Art > Politics
Louis Armstrong Duke Ellington Jackie Robinson
These folks did more for civil rights than any politician of their time ever could. A politician will ask you to be sympathetic to the civil rights cause, but an artist (or talented entertainer) can get you to admire the people behind the cause.
A racist tapping his foot to "Take the 'A' Train" and learning that it was created by a colored has some brand new issues to reconcile. The difference here is that he comes to this realization all on his own. No outside source had to lecture him or offend his sensibilities to shed light on the issue. Artists have the huge advantage of being able to work the problem from the inside, out.
Who was one American that got through to bin Laden? The one that he just knew was okay? Whitney Houston.
Who is the American politician that can waltz in and out of Pyongyang any time they damn well pleases? Oh wait... actually that's Dennis motherfucking Rodman. He's the only person we know of who was able to break down that barrier.
The politician's job will always be easier after the talented and charismatic folk pave the way, solving the problem from the inside first.
"You'll never know what you and Jackie and Roy [Campanella] did to make it possible to do my job."
-Martin Luther King Jr. to Dodgers star Don Newcombe, Negro League baseball player.
