WHY IS "POETRY LICENSE" BETTER THAN "IDEOLOGY OF LIBERALISM" – ( The THL phenomena )

WHY IS "POETRY LICENSE" BETTER THAN "IDEOLOGY OF LIBERALISM" – ( The THL phenomena )

From the earliest times the right to individual freedom of expression is recognized to the poets in all countries, regardless of social order. This institution of individual freedom in art is called "poetry license". It mainly has a formal character: an author is free to choose the form (mode) of his expression, regardless of the definition of the form itself. Recently, in conversation with Hiroaki Sato, I heard again the attitude of the leaders of the controversial movement calling itself ELH (English Language Haiku). Hiro-san told me: "A poetry license is no longer needed, because today everything is permitted." This means that the American ideology of liberalism simply abolished individual freedom of expression as it introduces the cultural command of liberalism ("everything is allowed"). Of course, in that way American liberalism has not only demonstrated its totalitarian character (it is a new kind of totalitarianism) but it also has a destructive tendency to destroy national cultures. Already earlier, on the example of Haiku Novine, I mentioned the effect of liberalism on haiku in Serbo-Croatian linguistic area. Why then "poetic license" is better than ideology of liberalism, and why “poetry license” can not be abolished? Simply because "poetry license" is not a destructive force, its goal is not to destroy artistic means of production (form is an artistic tool, for those who want to use it), but to enable creative forces to develop. On the contrary, "liberalism" commands the destruction of the form. Therefore, there is a sense in calling modern-day totalitarianism: the Taliban of Haiku Literature - the THL (We all remember destroying Buddhist culture by Taliban in Bamiyan?). Those are all who in the field of art from the position of power (political power of the English language) act destructively to the means of culture. A good example is recently popular NaHaWriMo movement (National Haiku Writing Month) led by poet Michael Dylan Welch who, like some kind of literary Ku Klux Klan, took a road sign for his logo: "Forbidden 5-7-5". This is something that art really does not need, because the poetry mission is connecting rather than forbidding.

Dimitar Anakiev