Trump's Kennedy Center will narrow exposure to art [View all]

By Robin Givhan / The Washington Post

President Donald Trump’s takeover of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is at first glance a demonstration of pettiness that would, in the past, have been nearly unbelievable. But in this second Trump era, the move was inevitable. He’s declared his plan to rule over the center and to transform America’s singular cultural institution into an expression of his philistine tastes and urges.

“I have decided to immediately terminate multiple individuals from the Board of Trustees, including the Chairman, who do not share our Vision for a Golden Age in Arts and Culture,” Trump wrote on social media. “We will soon announce a new Board, with an amazing Chairman, DONALD J. TRUMP!”

He will not be serving as chairman, which is how one might typically frame his recent announcement about taking on the unpaid role. Instead, his move suggests he may lord over its musicians and dancers to make sure they comply with his definition of patriotism and his ratings-driven instincts. He seems to want a scrutiny of performances to ensure that they are appropriately non-diverse and anti-inclusive. The Kennedy Center will become a meritocracy based on Trump’s personal standards of greatness.

The president doesn’t merely want to break the government bureaucracy. He wants to reprogram what the arts mean to the American people.

https://www.heraldnet.com/opinion/comment-trumps-kennedy-center-will-narrow-exposure-to-art/

Oh come on. You have a problem with Ted Nugent, Kid Rock and Wrestlemania?