In several spheres of my life thus far I have been made by my peers to feel as if I am an overly idealistic and demanding relic - especially in the area of the arts. But before they dust me off and put me back on the shelf, there are a few final thoughts I wish to share with my brazen brethren.
Indeed, many perceive me as an object of antiquity that has somehow managed to survive the passage of time and whose original culture has disappeared long ago. I almost believe that I was born amid the wrong generation. At 22 years of age I enjoy much of the same music that my 80-year-old grandmother listened to as a young girl, and I have a more voracious thirst for the rock and roll of the 50s, 60s, and 70s than my parents who graduated from high school the same year Zeppelin I & II and Abbey Road were released.
I feel that I am drawn to certain forms of music, literature, and film due to their satisfaction of my high standards for what their role in life is. If it doesn't inspire me and if it doesn't make me think about life in a serious and profound way, then although it may be entertaining, it is inevitably an inferior work of art. I realize that in uttering such a statement I am violating the current fashion of neutral non-judgmentalism. Yet I insist on the existence of two crucial distinctions which must be made in order for one to have a healthy understanding of and appreciation for art.
First, there is the contrast between entertainment and enlightenment as art's highest purpose. It is often asserted that the fundamental function of the arts is to be enjoyable and amusing - put simply, to be fun. This conception, however, is shallow and insufficient. Art in its genuine capacity should encourage not only knowledge of world and self but also solid character formation. The best songs, books, movies, and plays should promote a temperament of moderation and thoughtfulness. Al Pacino's speech at the Baird School judicial session, in Scent of a Woman for example, is a penetrating and poignant assessment of the true meaning of integrity. Granted, art does not have to be either pleasurable or enriching - great art can and should be both.
In conjunction with this important disparity is an additional division between those who use the arts primarily as an instrument of diversion and those who view them chiefly as a cultural resource of wisdom and insight. For some the arts are a means of escapism, an avenue of deliverance from an unpleasant reality; for others, the arts are a means of immersion, an attempt to confront that very same actuality in its fullness by delving into its reflections in the mirrors of artists.
Unfortunately, many fail to acknowledge these essential differences in distinguishing art's proper capacity in society. As a result, the quality of our mainstream art has deteriorated significantly. In today's world it is sometimes difficult to believe that any individual can have an impact on humanity. Nevertheless, we all can - each one of us votes with our hard-earned dollars when we buy records, go to movie theaters, and purchase books.
Therefore we need to make sure that our standards are where they should be, that we don't complacently eat whatever the powerful corporations put on our plate, and that we don't get caught up in the herd's stampede of conformity by going along with whatever is popular at the moment. Fashion is, and always will be, the whore of the times. We must address these problems, for the artists and art itself deserve nothing less.
Justin Hillyard is a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences.
is a member of the 
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