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1444 || art vs. entertainment episode artwork

May 10, 2025 7 min

1444 || art vs. entertainment

from Make Your Damn Bed

The goal is to “consume consciously” more often than you’re letting shit "consume you, unconsciously”. James Baldwin puts it like this: “The industry is compelled, given the way it is built, to present to the American people a self-perpetuating fantasy of American life. Their concept of entertainment is difficult to distinguish from the use of narcotics. To watch the TV screen for any length of time is to learn some really frightening things about the American sense of reality. We are cruelly trapped between what we would like to be and what we actually are. And we cannot possibly become what we would like to be until we are willing to ask ourselves just why the lives we lead on this continent are mainly so empty, so tame, and so ugly. These images are designed not to trouble, but to reassure. They also weaken our ability to deal with the world as it is, ourselves as we are.” Josh Johnson: “Art can save your life but entertainment will never be your salvation. Entertainment by and large is escapism and no one has ever escaped their chains by forgetting they were shackled.” Watch Josh Johnson's special: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgKsG6NZSIo Read James Baldwin's words: https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a23960/james-baldwin-cool-it/ (If there's a paywall, you can go to a paywall bypass site to avoid subscription fees!!!) IF YOU CAN: Donate to Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund::www.pcrf.net Donate to Mutual Aid Funds: https://www.folxhealth.com/library/mutual-aid-funds GET AN OCCASIONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.com TUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcast OR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcast OR WATCH ON YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/juliemerica The opinions expressed by Julie Merica and Make Your Damn Bed Podcast are intended for entertainment purposes only. Make Your Damn Bed podcast is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Read Julie's Medium Blog. Support JULIE (and the show!) Support + get some bonus stuff over on PATREON. Get an occasional personal email from me: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.com Tune in on INSTAGRAM AND YOUTUBE or TIKTOK

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1444 || art vs. entertainment

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