Peat and I were talking about art this morning.

Our first discussion was about the movie 300, which was fucking amazing. 300 is a work of art, not only because it is a beautiful movie with spectacular visual effects (and hot, hot men wearing banana hammocks), but because it is such a dramatic interpretation of a historical event, evoking many different emotions in its audience. And although not everyone will like 300, people who can appreciate art will appreciate what the people involved were trying to accomplish.

Peat likened it to Gone With the Wind. As he put it, he can see why it was a work of art - it was groundbreaking for its time, just as 300 is for ours; it was beautifully shot; the costumes are exquisite - but he still doesn't actually like it.

Which, in a roundabout way, brought us to our second discussion, about this article. It seems a museum in Florida is displaying a piece entitled "The Proper Way to Hang a Confederate Flag." In it, a confederate flag is hung from a gibbet (is it pronounced ghibbet or jibbet? Of fuck it - from a gallows), as the artist considers it a symbol of "visual terrorism" and a remnant of racism.

Now I, as a Northerner full of thought and reason, can totally see how the confederate flag could represent repression and injustice to many people. My gut reaction to seeing the flag is that of disgust and embarassment. But, as a fan of Gone With the Wind, I can also see how it is a representation of a bygone era, a simpler time of grace and beauty. A time which had to happen in order to make our country grow and mature.

Art is an important resource, even if you don't actually enjoy the art itself. In fact, maybe especially if you don't. Because ultimately, the main responsibility of an artist is to make his or her audience think.