The group of post WWI era
artists which Gertrude Stein called The Lost Generation, the self-labeled Beat Generation of the
post WWII era, and the media-hyped hippies of the Vietnam War era, are all portrayed as thrill-seeking slackers by James Atlas in The Fall Of Fun. This is a typical misrepresentation of both the
artists' work and their infamous lifestyle, which trivializes their much-needed role as social conscience. While most Americans have embraced the post Industrial Revolution business of making money and war, artists have been busy questioning the value and morality of such pursuits. Art provides a mirror into which it is often uncomfortable for
society to look. It is much easier to simply lable artists as nihilistic misfits whose only concern is getting high.
Atlas paints a vivid picture of the typical hippie, Beat, and Lost Generation lifestyle in which he romanticizes heavy drinking, smoking, and partying. This depiction is meant to show just how carefree and fun-loving these artists were, but does it, really? Atlas admits that their reckless lifestyles often sent these artists to an early grave. Such self-destructive behavior does not indicate a fun-loving spirit. On the contrary, it illustrates a morbid desire to escape from reality. Why did these artists tend to live fast and die young? What fostered their intense desire to escape reality?
Modern American artists have served as social commentators on national crises of no less magnitude than the First and Second World Wars, the Cold War, McCarthyism, and the Vietnam War. These young people recognized their obligation to challenge the established American values and institutions that might have helped to create these crises. They realized that they seemed to be more deeply concerned with affecting change than were other aspects of society. Questioning ideas which have strong roots in American tradition is not all fun and games. Indeed, in times of social turmoil it can be a heavy cross to bear. It should come as no surprise that artists tend to embrace whatever distractions are available to them in their personal lives.
Not only does Atlas misinterpret the reckless lifestyles of modern American artists, but he also fails to recognize the importance of art as social commentary. Allen Ginsberg's America, for example, is an honest, sorrowful, and sometimes angry appeal for a reinvestigation into the nation's intolerance of individuality. Hippie art, the majority of which was expressed through music, played a key role in uniting Americans in the crusade to end the Vietnam War. However, Atlas does not credit himself or his peers with this accomplishment. Instead, he ignores the political power of art, which gives one pause to question his artistic credentials. Perhaps Atlas is not really an artist at all. Or perhaps he is an artist who has shirked his artistic duty. Maybe The Fall Of Fun is the product of a guilty conscience. After all, Atlas admits to tucking his tail between his legs and retreating with the rest of society from hippie ideals to more traditional values, such as the family unit and Puritan work ethic.
Although art can certainly be created simply for enjoyment, its primary function has developed into something far more important. Art has come to reflect society. It allows us to constantly examine our beliefs and traditions. It shows us our weaknessess and suggests ways to improve. Although The Fall Of Fun does not promote art as serious social commentary, the piece itself is such. James Atlas thinks we have all become a bunch of uptight workaholics, and he suggests that we all lighten up and try to have more fun. Actually, he has a wonderful idea here. Instead of mourning the disappearance of fun, he ought to focus on starting a fun movement. He would be founder of the only movement in history that did not have to be stimulated by a major crisis. It would indeed be the ultimate accompllishment for a true artist.