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Hypothetically, if the people of Poland disliked the Lincoln Memorial and liked the MLK statue on aesthetic grounds, would you care? Would you let their preferences shape the statues and symbols of your land? I don't think you would.
Maybe you are from D.C, I don't know. But it seems to me that much of the tension is resolved if people stop expecting a nation of 4-5 different cultures to have any kind of unified aesthetic vision. I recognize the inherent problems with doing so. For example, you pay taxes to the concept of a singular American nation, not just your particular cultural one, so by God you had best make sure to voice your approval or disapproval for things. But I'm increasingly convinced that people who complain about ugly public art are doing so in a cross-cultural manner i.e like a Christian accusing a Jew or Muslim of making shoddy cultural products.
If a Texan finds the art of California insufficiently beautiful because it glorifies homosexuality instead of God, or vice versa, these should be seen in the same light as debates over which country has the best food: fun to engage in, pointless to take seriously.
Indeed I care much less about Poland, or even LA than I care about DC, which is the capital city of my country. As such its art should reflect near universally like American artistic styles. Which would mean classical Greco-Roman style, natural beauty like flowering trees, bushes, etc.
And again, I agree rolfmoo. No one outside of a rounding error of people actually like this sort of art. Instead the imposed cultural imperialism of ugly chique is meant to reflect the Cathedral's boot on our throats at every possible corner.
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I don't think it's true that hideous modern architecture is just the genuine aesthetic vision of a different culture. Most people hate it, Texan or Californian: it's the taste, or apparent taste, of a small number of highly privileged people (architects and their sponsors).
Sure. There's also a class divide within any particular culture - elites may want to valorize one thing and the public another. But unless you're from the culture is question, you can't just ignore your own aesthetic preferences.
The people of Chicago might have ugly buildings built upon them without a voice. But perhaps some consideration should be made of the big difference in cultural standards if you aren't from Chicago, that's my point.
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