The Pittsburgh Opera Honored Gov. Tom Corbett. Should They Have Judged Him Instead?

Last week, the Pittsburgh Opera became the center of a local firestorm for their decision to honor Gov. Tom Corbett and his wife for their service to the opera. In a blog post that went unexpectedly viral, University of Pittsburgh fellow Jessie Ramey held up the governor's record of cutting education funding as reason to disqualify him from any honorifics, especially those in the field of the arts, where his actions, she said, could have lasting damage.

Ramey reposted her piece on our site, and the reaction from HuffPost Culture readers was phenomenal. This was clearly a local story with universal resonance, centered around a simple, provocative question: should arts organizations judge their benefactors?

Well, we want to know what you think. We recast the question of the Pittsburgh Opera's decision into a debate, the latest in our "Change My Mind" series. To participate, click through the steps below, read both sides, and let us know if you changed your mind. As always, share your thoughts in the comments.

Step
1

Pre-debate poll:

Tell us your opinion before the debate starts to set the starting line

Arts organizations should honor benefactors, even those whose actions might negatively affect the arts.

• Agree
• Disagree
• I'm on the Fence

Agree - Thanks for voting! Please proceed to read the debate below

Please vote to proceed to the debate

Step
2

Who makes the better argument?

Point: The Pittsburgh Opera should not honor Governor Tom Corbett and his wife, because as governor, he's cut funding that ultimately hurts the arts.

I always found solace in knowing that, despite the governor's efforts to strip the state's education system of everything that has any value to developing young minds, people could still seek out and enrich themselves in the great arts programs that our many communities provide. Despite the destruction that our governor has brought down, there were still good people and institutions out there that could pick up the slack. Now I see that there is one less. Shame, shame, shame. A joint lifetime achievement award for art and education should factor in the recipient's whole lives' impact on art and education in the state...not just how it has benefited the opera in a few short years.
-Ty Best

Point: The Pittsburgh Opera should honor Governor Tom Corbett and his wife, because they are benefactors who've helped the Opera function.

The Joint Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes the Corbetts’ long-term records of public service and support of the arts through the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. Mrs. Corbett has served on the PCA board for 10 years and now chairs the agency; Governor Corbett oversees the budget. PCA funding is instrumental to our ability to provide opera education to 20,000 area educators and school children, free community programs such as our Brown Bag concerts and Opera Up Close, and to keep our starting ticket price at $10. PCA is a significant funder of the arts statewide, not just for us, and we truly appreciate its longstanding support.
--Official statement from The Pittsburgh Opera

Step
3

POST DEBATE POLL

Did one of the arguments change your mind?

Arts organizations should honor benefactors, even those whose actions might negatively affect the arts.

• Agree
• Disagree
• I don't know, I guess I really have commitment issues

VIEW DEBATE ROUND 1 RESULTS

Agree - Thanks for voting again! Here are the results:

Before

Agree Disagree Undecided

After

Agree Disagree Undecided

moreless AgreeDisagreeUndecided

"Agree""Disagree"Neither argumenthas changed the most minds

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Comments

[Matt Blanc]

12:38 PM on 05/20/2012

This debate begs the question of why the orchestra asked the governor to be on the board in the first place. If he hasn't been supportive of the arts, but was asked because of his money connections, and they expect to draw more money from this faux event, ok, that's just non-profit business as usual. Once you've invited the guy on to the board, you can't turn around and diss him. That's just stupid.

[flossophy]

05:12 PM on 05/19/2012

What if the premise of the question is wrong?

What if "education funding" by the State is what is negatively affecting the arts?  

Why do people assume that whatever the government funds is "good"... and those who want to cut funding are "bad"?

[JBaker]

09:46 PM on 05/19/2012

Starve the Beast is the agenda of the Republican party as a means of destroying the New Deal and Great Society programs, and if possible, the 13th amendment. The Republicans know that their searing desire to destroy social security and medicare is overwhelmingly opposed the majority of Americans, so the only way to get their way is to bankrupt the country and then slash everything but the military a corporate subsidies.

Conservatives distrust artists because they think outside the conservative box.

[flossophy]

10:41 PM on 05/19/2012

You illustrate my point. 

What if the New Deal and Great Society are not working and are hoIIowing out this country. America is in decline for a reason. The political class routinely sc.are old folks by saying their Social Security is thr.eatened and Medicare is dangerousIy unsustainable... yet it is impossible to reform because people are dependent on it, which entrenches a permanent big government regime. 

Wouldn't cutting or reforming these things be a good thing? 

btw, conservatives distrust the establishment for politically expIoiting artists.

[viciousvirago]

08:14 AM on 05/19/2012

Many a patron of the arts has been indicted for malfeasance of some monetary sort, so after naming a building for these men, should it be defaced? They don't ask where the money came from as long as they get it. Rich men become rich by doing whatever it takes and eventually the skeletons come out of the closet.

Dare I say that that money could be spent buying food for our children and providing treatment centers for addicts instead? There will always be donors who give to the arts. Which is fine with me. But tell that to a child who's been eating macaroni and cheese for 30 days a month.

[glitterpet]

06:55 PM on 05/18/2012

There is no free lunch . .life is compromise . . often we have to make trade offs crossing our fingers that in the process we do not leave anyone worse off afterwards. . . unfortunately, especially with any organization tht depends upon the good will and money of benefactors, one often has a vague feeling of being a bit like a Bellle de Jour! =(

[Sean Indignado Kitchen]

12:35 PM on 05/18/2012

Corbett's attack on education, which has been destroying the arts in public schools, combined with the award the Opera gave Corbett is "gatekeeping." The Opera is essentially rewarding Corbett for keeping the arts a "privileged" sector for those who can afford the thousands of dollars a year in private lessons, and who can afford to send their kids to private institutions. This is just one more example of how rich people like keep societal luxuries to themselves.

[erikay]

01:33 PM on 05/21/2012

you have put the issues perfectly here.... if the pittsburgh opera wants to be treated as a high priced prostitute without any moral standards, then they should not be surprised at protests

[Sean Indignado Kitchen]

12:31 PM on 05/18/2012

So why is no one looking into the realtionship between Michelle Fabrizzi, CEO of MARC USA and Chair of the Opera, Corbett, the PA Lotto and Brunner Inc.

[dukesacco]

11:39 AM on 05/18/2012

Don't bite the hand that feeds you.

[Mike169]

11:23 AM on 05/18/2012

One of the biggest funder of the arts in NYC is David Koch. His attack dogs went after the New York City Opera unions in an attempt to destroy the union presence. Had he been simply someone who funded the orchestra they'd still be performing at Lincoln Center but his anti-union right wing attacks on public sector unions and their support of extreme right wing causes in general should at the very least be exposed for what they are. Perhaps the Koch brothers love the arts but they aren't too fond of the artists who make the art.

[RBShea]

08:47 AM on 05/21/2012

What the Kochs and their ilk are fond of is having their names put on buildings so in future their actual fascist view of society will be forgotten. It's the way of all robber barons and inbred moneyed elites.

[Mike169]

09:15 AM on 05/21/2012

Ironically David Koch's name was on the Lincoln Center Building where the the NYC Opera performed if I'm not mistaken.

[Gilbert Albright]

11:18 AM on 05/18/2012

Actually these organizations DON'T care where their money comes from IT'S THE MEDIA, Political and Artivists Groups that do. THEY are the ones that whine, complain, rant about where the money comes from and demonize those that accept money from those they don't like.

It's the media, political and activist propaganda smear created uproars that makes them care about who they accept money from. All the bad publicity makes them careful.

[DonaldFrazell]

10:46 AM on 05/18/2012

If its about creative art, different languages that seek the Truth, then no. If its about survival of an institution, which most certianly is often at odds with truth, then yes.