Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Weekly Article: Ian

Obama vs. Art History

Sorry this took so long, I had trouble finding a good article. This article is one that we can all relate to because Obama bashes on our majors and something that we all love. Obama is saying that going to college to study Humanities or Art History is pretty much a waste of time and money because you aren't going to make a lot of money once you graduate and go into the real world. He made this comment casually while on a trip to Wisconsin. It seems like he didn't realize what he said until it was too late. I think that it is a very powerful statement to make when you say that studying Art History is not the route that people should take, they should take the skilled worker route because they will make more money, and they will help America look good. I think that is a load of crap. It is a good suggestion that hey if you wanna make a lot of money do this job, but Obama's statement seemed more like being told what to do not really a suggestion. One can make a lot of money doing anything now a days. you just got to put time and effort into it. Art is a big business. Paintings are being bought and sold for millions of dollars weekly. I don't know how you can say that there is no money in that. Also I'm a big believer that art and exercise keeps a person sane. They are good outlets from our society. It gets the brain thinking differently. Our brains need to be challenged, looking at art and studying art causes the brain to work outside it's comfort zone. Being multi talented in different fields is going to further a person better than if they are just another person standing in a assembly line.

7 comments:

  1. That's a pretty interesting article. It's definitely tough, but I believe it to be true. I was realizing as I got further into earning this degree, that fine arts is an incredibly competitive field, due to the fact that the overwhelming focus of individuals in our society has always been on the dependency to make money to survive, or even to live comfortably.
    I believe that the difference between artists and those of us who have always worked best with the more linear left side of our brain, is that until one can find that outlet in creativity and art, value will not be found in it. And let's be honest, how many of us feel like it's really worth it to take some business or biology classes? Not many of us (that are majoring in Fine Arts or Art History) see it as having much value, because I would venture to guess that most of us have not taken the classes.
    I have only taken one other biology and business class outside of the core classes, and I have to admit, there is a great value in those courses. Sure, I still prefer art, but I also want to be a little dynamic. Utilizing both intellectual processes is surprisingly liberating, and life can become quite intense but also feel less intrusive upon one's interests and investments. Never put all of your eggs in one basket!!
    As for the remarks from President Obama, I believe him to be honest with his choice of words, and though his perspective on the topic of Art History and the Humanities was not taken so lightly from the art world, from an objective standpoint, he is trying to guide the Americans that are looking for the money, and are not sure where to find it. There can be a living made from the Humanities subjects, however if the majority bias is to make more money than to gain internal satisfaction from a job that can pay the bills, the competitiveness of these fields in the Humanities will only be full of those of us who are stubborn and know what we want to do in life, regardless of the paychecks.

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  2. As a Fine Arts Major, I have to say that the core classes that I am required to take give me plenty of "left brain" activity and, being a sixty year old, in college, I can't imagine majoring in anything BUT Fine Arts! I retired from the U.S. Post Office so I have done my duty as a working class citizen and look forward to becoming a "potter" for the rest of my life! That being said, I also believe that a BFA is just as good (if not, better) a degree as any in business or what others may consider a "money" major. There is just as much work out there for an Art History major or Fine Arts major as there is for any other field. In the long run, most college graduates end up in some other field than that they chose for college anyway. I'm not sure that Obama's statements in this article weren't taken out of context so I can't say that I don't believe him… I actually happen to love our president and don't like to make a political statement of any kind when I don't know all the facts. I find it hard to believe that Obama actually believes that an Art History degree is useless and I also believe that the media is the culprit for most political bad press ~ elephant OR donkey.

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  3. No matter what degree someone is trying to earn, there will always be difficulties finding your place in the world outside of college. I don't care if you are an accountant, lawyer, or a social worker it's never going to be a walk in the park getting employment. Obama saying he likes art history might be true, but it does not justify saying an art history degree will not get you where you want to be financially. Screw that, it's a persons choice to decided how much money they want to make and how successful they want to be. We would not see art the way we do now if it were not for art history. Art historians are so incredibly passionate about what they do it makes learning about it that much better, because you know you are hearing the information from a great deal of knowledge and passion. Not a trade where someone teaches you how to put an engine together and there you have it, a mechanic. Art history will always have a place in our society and our schooling.

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  4. Reading this article couldn't have come at a better time for me. Since my senior project focuses on the importance of keeping the liberal arts and humanities within our children's educational curriculum, this article gave me lots of opposing views as to why the Fine Arts/Art History Majors are viewed by some as a waste of higher educations time and money. At the end of my assessment and evaluation of the pros and cons to earning such a degree, I still firmly believe that the Humanities and Fine Arts are vital towards the total college educational experience. If I wanted to pursue a career that would make me the most money, then I would enroll in a specific trade school to ensure that financial return. In fact I took that route right after high school and found myself lost and uninspired among the thousands of other students just going through the motions to earn a certificate not an education. That was why I came to SNC. I wanted to graduate having the full college experience of a well rounded education. SNC was the only college of its kind offering a BA in Humanities without me having to be confined to just studying psychology or the Fine Arts by themselves. Now that I'm applying to the same jobs I was certified for years ago, I'm receiving a lot of positive feedback and potential job offers from past employers due to the fact that I took the time to pursue a Liberal Arts college education on top of being certified in my career field. Had I not attended SNC, I would be financially stable but extremely bored, passionless and miserable in life. The same degrees that Obama says are a waste of higher educations time and money, are the same degrees and educational pathways that inspired me to pursue my passions and life goals today! So take that Obama!!

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  5. This article is very bias. The author seems like he took the quote out of context. I think what Obama was really trying to say was that not everybody needs to co to college to have a good career. It would have made more sense if he used lawyers as the example because there are way too many lawyers. I think this was more of an attack on the notion that everybody needs to co to college than it is an attack on art history. for people who go to school because they want to perfect a skill then college is the right way to go. People who go to college because they think it will make them fit into society more are doing it for all the wrong reasons. I think he was saying that for a lot of people they would be better off mastering a trade than bearly passing their classes. A really good plumber can make close to 90000 dollars. but a really good art historian can make way more than that if they set their minds to it.

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  6. This is a very interesting article, and I have trouble taking an opinion in either direction. I understand that our country owes a lot of money to other countries, and the push to work our selves towards a trade industry looks good on the books. The other side is that we are attempting to be an educated country; art history serves to show a side of our nation, that to some seems as a "behind the scenes" expression, but it does involve different people (who are a part of the voting pool) into the elections and decisions that our country tries to make as a group. Art History is a class that is required in order to expand our current student's minds into a different avenue of expression. We have artists in our country that have a firm opinion of the way that the country is run, but they are not able to express those opinions in a public setting. Isn't this a side of our country that has a say in our decisions? I feel that if you look at our "leaders," who may not be in politics, have liberal arts degrees. These are the people who are informed voters, and who are influencing the current trends of our national direction. If I had concentrated solely on mathematics, like I had decided on in my freshman year, I would not have had the influences of philosophy, english, art and biology that I have now. I am an now an informed voter, instead of a person who makes decisions based on the limited knowledge that is available to masses. Art History is a way to understand the motivations and feelings of finalized decisions in the general public. The pulse of the nation if you will.

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  7. Being an art and art history major I am constantly questioned on my plans for the future for most people are doubtful when it comes to certain humanities. When certain comments from individuals such as Obama as well as other politicians and celebrities come up, I respond in the same way I do to everyone else. There are obviously reasons for what I do what I do or I would be doing jobs others might find to be more “beneficial” and I don’t feel like I have to justify myself for doing what I love and what I’m most interested in. I know that I can succeed with what I do and that I will be happy doing so. I don’t believe in doing something simply for earnings and I cherish the importance of creativity for the state of mind. Obama should be caring about the economic situation that prevents so many from attending college instead of putting down people’s degrees.

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