“Thus for art to be 'unpolitical' means only to ally itself with the 'ruling' group.”

—  Bertolt Brecht, A Short Organum for the Theatre

¶ 55
A Short Organum for the Theatre (1949)
Context: Unless an actor is satisfied to be a parrot or a monkey he must master our period's knowledge of human social life by himself joining the war of the classes. Some people may feel this is degrading, because they rank art, once the money side has been settled, as one of the highest things; but mankind's highest decisions are in fact fought out on earth, not in the heavens; in the 'external world', not inside people's heads. Nobody can stand above the warring classes, for nobody can stand above the human race. Society cannot share a common communication system so long as it is split into warring classes. Thus for art to be 'unpolitical' means only to ally itself with the 'ruling' group.

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Bertolt Brecht102
German poet, playwright, theatre director 1898–1956

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