Last I checked on terminally online communists discourse, since I logged off months ago, the general consensus was that we should support our artist comrades and fight against techbro douchery BUT that we don't have much material power to stop AI art from being developed. I check again today and now everyone is talking about PMC and how artists are technically petty-bourgeoisie and acting like there's some sort of opportunity cost we're failing by expressing sympathy to artists? What the hell happened here? I thought I was up to date on the conensus for this but now I'm worried I missed something and I'm committing some sort of... communist sin by being worried for my artist friends.

I mean I checked and a well-upvoted comment on this site from a post I came across mentioned how we shouldn't show concern about AI art because it "only supports petty-bourgeoisie patreon furry artists" which is maybe the most incomprehensible sentence I've ever heard. Obviously I'll grant that patreon artists shouldn't be the focus of a worker's movement but COME ON who reframed a discussion about ALL artists into just patreon artists???

Not to mention that most artists are definitely proles? Like... do people not know how shitty anime artist working conditions are? They do NOT own the means of production except maybe their art software and not only is that rare (most art software is like 10 gajillion dollars and probably licensed by the studio), but saying that's enough to qualify is just silly. Do I own the means of production now because I own the phone that I get texts from my boss on?

    • StillLoggedOff [they/them]
      ·
      2 years ago

      i'm getting the impression it's just some terminally online users arguing about it with each other? i don't evne... i just made a new accoutn to make fun of a take on reddit for fuck's sake i didn't want to see this

      the kids on tiktok all seem against AI art? I thought we were all on board with that

    • walletbaby [none/use name]
      ·
      2 years ago

      What about the reverse? Do artists consider themselves working class? Do they show sympathy with working class people? Or do they consider artists as far above such unimaginative folks, who couldn't create anything more than a finger painting when they were in elementary school?

      I think this part is the real problem and one that needs artists to do the work.

      • Dirt_Owl [comrade/them, they/them]
        ·
        2 years ago

        Know several artists, they all are over worked and paied shit. None of them think they're above everyone else. The only thing they complain about is being underpaid, overworked and under-appreciated. Same as any other working class people.

        • DoghouseCharlie [he/him, comrade/them]
          ·
          2 years ago

          I've seen a few outliers before, they tend to be libertarian dillweeds or people who were born into money so got to persue art and never had to worry about anything else. But by and large most people are pretty cool and pretty queer, but that might be biased by the spaces I hang out.