I applaud Changes the Clown. He reminds us that by using art, and something that draws attention, we can build public support and find real solutions to real problems. Still, I find it interesting that it has taken so long for an artist to get public attention when attempting to address more oppressive elements of our society.
Mao Zedong was concerned about artists drowning out his Communist message, and so he killed artists by the thousands during the Cultural Revolution. In particular, he killed and oppressed tons of magicians, as they were thought to be deceitful, and thus anti-communist.
Changes would implement plans for a living wage in order to address the very real issue of child poverty. For the rest of us, it could be any other improvement in our society, such as, in my case, working to help Canada maintain its sovereignty from the new FIPA treaty’s lawsuit provisions.
It’s the reason I mentioned Mao earlier. If a dictatorial regime attempting to suppress democracy in Hong Kong is potentially going to infringe on Canada’s sovereignty, then I will work as a magician of 14 years to fulfill Mao’s prophecy, and work to keep our sovereignty intact by drowning out his message. I hope that all artists will find ways to use their art to change society for the better.
