Art and Culture #91
Merit is Still King!
-For the Uncensored!
(the tweet above has prompted this article.)
May the best champion win. It’s often a slogan that you hear in mostly fantasy and science fiction novels, or some YA dystopian variation like Susanne Collin’s Hunger Games that often pretended it was edgy, when it was a cleanly written version of Battle Royale. But Merit to me, is the clear sign of what a long lasting piece of art can bring to the fictional landscape. The idea that “people are not original” is a long and boring counterargument because often no one can define anything as original, so I am original, by default.
Merit, in a full autocratic society, would say, “Well, let’s debate and see who wins. Let’s put out competing products to see who has the best story.” If this was true, then everyone, including Amazon Kindle or Watpadd writers would be treated on an equal playing field within the book industry.
But it doesn’t. People in. the industry are too clearly egotistical to want actual competition. It’s in our DNA. It’s in the human genome to be dominant and want to hold sway over the mass public eye. But to understand that also means preparing for some hard ugly truths. Here’s one: You can’t be the darling of the literary world all the time. What use would the phrase “Brando era” be if everyone was popular all the time.
If consequence of being popular is creating stagnant work and not working to maintain that level of discipline and craft within your artistic field, what is the point of wanting to work hard to achieve that goal?
It’s creating a fat intellectual state of mind that always wants to repeat an old familiar style and not try to create new ideas that could push through the cultural zeitgeist. What happens, in the industry, is common, because nobody wants to “visit the boys in the basement” anymore. It can upset the apple cart.
But being accepted and dying an early death sounds unheroic. Being an artist means adaptation. To not always choose “the most literary” adventure you might want to do. Because you might be hanging from a rope in a garage, like David Foster Wallace.[1]
What makes artists strive is one word. Merit. It’s to be respected, admired, hated, and loathed because in a free speech society, the best ideas are the way to win over followers, subscribers, readers, etc.
What the unprepared can always say is “why is merit so important when it’s all about connections?” Connections are one big part of establishing yourself in a chosen profession. But going to writers summits has been replaced with Social Media. Meeting a fellow lover by chance and starting a relationship, where you both strive for success. It’s hard anymore to not pretend that sounds like a fantasy. Merit, in the social media world, is driven by clicks, and ad revenues. Sexuality, Achievements, and Rewards are all driven by merit.
-Louis Bruno is the author of more than 19 books, including, The Michael Project, The Michael Project: Book 2: The Lost Children of Eve, Thy Kingdom Come, The Disintegrating Bloodline Part 2: Chaos, The Data Chase, The Disintegrating Bloodline part 3: Solvè, The Disintegrating Bloodline (and the original text re-released in 2019), Apocalypse Soldier, The Data Chase, Selection: The First Book of the Life and Death Saga, and Blinking Eyes: The Second Book of the Life and Death Saga, Hierarchy of Dwindling Sheep, The City of Sand, The God of Curiosity, To the Moon and Back, The Villain Lives and The Villain Lives: The Divided Pinpoint, Come Home, Young One. He has a Bachelor of Arts in English from University of Phoenix. His books can be found on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Lulu. He can be found on Gab, https://gab.com/thereallouistbruno, Minds https://www.minds.com/lbruno8063/. Instagram @lbrruno8063 and @louisbrunoofficialbook. Twitter: https://twitter.com/LouisBr88881650. He has written for the Intellectual Conservative and Ephemere. His newest book, The Voices Are Alive is out now: https://www.lulu.com/en/us/shop/louis-bruno/the-voices-are-alive/hardcover/product-mvggdg.html?page=1&pageSize=4. Also, if you can’t subscribe so that you can get members only content, please be sure to share the articles, as well. If you do Subscribe, you have long term access to the paid articles that some readers won’t get to see or access after the articles/books go private. If that doesn’t tickle your pickle, I am also selling merch from t spring, if you want to help support me in other ways. I sell hoodies, shirts, phone cases, and trying to find something there loved ones would like. Link is here: https://thereallouistbruno.creator-spring.com/listing/too-many-strings-not-enough. https://thereallouistbruno.creator-spring.com/listing/duck-fuckery. https://thereallouistbruno.creator-spring.com/listing/headless-corpo. Every little like, subscribe share, helps. Thanks for reading.
[1] Rest in Peace.