem to be blissfully unaware of the fact that it's precisely because we are the species we are, that we can produce art. In the hellish nightmare world of people who don't (or can't) create art, we would be an entirely different species. The environment changes as us as much as we change it. You can't just remove water from the oceans and still have fish.

[@saimbhat6243]

My controversial take " Existence of earth is useless". If the whole point of human life is to just die someday, then why live?

[@TheDealer1228]

An Em record with better sequencing: The Eminem Show by a country mile.

[@MatthewConnally]

"we have art in order to not die of the truth"

[@mrlevinielsen]

This episode really has me feeling like people on here only play devils advocate just for the sake of playing devils advocate. Who genuinely and actively believes that art is somehow “useless” - ?

[@HMz83]

Viper does deserve to be taken seriously, especially with his album he released on Dismiss Yourself.

[@hollyjessup3505]

I've been trying to not say "everything but country" but instead "everything but this new pop country" ( and if the crowd I'm around is chill I'll add that it's mostly post 9/11 country) cause like I love Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton and all the

[@kevinr2022]

Some points about art: -Art (or creativity/imagination) is like another cognitive tool to organize and express our ideas/experiences -Art is a pluralistic domain; there are many ways of creating art, but also succeeding with art -Following from the prior point, the art domain is/is becoming inclusive, non-discriminating -There is no aesthetic method (no ONE privileged method of creating art) -Assuming art is useless, so what? Also, does this mean people should make art useful? I assume they will; being creative can be indispensable to their lives -If anything, art has indirect effects, say provoking peoples' curiosity and interest in a myriad of topics -As long as there are people who preserve, protect, continue, expand, revolutionize, and revive the practice and existence of creative expression (i.e. Art/Aesthetics), art will proliferate

[@tristanreynolds5748]

The answer is that playing basketball, making music, those are skills, economic rent that can't be gotten rid of without some really egregious authoritarian measures

[@aboouu1173]

Holy shit fantano went off at 8:18

[@xBINARYGODx]

A lot of people think you need to relate to something, even directly, to enjoy it - or want to, like you look up to who the person is in a non-specific way (like middle class white boys worshiping poor black man who rap about how hardcore they are). Really - the amount of music people cut off from themselves is amazing(ly depressing).

[@nicporcelli]

Cool video Anthony, but did you have to rate art a 2/10?

[@ChimeraZone]

I liked you're Mashup at the end Fantano, very educational.

[@rthompson116]

Art is "useless" in the same way that thinking about rubbing Anthony's bald head is "useless".

[@eonhand8]

I've lived in Oklahoma and Texas my whole life and I've heard many people say exactly "I pretty much listen to everything except country music." I've said it too, until I heard Ween's 12 Country Classics. Now I turn it up when I stumble across some good country.

[@ryanfield4926]

Art is literally everything and everything is art

[@w0nezher0]

"art is useless " literally makes up everything around you clothes ,music, cars ,labels etc

[@superbad8008]

I’ve never disliked country to feel superior or because I feel like there may be implied bigotry in the genre. I just think it sounds bad.

[@MelMelodyWerner]

woah so cool you've listened to twenty seconds of a Jason Aldean song, tell me more about how an entire genre is bad

[@arthousecommons3802]

60s country music is pretty cool. Haven’t heard a good modern country song

[@samuelshaw7730]

I’m not a fan of a lot of mainstream contemporary country, but I think there are definitely good modern country songs. I’m not sure about your personal tastes, but have you ever heard Nick Shoulders or Buck Meek? I’ve found a lot of people who don’t dig modern country have enjoyed those guys. There’s always good music out there, sometimes you just have to dig

[@superbad8008]

@@MelMelodyWerner Well, just because I don’t like it doesn’t mean it’s bad. Isn’t music mostly subjective?

[@superbad8008]

@@samuelshaw7730 listened to the two artists you recommended (just chose a song at random from each) and I still don’t think the genre is for me. I don’t think the genre is bad or invalid, just not my thing.

[@Ofallthings089]

“It’s easy to look at sports today and think of them as a corporate invention, but they are no more of an invention than singing, dancing, acting, or any of the other things that make us human. These are things that have always been part of us, and always will.” - Jon Bois

[@itsallenwow]

Country is the most oppressed genre since gamer 👮‍♀️👮‍♀️👮‍♀️👮‍♀️

[@ZachBobBob]

Can't stand that art take man. It's like that infographic from that newspaper you see trend a lot where people voted artist as the most unnecessary job. THE DAMN GRAPHIC WOULDN'T EXIST WITH AN ARTIST

[@talkmeaboutit1960]

country music's dismissal is frequently rooted liberal tendencies use the south's horrific history and sustained political suppression as a way to safely make fun of poor people and export their own racism and to pretend otherwise is a little naive. the fact that Black southerners that don't live in, well basically just atlanta, constantly have to remind yankees that they exist when they start joking about how 'we should've just let them secede' points handily to a large portions true apathy to the actually lives of southern people. It's a lot like how the tipper gores were (and somewhat still are) trying to dismiss rap as a whole for its problems with misogyny, which isnt to say that country music doesn't have huge issues with racism, sexism, xenophobia, etc. but its no worse than metal or huge swaths of punk or rock. Ford F-250 Pop Country is real gross though

[@404no57]

Well now, *some* people making a crap salary and not being valued or treated with the respect they deserve is *certainly* the fault of Jay-Z

[@koneheadcokehead4981]

Art is why Smash Mouth will eventually consume the entire solar system

[@turboshazed7370]

That take about Ken Carson and only liking music that you relate to was pretty funny

[@ttnn7480]

Here's my hot take. NOBODY deserves to be a millionaire for what they do. Income inequality is a terrible feature of capitalism, even more so at the stage we're at right now. People have been making art since forever across cultures, so it's clearly not "useless". Those who say this kind of stuff are the same ones who think that people like Elon Musk or Bill Gates are creating some kind of value (rather than just using the labour of others to enrich themselves) and sportspeople and artists whose work makes the lives of many much better and richer aren't.

[@skylerk126]

yas

[@getreal2592]

Based take.

[@tylere.8436]

So if I created, a cure for cancer, for hundred of millions of people, now and into the future, and made it very affordable and painless, I shouldn't be paid millions, at least? Would I not deserve it for providing such a net benefit for humanity?

[@skylerk126]

@@tylere.8436 no because others will still not have enough money to survive and if you had the resources to create a cure for cancer i doubt you need much more money to survive

[@tylere.8436]

@@skylerk126 So you admit that it would require a lot of resources to create a cure for cancer, I agree, it most definitely would. How would you acquire the said resources?

[@CaptRowboat]

Saying you have music you "want to" listen to is so odd to me. like what's stopping you from just listening to it then? Do you spend months listening to one album before you say you've listened to it? I can't think of any music I "want to" listen to because I just listen to it and the music I haven't heard yet isn't even on my mind, like am I constantly thinking that my favorite, best song is just around the listening corner? Obviously I look for new music all the time, but the music I don't find is a non-factor in my listening experience, and I'm not worried about listening to every album from every artist on my playlists because chances are I'm only interested in one song or album.

[@koneheadcokehead4981]

Art is like Lou Bega drinking a juice box on the side of the road

[@fantano]

classic Gex

[@anthonydeleon3269]

This is my first time watching in a few years. Immediately noticed the improvements on ur bass skills. Respect.