Comments on: Juanes, the difficult terrain of neutrality. http://happyat90miles.com/2009/09/juanes-concert-for-peace-not-freedom/ Fri, 16 Mar 2012 21:27:58 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: IPH http://happyat90miles.com/2009/09/juanes-concert-for-peace-not-freedom/comment-page-1/#comment-3540 IPH Sun, 20 Sep 2009 23:16:23 +0000 http://happyat90miles.com/?p=1104#comment-3540 I think the controversy surrounding this concert has been overblown, in the end it's just a musical event. What I react to is the idea that something that claims to be neutral can bring about change, which seemed to be the vague idea with "Peace Without Borders". I think it's experienced as something more transcendent by the artists and than people outside Cuba than what is felt by the Cuban people. BTW, You're right about the European tourism in Cuba and the West's business with China, those are true moral dilemmas. I think the controversy surrounding this concert has been overblown, in the end it’s just a musical event. What I react to is the idea that something that claims to be neutral can bring about change, which seemed to be the vague idea with “Peace Without Borders”. I think it’s experienced as something more transcendent by the artists and than people outside Cuba than what is felt by the Cuban people.

BTW, You’re right about the European tourism in Cuba and the West’s business with China, those are true moral dilemmas.

]]> By: Nia http://happyat90miles.com/2009/09/juanes-concert-for-peace-not-freedom/comment-page-1/#comment-3539 Nia Sun, 20 Sep 2009 22:41:17 +0000 http://happyat90miles.com/?p=1104#comment-3539 This is causing quite a stir in Spain, where Juanes is very popular. What I think is that we hold artists to impossibly high ethical standards sometimes; I remember the times of the Spanish participation in the Irak war, when some people even suggested that artists should boycott institutions governed by the Popular Party. That would have meant refusing or giving back grants and salaries for people who depended on Conservative-controlled town councils, for example. Nobody is holding a debate on whether the tourism industry in Cuba is ethical, or on everyone's businesses in China. But when it's art, ah. Reminds me of that quote from The Importance of being Earnest, "f the lower orders don’t set us a good example, what on earth is the use of them?" This is causing quite a stir in Spain, where Juanes is very popular. What I think is that we hold artists to impossibly high ethical standards sometimes; I remember the times of the Spanish participation in the Irak war, when some people even suggested that artists should boycott institutions governed by the Popular Party. That would have meant refusing or giving back grants and salaries for people who depended on Conservative-controlled town councils, for example.

Nobody is holding a debate on whether the tourism industry in Cuba is ethical, or on everyone’s businesses in China. But when it’s art, ah. Reminds me of that quote from The Importance of being Earnest, “f the lower orders don’t set us a good example, what on earth is the use of them?”

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