Words often taken on a wide variety of meanings and applications. Thus,
their actual usage and frequency generally varies from language to langauge. For example, the
verb to engage is a powerful verb both in English and French but is more
common in French due to its importance in the political culture.
The dictionary definitions mainly mention its financial or mechanical aspects.
Webster’s English Dictionary defines engage as the actions of offering,
supporting, entangling, securing a financial instrument and operating with the
past participle referring to the announcement of a future wedding. Little Bob (Le
Petit Robert) mentions pawning, promising, activating and securing. The
idea is that to engage is take an active step, whether in terms of money or
action.
Beyond those technical acts, the French have a long tradition of being
engagé, i.e., their
cultural leaders being actively involved in ideological or political matters.
The tradition dates from the time writers achieved independence from the
Church. Voltaire advocated enlightenment ideas and vegetarianism (no
connection), albeit from the safety of Prussia. Later, Emile Zola wrote J’accuse
to protest the actions of the French military in the Dreyfus affair and
Jean Paul Sartre actively challenged proper bourgeois thought. The right has
had its share of active ideologs, including Louis Ferdinand Céline and Pierre Drieu
La Rochelle. Some were even elected to the Academie Francaise, the elite club
of French writers, both before and after World War II. Of course, singers have also
expressed their opinion, generally anti-war, such as Jacques Brel, who sang La Columbe (the
Dove) against the War in Algeria, and Jean Ferrat, Un air de liberté, against the Vietnam War, not to mention Miss Maggie by Renaut Even if many
people disagreed with their stance, their political activism added to their
status as they were perceived as contributing to society and acting as leaders.
An “unengaged” artist is in some way not fully contributing.
By contrast, being politically involved in the United States, the
English equivalent of the French engagé, is a risky path to take. For example, Mohammed Ali
and Colin Kaepernick paid heavy prices, the loss of freedom and career
respectively, for their courage in standing up to the establishment. Many dispurged the Woody Guthrie as a communist due to his politcally pungent songs about the effects of the great depression of the 1930's Certain
radio stations did not play the songs of anti-war singers such as Bob Dylan, famous
for the answer is blowing in the wind, and Joni Mitchell, who sang Fiddlesand drums. Not only are American celebrities cautious about expressing
their political opinions, in retrospect they are not especially appreciated for
candor. The actors George C. Scott and Marlon Brando are not any more esteemed today for having refused their Oscars as a political statement. It is no wonder that James Lebron is very cautious in his support of
Black Lives Matter. To paraphrase the French term for a dumb blond, play a sport
or sing songs but shut up.
England has a long tradition of writers with strong political opinions.
Rudyard Kipling was a staunch imperialist to the bitter end of the empire while
George Orwell was a critical socialist. Musicians have taken stances. Even the
Beatles criticized American involvement in the Vietnam War. Yet, they neither
lost nor benefited from their activism. Their opinions are mere side notes to
their achievements much like Dostoevsky’s rabid antisemitism does not distract
from his reputation as a writer.
Curiously, in some Arab countries, such as Egypt, political expression
by intellectuals tends to be of the nationalist variety. The reason is
historical. When the Turks started to allow Arabic language teaching and
publications, the right to speak Arabic and be a nation were radical thoughts.
This nationalistic tendency is still evident and even encouraged by governments.
So, many other countries also have a tradition, albeit limited in numbers and
direction, of political engagement by its intellectuals.
Worldwide, drivers engage their gears while financiers engage their
money without fear of their political future. However, most of the world,
cultural leaders become engagé
in political causes at great immediate and long-term risk, especially in the
United States. However, in France, going against the wind is almost an obligation for any cultural icon that
wants to be considered serious.
*Always add a caption to pictures to allow blind people to enjoy posts.
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