Charlie Chaplin is my hero.
Consider his position in history:
- His little tramp was (and perhaps is) the most recognizable film persona in existence.
- Silent films were coming to an end, and talkies would soon dominate.
In other words, the previously silent little tramp would finally have a voice. Not just any voice, but a voice that would be heard by millions at the time of the film’s release and almost assuredly would echo through time as a landmark in film history. Charlie Chaplin understood the magnitude of the position he was in — and when it came his time to talk, he used his voice and the little tramp transcended to greatness.
I live, I think and I create with this in mind. What is the point of saying something not worth saying? If one is going to create art, one must assume the whole world will see it. One must Stand for something. To waste one’s voice is far worse than to have never had one at all.
I obviously don’t have the guaranteed audience of Chaplin, nor am I standing at the once-in-a-civilization bridge between silent films and talkies. Yet we too stand at a fork in the road - we exist at a point in time when technology can enable both artists and public to take their (our!) culture back from the corporations. We can be the paradigm shift.
If I could, I’d scream it from cliffsides and rooftops, from windows and airplanes.
-kristopher young