Rafa Camacho
asked
Alan Moore:
Do you think radical-left politics (particularly anarchism) in literature, has the capacity to engender an awareness which will help us reverse the catastrophic trajectory of our species?
Alan Moore
That’s a very good question. I suppose if I didn’t believe that anarchistic ideas in literature could have a useful and positive effect upon, as you succinctly and accurately phrase it, “the catastrophic trajectory of our species” then I wouldn’t have any incentive to get out of bed and start writing (or breathing) in the mornings. I think we should all remember that it is supposed to be our culture that drives our politics, whether our politics like it or not, rather than the other way round. Ginsberg’s Howl and its subsequent obscenity trial established the defence of artistic merit for the first time, and had a massive liberating effect upon the arts and culture that continues to the present day. And while the literary and musical protest movements of the 1960s didn’t actually end the Vietnam War – I rather suspect that was down to the tenacity of the little guys in black pyjamas – these artistic movements certainly didn’t hurt in their efforts to make the war more untenable with those American people who didn’t want to be the first ones on their block to have their boy come home in a box. In fact, I’d say that that the historic success of artistic protest-movements is probably the reason why we haven’t seen a youth culture or a progressive movement in music, literature or the arts since around 1990: they were working, so we aren’t allowed to have them anymore. Frankly, Rafa, whether such efforts have any chance of succeeding at all, as ethical and developed human beings I don’t think we have any other conceivable choice but to behave as if they do.
More Answered Questions
Shalla
asked
Alan Moore:
my 14yr old has a darker side when it comes to life + occasional depression, a sweetheart/gentle soul hidden in a trenchcoat, very intelligent but he's the villain/orc/troll/demon god in games, the bully to the school bullies, sketching darkness & he devours books (yours, dune, g rr martin, pratchett, peter v brett)..we're americans in france any advice on being yourself in a world that says you don't fit in?
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