Texas suffers from a broadly philistine and even economically unfounded attitude toward the true value of culture. Broadly speaking, it sees culture as existing in the sole domain of private enterprise. At state and city political level it seems to regard culture as superfluous, a luxury, an indulgence, probably silly and probably pretentious. In short: a waste of money. It somehow fails to see it as the central component that engages, meshes, and lubricates the machinery of the entire civilized world – regardless of business models.
Instead, Perry prefers to promote video game designers as big business for the state. That approach to leveraging state funds will draw new revenue for sure, though not necessarily more revenue than an investment in the cultural would, and, in fact, ultimately very much less. But regardless of investment, that approach certainly won’t draw massive international respect, tourism, and tangible credibility on a world stage which will ultimately lead to untold future business opportunities. So, in terms of its impact on our own community, the myth of Dallas will be further perpetrated as big hair, beach ball bazoomers, out-sized trucks for picking up groceries at Tom Thumb and video games (about all the above?) for people who can’t seem to get out enough. Well, this may, at least, have the added bonus of keeping the kids happy while they’re failing at school and remaining uncompetitive in the world at large.
