Art Above All

(Straits Times, Sep 27, 2009)

While we are frequently reminded to move on, some other country takes history very seriously.

Hail!
 German artist Ottmar Hörl’s controversial Nazi-mocking gnomes
(Werner Scheuermann)

“When German artist Ottmar Hörl created a gold-colored gnome giving the infamous Hitler salute earlier this year, he meant it as a satirical work, a mockery of Nazi ideology. When gallery owner Erwin Weigl put the gnome in the window of his Nuremberg store, he didn’t even notice the Nazi connection — he just thought the gnome was waving. But when a local newspaper published a photo of the gnome, both Hörl and Weigl suddenly found themselves at the center of a criminal investigation that became a national talking point. Giving the Hitler salute or using Nazi symbols is a crime in Germany, punishable by up to three years in prison…After a week-long probe, the authorities dropped their investigation, having decided that, as a work of art, Hörl’s gnome is exempt from the law. But the fact that there was an investigation at all is proof of how seriously Germany takes its anti-Nazi laws. More than 60 years after the end of World War II, the horrors of fascism and the Holocaust remain etched in Germany’s collective consciousness.” – TIME; Aug 24, 2009

Like the Germans, the Americans generally feel that the fate of the country, be it self-description or self-preservation, lies not just in the hands of the government but also the palms of residents.

TIME Poll (Sep 21, 2009):

68% of Americans think most Americans do not live up to their responsibilities as citizens
42% says businesses can’t be trusted to make socially responsible decisions–it’s up to the government to make sure they do
49% of Americans will make socially responsible decisions without the government telling them what to do
50% of Americans are willing to pay more in federal taxes to provide universal health-care coverage for all Americans

And this reminds me of a Greenday song…