R/E/P Community

R/E/P => R/E/P Archives => R/E/P Saloon => Topic started by: DarinK on November 08, 2010, 05:27:01 PM

Title: Modern Art was CIA 'weapon' in Cold War
Post by: DarinK on November 08, 2010, 05:27:01 PM
This is a 15-year-old article, but it's new info to me.  Maybe we can help the music industry by getting the CIA to promote American music?
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/modern-art-was-cia-w eapon-1578808.html
Title: Re: Modern Art was CIA 'weapon' in Cold War
Post by: jetbase on November 08, 2010, 05:48:37 PM
Very interesting, thanks for sharing.
Title: Re: Modern Art was CIA 'weapon' in Cold War
Post by: YZ on November 08, 2010, 09:38:07 PM
DarinK wrote on Mon, 08 November 2010 20:27

This is a 15-year-old article, but it's new info to me.
 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/modern-art-was-cia-w eapon-1578808.html

 Maybe we can help the music industry by getting the CIA to promote American music?


Interesting indeed.

What makes you think that the CIA did not promote other aspects of the US culture?

And that the USSR didn't do the same?
Title: Re: Modern Art was CIA 'weapon' in Cold War
Post by: DarinK on November 08, 2010, 09:44:35 PM
YZ wrote on Mon, 08 November 2010 18:38

DarinK wrote on Mon, 08 November 2010 20:27

This is a 15-year-old article, but it's new info to me.
  http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/modern-art-was-cia-w eapon-1578808.html

 Maybe we can help the music industry by getting the CIA to promote American music?


Interesting indeed.

What makes you think that the CIA did not promote other aspects of the US culture?

And that the USSR didn't do the same?



Oh, I'm sure they did.  I just think (perhaps wrongly) that the current CIA culture is more socially conservative, and more likely to promote standard U.S. popular culture rather than the avant garde.  I'm sure they're glad to have radical Islamists (for example) dissing our "wicked" sex & violence entertainment, though.  Just don't tell the Americans criticizing Hollywood for the same things.
Title: Re: Modern Art was CIA 'weapon' in Cold War
Post by: YZ on November 09, 2010, 08:53:18 AM
Oh, the second part of my reply was directed to jetbase.

But don't forget that in the link you provided, we learned that the CIA was promoting art forms that were viewed badly by many upstanding U.S. citizens...   Smile

The cold war had many curious aspects and they're only beginning to surface, at least to the general populace.

Here on the 'developing nations' during the 1950s and 1960s we saw a few examples of immigrants from behind the iron curtain that became very successful businessmen in a relatively short time...  to later be discovered as members of the communist party who left their real families behind and built a 'new life' here, becoming patrons of the arts, getting positions at employers' syndicates, having political influence and...  helping/harboring guerrilla movements among other activities.
Title: Re: Modern Art was CIA 'weapon' in Cold War
Post by: RMoore on November 11, 2010, 09:59:46 AM
Bizarre!