Blue-State Blues

The Administration's stimulus package (see 123 Stat. 171) included $50 million for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). This was controversial among conservatives. But according to a "beat sweetener" profile of NEA's new chairman, Rocco Landesman, in the August 7th New York Times, art subsidy opponents are bigots:

The arts are a little bit of a target. The subtext is that it is elitist, left wing, maybe even a little gay.

By the way, conservatives' concerns over upping NEA subsidies turned out to be correct, as FOX News reported on July 30th:

The National Endowment for the Arts may be spending some of the money it received from the Recovery and Reinvestment Act to fund nude simulated-sex dances, Saturday night "pervert" revues and the airing of pornographic horror films at art houses in San Francisco. . .

But some of the NEA's grants are spicing up more than the economy. A few of their more risque choices have some taxpayer advocates hot under the collar, including a $50,000 infusion for the Frameline film house, which recently screened Thundercrack, "the world's only underground kinky art porno horror film, complete with four men, three women and a gorilla."

And, as reported in the August 11th Washington Examiner:

CounterPULSE, which received $25,000 in stimulus funds, and which may be best known for its "Perverts Put Out," a "long-running pansexual performance series." The group urges guests, "Join your fellow pervs for some explicit, twisted fun."

I guess they really are "blue states."

Elitist and left wing, for sure. But who knew not wanting to see, much less fund, experiences like "Piss Christ" was the product of sexual preference? Answer--academics:

Researchers at the University of Michigan have concluded that the love stories told in classic Disney and other G-rated children's films -- such as the Little Mermaid -- are partially to blame for the pervasiveness of what they label "heteronormativity."

"Despite the assumption that children's media are free of sexual content, our analyses suggest that these media depict a rich and pervasive heterosexual landscape," wrote researchers Emily Kazyak and Karin Martin, in a report published in the latest issue of the Sociologists for Women in Society (SWS) publication Gender & Society.

Kazyak and Martin said they studied the role of heterosexual relationships in several of the highest-grossing G-rated films between 1990-2005.

The results, say the researchers, illustrate two ways that the children's films "construct heterosexuality": through "depictions of hetero-romantic love as exceptional, powerful, transformative, and magical," and "depictions of interactions between gendered bodies in which the sexiness of feminine characters is subjected to the gaze of masculine characters."

"Characters in love are surrounded by music, flowers, candles, magic, fire, balloons, fancy dresses, dim lights, dancing and elaborate dinners," the researchers observed. "Fireflies, butterflies, sunsets, wind and the beauty and power of nature often provide the setting for -- and a link to the naturalness of -- hetero-romantic love."

The SWS press release on the research blamed what they called the "old ideals" of romantic relationships, specifically those found the Brothers Grimm fairy tales, which in many instances inspired the films' storylines, for "such heavily gendered depictions and glorified portrayals of heterosexual relationships."

The team says the results point to heterosexuality achieving a "taken-for-granted status" "because hetero-romance is depicted as powerful."

In blue states, even love is overpowered by progressive politics--paid for by personal taxes. Here's hoping the "stimulus" was good for you.

(via The Corner, Doug Ross, Moonbattery)