But I hold that we blacks ought not to allow ourselves to become ever - ready doomsayers, always alert to
exploit black suffering by offering it up to more - or-less sympathetic whites as a justification for incremental monetary transfers.
The controversy polarized the art world; one camp criticized Shutz and the Whitney curators for
exploiting the violence and
suffering endured by
Black Americans, the other camp felt the criticisms threatened free speech and limited artists by restricting which subjects are considered fair game.