Might be possible to reach some of the weabo nerds obsessed with the superiority of Japan by educating them on the history of labor (not all labor, but some) has been supported & respected in governing institutions & granted access to power.
To this day Japan's government provides remarkable support for "Traditional Japanese Crafts" (there is of course controversy about what properly fits in that category)
But, that's WHY so many Japanese goods are just better made. We could do it too.
A major obstacle to this happening in the US is that, to recognize our cultural crafts ... we'd need to recognize the crafts of non-white people whose work make up significant portions of American cultural production. And that's DEI or Communism or something ... cue the howling and flailing.
Meanwhile the art of making Shaker Boxes, or Mississippi Delta Quilts dies.
How could a national effort to preserve and support traditional American crafts work? Imagine if everyone had a vote. To be on the list a craft would require, say 100,000 votes. Anyone could write a proposal, describing the nature of the craft. The good produced, its significance and history. A series of exhibitions would give the opportunity to present examples of the work, and help people decide in their votes.
Over a 10 year period the votes would be cast, 3000 crafts would be chosen.
I would vote for "South Bronx Synthesizer Fabrication"
It hasn't been totally lost, but it makes me sad to think that soon no one will know how to make synthesizers and speaker systems from junk around here anymore.
@futurebird ok I wanted to post a jokey thing about my local areas crafts - BUT decided not to. Your posts on thye topic is very thought provoking. Looking at the Morris arts-and-crafts movement 160 years ago, there is a need baked in to the artistic format - and as you say "what would that look like now?"
The last post was the one that floored me because any revival here of Crafts movement is always focused on the historical past instead of the historical now.
Lots to think about
I've been thinking a lot about what it means to be "American" -what is worth celebrating about the USA. Not as a government, but as a place and people who do wonderful things together every day.
It's a mistake to abandon national pride to the far right. It's not enough to reject jingoism and exceptionalism. We have to offer a viable and vibrant alternative vision.
Because fascists love to say that a multicultural is the same thing as no culture.
@futurebird I think the problem is that in the 20th century politics and nationalism have been conflated as the same thing, rather than good politics that should be absolutely transparent to the point of invisible (but not hidden - like a window - it's there but shouldn't be the focus)
@tanepiper@futurebird It goes hand-in-hand with the War On Education started by Reagan with his "School Reform Agenda". They play the Long Game, and it seems to be effective.
I agree! The far right is aware of the power of language and is adept at inverting meaning; we can flip their script and reclaim words like 'patriot,' 'American,' 'great.'
I think cultural PSA's like Schoolhouse Rock's Great American Melting Pot helped build a sense of common purpose and shared American identity:
@futurebirdhttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fundamental_attribution_error important to point out the importance of the material conditions and the culture rather than the intrinsic characteristics of the individual, in the existence and quality of the craft, the same error that confirms positive bias about some people, makes one devaluate the work of people they are prejudiced against, as well as against the importance of a strong community of workers, I think.
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