Ben Evans
Creative individuals overwhelmingly supported Barack Obama in his bid for the presidency, and I say this with no hint of pretension. Many of the most dynamic musicians, writers, and actors vocalized their support for the Illinois Senator, and I believe this trend warrants analysis.
I suspect that the artist’s conviction in progress is cause for their affinity to liberalism. By and large the focus of any artist is to break from the norms of human perception, while the focus of the Democratic Party, by and large is to break from blind allegiance to societal traditions that time has rendered obsolete.
Because the conservative ideology continues to be rooted in puritan custom, it leaves little room for expression. Individuals who find safety in the comfort of routine thereby tend to gravitate towards the political right. Many republicans fear that progressive ideas will compromise the principles under which America was founded 220 years ago. Yet, 220 years ago Democracy itself was a progressive idea.
I presume that most artists and democrats believe that 220 years ago we were given a framework, a framework whose beauty lie in its allowance for change within its boundaries. The writer is given the page, the painter the canvas, the actor the camera; all must operate within the confines of their medium, yet beyond that they have no limit. Our medium is democracy and through it we can either burgeon or remain stagnant.