The new genius myth
We used to believe that only a special few people were geniuses, that they were born that way, and that their creative powers were supernatural. We didn’t see that they were deeply influenced by the world around them, that they just happened to be the first one to invent what the world was ready for, that if they hadn’t done it someone else would have.
Today, we’re over the genius myth (sort of). It’s not that we don’t believe that every so often there are outrageously creative people with world-changing ideas, it’s that we care less.
Our new myth is of the insanely wealthy and fully recognized creative genius.
We all want to be this person. We want to change the world, yes, but we want our contributions to be acknowledged too—by fame and by fortune. Our models are the red carpet types and the people who get to be on the cover of Time Magazine. Our myth tells us that they made it there on merit and that we can too.
Except they didn’t and we probably can’t.
Rich and famous geniuses are constructions of the media. It’s likely that there is talent or real invention somewhere in those people, and it’s probable that they also worked hard to get where they are, but, in the end, it’s the media machine that pumps up their reputations to the point where the rest of us can’t help but think that they’re tinged with greatness. It’s the manufacturing of a masterpiece applied to people.
The problem with this is that we all end up wanting media sponsorship, and, because of that, we hold onto copyright. It’s the idea that one day we’ll be famous, and when that day comes it will be crucial to have control of our creative work, so we’ll support copyright now even though it in no way helps our careers.
That spells trouble for culture.
And, more importantly, that spells trouble for each of us. Living with the sometime-maybe-one-day notion of greatness means that we forget the value of what we’re doing today. We are already contributing to society and we shouldn’t forget it.
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CATEGORIES: - Business of art - Free culture -
