Sinead O’Connor and the Values of the American Music Industry

I applaud O’Connor for realizing that awards shows are not where credibility in art lies. However, she’s way off mark criticizing artists for “not doing their job,” which according to her is feeding starving children and housing the homeless.

It is not any artist’s role to heal the sick. It is the artist’s responsibility to challenge the medium and the way people view art.

There are tons of celebrities who donate their time and money to socially responsible causes. This does not make them great artists. If your life’s pursuit is to heal, you should be a doctor.

The problem with the Grammys is that they too often celebrate individuals who are neither artistic nor socially responsible. Great art rarely wins awards and financial rewards. It usually shakes up the system so much that new rules have to be created. (Remember Cubism? Remember the Sex Pistols?)

The way to fix the system is not to condemn it, Ms. O’Connor, but to shake the foundations from within. If you want to make a change, go to the Grammys and take a front-row seat.

DANETTE CHRISTINE

Los Angeles