Why Ray Charles Matters - Page 6

But the greater truth is a little more distressing. The great aesthetic struggle of the 21st century, in both culture and arts and letters, is the struggle between art and racial orthodoxy, between the humanist principles of creation and the self serving, self pitying and ultimately self destructive nature of cultural nationalism. And here once again Charles dovetails with Ellison, as both men’s belief in the democratic principles of art and America are now seen as anachronistic and passe by a deeply divided country. As Charles was celebrated numerous times on news shows and other programs, the lack of coverage by modern pop culture tells a great deal about what is wrong with a great deal of young America. In a grotesquely politically correct era where every sentiment outside of “ I hate whitey “ and “ I hate b!tches" is seen inauthentically black behavior, Charles’s embrace of country and it’s blood relationship to the nature of black music is seen by too many young African Americans as the move of a sellout. And in this era where a healthy response to political correctness has degenerated into a tacky soft core white nationalism, Charles is seen by too many young whites as someone not to be taken seriously when you talk about the history of art in America. If we as a country don’t absorb Charles's two great artistic themes, that art is a place where color plays no part and that the history of black music in America is one of the greatest things to ever happen in this country, we will lose a great deal of not just American music history, but American history as well.

Article Author: Robert Lashley

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