Steve and I have had an extended discussion about the subversive potential of art since the (latest) Hendricks scandal broke. The case of the public library in Troy, Michigan is a good case in point, I think, of how hiding the artistic quality of a communication can aid in critical thinking, foster political dialogue, and be constitutive to the art itself.
When the library was in danger of closing, supporters enacted a reductio ad absurdum on those pushing for the closure to save on taxes. The supporters posted false publicity of a book burning party, a campaign that enraged so many people that the nature of the discourse shifted away from taxes and back to books; eventually the library was saved.
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