Someone on Twitter tried to shame me for supporting the arts.
On the day of the inauguration, NBC News tweeted “Got something important to say to President Donald Trump? Tweet your expectations to @NBCNews with #DearMrPresident.” So I wrote about the National Endowment for the Arts:
$700 billion and 5 million jobs is nothing to sneeze at, and this is a president who is supposed to be all about jobs.
I Drink Liberal Tears (I’m not kidding– that’s his profile name) tagged me in his tweet:
I tweeted to him that NEA funding is only 0.02 precent of all federal spending! We went back and forth over how much actual money that is; for some reason he wanted me to give him a dollar amount. I sent him a link so he could figure out the infinitesimal amount himself. Apparently he couldn’t be bothered to read. He was busy annoying women and gushing over Melania and Ivanka.
Instead, he wrote: “Embarrassed to state the ACTUAL dollar amount of our tax dollars wasted on the garbage? Typical Liberal.” When I asked him not to call me names (I know he used liberal with contempt) he told me to look out for sharp elbows (whatever that means) and I needed to toughen up buttercup.
I couldn’t resist answering his question, though. I tweeted: “0”
Money spent on the Arts is not wasted money
Evidently he didn’t get it. He responded: “Perfect! So no need to ‘fund’ NEA. Let’s get rid of it. Free up some office space.”
I responded: “0 because money spent on art is not wasted.”
He came back swinging:
Yeah, well, maybe taxpayers’ money for “art” is a waste, but not for real art. (Some people don’t understand what happens to words when you put them in quotes. See the blog of unnecessary quotes). Where would our world be without art? Anyway, I told him that was his opinion and I wasn’t ashamed.
He kept swinging. 
Shame!?
He double shamed me, right after he called me sweetie. It stung for a brief moment. Very brief. Maybe what I actually felt was shock at his attempt to bully me over art. Silly art, silly me. Interestingly enough I turned on the TV and caught coverage of the presidential luncheon at the National Statuary Hall just as Senator Roy Bolton was describing the meaning behind the magnificent paintings in the rotunda.
I felt vindicated.
As for Mr. Tears, I blocked him. I felt no need to further engage. Not everyone appreciates beauty and art in the world, nor do they see value in reflective thinking, philosophy, music or poetry. It’s a sad thing that our tax dollars went into his education.
By the way, this is the pinned tweet on his page. I’m trying to imagine it as an artistic statement.
He’s got some lovely azaleas, don’t you think?
Linda K. Sienkiewicz is the author of In the Context of Love, adult contemporary fiction about the need for women to tell their stories without shame.
– 2016 Eric Hoffer Book Award Finalist
– 2016 USA Book News Best Book Finalist
– 2016 Readers’ Favorite Finalist
– Great Midwest Book Festival Honorable Mention
Angelica Schirrick had always suspected there was something deeply disturbing about her family, but the truth was more than she bargained for.
“…at once a love story, a cautionary tale, and an inspirational journey.” ~ Bonnie Jo Campbell, author of National Book Award Finalist, American Salvage, and critically acclaimed Once Upon a River,and Mothers, Tell Your Daughters
Buy now: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound
Great post, Linda, and thanks for bringing up the topic of the arts in relation to our current “administration” (or whatever you want to call IT). Mr. Tears is a scared guy with a small mind. People like Mr. Tears are (mostly) the reason I quit Facebook after the election. They ate away at my peace of mind like fingers running down a chalkboard. Life is too short, and I no longer allow this kind of negative energy to invade my personal space — even though I cannot control what they are doing to this country. We must keep filling our world with beauty, Linda. The arts lift us.
Oh yes, as you and your husband certainly know… we must fill the world with art. Thanks for all that you contribute!
You, too, Linda! Thank you for all you do to encourage and inspire so many writers.