The anti-Christian Olympics ceremony is now old news, but there is something more complex worth considering. There is no point arguing with people trying to pretend that the display was something other than what it obviously was, or trying to claim that its critics are ignorant of Greek history. We were clearly told it was intended to “celebrate diversity” – as if that divisive religion isn’t shoved in our faces every 12 seconds at every excuse.
As Devon Eriksen recently expressed on X: There are two kinds of artistic creativity. The first says, “Art is about beauty and truth. I will create that which is beautiful and true, that which uplifts those who look upon it. And my ego will be satisfied when my work is acknowledged as good, both by myself and others.”
The second says, “Art is about self-expression. I will create art based on whatever is in myself, no matter how ugly, deceptive, and low. I will make myself visible in every aspect, and my ego will be satisfied, because I will be the center of attention, with everyone looking at me.”
Self-expression is based on narcissism. It demands to be the center of attention, regardless of what others actually wish to see. Great art is not about self-expression. It comes from the self, it is shaped by the self, but the truth it expresses must be shared and universal. This is why it speaks to others, not just the artist.
The narcissistic artist creates art not to please others, but to force others to look at him. He must stamp his personality on every corner of his work, make it his and his alone, and remind the audience, in every moment, in every place they direct their gaze, that this work is his, and that he is what truly matters.
The art at the Olympics is not ugly by accident. It is ugly because the artists wish you to look upon their ugliness, both outer and inner. Evidently, someone on the IOC realized this and surprisingly issued an apology.
It is ugly because its message is not “look at this” but “look at me.”
This is why the left is obsessed with their destructive ideology. This is why they dress provocatively, change the meaning of vocabulary and biology, and demand society accept absurd behavior. This is why they write self-indulgent stories about identity and victimhood and refuse to discuss anything of reality, such as the mental health problems that have skyrocketed since this movement became vogue, or the destabilization of society.
They are screaming their identity at the void while never seeking true beauty; never realizing that it’s not only possible, but easy, to be unique without being interesting or useful.
Each of us has a choice to stop blaming others and simply live life without the need to constantly force private and personal preferences onto society with narcissist ideology. There is no love or inclusion in narcissism.
Jim Gaston, Franklin