Current: The Country’s Culture is at Risk

By Resonate | November 25, 2020
Words by Dylan Shortridge

It should come as no surprise that our current Tory government would put arts and culture to the bottom of the pile. Culture inherently punches up as a rule and therefore in many ways lays at odds with much of the Tory blueprint. Yet our beloved chancellor’s recent comments that creatives should “retrain” is just plain offensive. As we have already heard over and over again, these are indeed unprecedented times, but can we really use that to excuse this kind of rampant single-mindedness and forsaking of people’s careers, passions and pursuits?

Culture is one the major pillars of what makes the human experience so special. We should be doing everything we can to keep it alive, just as much as we should be safeguarding people’s lives and the economy. They are all as important as one another.

Let me ask you this Rishi, what do you play when you put your headphones on? Is it just white noise? Have you never watched a play or attended a gig? Have you ever felt transcendence through music? If not, I’m sorry for you. But you don’t need to take that out on all of us.

Not only is the statement a massive middle finger to culture, but also incredibly ignorant to the fact the vast majority of creatives who dedicate their lives to their passion already work multiple jobs. Even some of the radio regulars that seem as if they’re living a kushty life from their music, are working their fingers to the bone in regular jobs! They don’t need to retrain, they’re already trained!

If this pandemic has shown us one thing, it’s the uselessness of our ruling class. Be it Johnson, Gove or Sunak, their impotence is coming to the forefront more than ever.

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