What is the role of the arts in human behavior?

What is the role of the arts in human behavior? OUCH!

It totally depends on whose definition of arts and how it’s used – a further explanation of ‘arts’ would be fully needed to address the presentation of this question. One can only guess at the comparison of the world’s (or Babylon’s) meaning and Zion’s?

Thus for this reply I’ll use my definition of ‘arts’ and how they apply to human behavior – hopefully this will suffice? I’ll use the ‘muses’ as found in the Greek Classical understanding for the nine arts: Heroic Poetry; History; Love or Erotic poetry, Lyrics and Marriage Songs; Music and Lyric Poetry; Tragedy; Song-Oratory-Lyric-Singing and Rhetoric; Comedy and Bucolic Poetry; and Astronomy. From these nine we’ll work with Poetry (all forms); Songs; Plays; Sculptures/Paintings and Books. The modern world has seemingly grouped these in today’s voice as Movies, TV, Art, Music and Writing.

The current role using my understanding is one of brain washing and manipulation for the most part. When on considers one can never erase what they’ve once seen and then consider the multitude of junk and obscene material exposed to ‘all’ either on billboards, TV, movies, Internet, magazines, clothing (or lack of any), tee shirts, etc., the mind boggles at what’s been let inside uninvited by some and greatly sought after by others. A second part of this understanding is ‘spaced repetition’ and the use of this in the ‘arts’ especially music and literature. Atlantic Records discovered in the 1950’s they could intersperse lyrics into their music almost obscene and get away with it in the rhythm similar to what Country and Western Music has also used. One needs only to reflect upon the entrance of females into the country scene and the exchange of lyrics which then developed. Hank Snow was one of the first in a vinyl entitled, “Boardwalk Angel” – Anita Carter was on the female artist to the best of my memory. The audience found fun and interest in all of this going on in the music industry while avid readers were finding more and more sex and adultery (starting in the beginning of printing or writing one would guess) now more available in the general market place. Movies since their inception have been full of the sexual content. One would guess it’ll only worse and more obscene. With the advent of various magazines – Playboy only the elevation of the smut available.

The only role of the arts today in human behavior is fraught with deception to entice, excite, tempt, arouse, or otherwise demean the human spirit. Which at one time elevated – now the overall pretense has dissipated altogether in these latter-days. Pompeii and other places in history choose the same route in isolated situations – while leaving an appearance of moral and virtue to those who came for visits to their realm. Thus with the creation of spiritual illusions people throughout the ages have deceived themselves into our day that in reality rhetoric is better than truth or indeed any goodness in art! The killing of feelings – until only peer pressure determines what is acceptable and approvable. Currently media determines what is currently in acceptance – and sure and fast demeans something which even hints at being good or pure.

Indeed in the USA most hide under the guise of the 1st Amendment to profane the nation with profanity/sex/abuses and more in the name of ‘art’. Our youth are losing any morality on a daily dose basis wherever they turn. Thus one most be more and more careful in what they allow into their homes (or into their minds) in the name of ‘art’ or its associates in human behavior.


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