Whatsoever things are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report; think on these things. (from Phil. 4:8)

Two events have taken place in the past month that call for commentary. One is a local news item that barely found mention in our local press and the other was a world away in Russia that has grabbed international headlines with equal condemnation on both sides. Both bear a resemblance on basic issues of artistic freedom of expression. On our local scene, our Knox Co. high schools issued a required reading list for their STEM Academy that included the new novel, Robopocalypse. More than one set of parents took a brief look at what their students were being asked to read and found it repulsive for its prolific use of profanity. Those who asked for an alternative reading assignment were granted one, but those who registered their protest publicly were pilloried by an even larger group who defended the choice as relevant, just, and even laudable. Those who objected were exposed to charges of book-burning, censorship, and moral prudery. A public survey of parents who understood the issues at hand might have revealed a whole different majority opinion, but that was never done. Unfortunately, the forces for liberalism-leading-to-license are always more vocal in their expression and unafraid to sing praises at the holy grail of artistic freedom. It trumps all other concerns. When the controversy did reach the press, the school system defended itself with a recitation of its duly sanctioned process by which book selections are made. Those who were involved in the process fell back to the baseline defense that the profanity contained in the book was nothing worse than what students have heard before and something they hear every day in the hallways of their schools. So much for elevating standards of taste and expression.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, members of a punk-rock band whose name I cannot even print here for reasons of tastefulness were sentenced to two years imprisonment for “hooliganism motivated by religious hatred.” They had burst into the central shrine of the Russian Orthodox Church, the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, and interrupted praying people with blasphemous accusations against God, the Orthodox faith, and the clergy. They pleaded in highly profane terms a “punk prayer” to the Virgin Mary to oust President Putin. That people like this particular band exist and harbor their contempt of religious beliefs is not new. What is noteworthy is the open letter of support for the band from Paul McCartney which said, “I hope you can stay strong and believe that I and many others like me who believe in free speech will do everything in our power to support you and the idea of artistic freedom.” Again, this unquestioning allegiance to artistic freedom trumps all other concerns. No acknowledgement was made of the extreme persecution that Christians had suffered during the reign of Communism that had leveled the original building while the socialist faithful romped in glee desecrating every vestige of faith. No mention was made of the 200,000 clergy that were killed nor of the 500,000 other believers who lost their lives in Stalin’s orgy of hate. Historical sensitivity was also sacrificed at the altar of artistic freedom in McCartney’s banal blather of support.

What is lacking in all this obsequious reverence for “artistic freedom” is the realization that not all expression is either good, true, or beautiful no matter how “artistic” it purports to be. Indeed, some things are plainly gross, vulgar, and coarse. It used to be that our national culture promoted the good, the true, and the beautiful while relegating the gross, vulgar, and coarse to the oblivion which it so richly deserved. Occasional voices can be heard lamenting the “coarsening” of American culture, yet no one wants to pass judgment on what is or is not “coarse.” I, for one, will avoid using any public bathroom at UT if at all possible to avoid the visual and verbal assault that takes place in any of the stalls. Why should it be such a surprise that many of us do not want to hear, see, or read or expose our children to that which is plainly vulgar? I remember some years ago a cartoon showing literature professors toting away a stall door with great delight having discovered some original and great “poetry.” Are we now there? If so, we have sadly lost our way.