The government should providing funds for art and culture has become a debatable topic in recent years. Some individuals argue that the spending of national budget on these activities is an unnecessary investment, while others claim that the funds should be spent due to many advantages. In this essay, I will discuss both of these perspective before giving a reasoned conclusion.
On the one hand, those supporting government funding for art and culture believe that these activities could offer certain benefits. Spending on artworks and culture may help individuals gain a profound knowledge of their ancestors’ living habits and lifestyles. Nowadays, the young generation obviously spend their time on social media, which is heavily packed with foreign culture and content, leading to ignorance or a failure to pay attention to traditional or local culture among these people. Therefore, it is of great significance to allocate the state budget for preserving or promoting artworks and cultural traditions so that these values could not be disappeared and could be passed on to future generations.
On the other hand, I would certainly side with those in opposition to claim that the financial support should not be spent on art and culture. Firstly, other growing concerns relating to educational infrastructure enhancement or national healthcare improvement in the developing countries should be prioritized in government funding. Given a measured state budget per annum, it is necessary to invest in these facilities that could improve living standards for the public immediately rather than on art and culture. Secondly, the expenditure on art could not generate a huge amount of profit, while other economic activities, including manufacturing, trading or farming, would bring much greater benefits to improve the lives of inhabitants. For example, Africa, one of the poorest continents in the world, currently cannot guarantees its food supply. Consequently, funding on art and culture seems a waste of public funding, which should be spent on economic fields.
In conclusion, despite certain advantages of funding for art and cultural activities, I firmly believe that these activities should not receive national budget due to the urgent need of improving infrastructure and healthcare to provide a greater living standard for citizens.