Is It Okay To Be Entertained While There’s A War Going On?

“Anecdotal evidence and a slumping box office indicate many Americans are feeling conflicted about the luxury of leisure. After two weeks of war, many are torn between an obligation to be informed and the need to take a break from it. Observers say that, people’s short-term reactions will probably center on a desire to be entertained, rather than creating high art. They add that it will take years – even decades – before the fine arts respond either to the war or to cultural shifts brought on by it and, even more profoundly, by Sept. 11.”