This morning, there were about ten posts on my Facebook News Feed  pertaining to the closing of the San Diego Opera. All of the posts went as follows--

Opera Person:  Gee whiz, it's sad that San Diego Opera is closing. I hope this isn't a sign that jobs in our industry are becoming scarcer. That would not be good.

Opera Person's Close Friend/Husband/Wife/Mom/Dad:  That is really scary, but you're so talented that you'll be fine. (Optional smiley face here.)

Opera Person's Facebook-Only Friend Who Likes to Be a Turd:  Well, I don't know anyone who spends $40+ for a date night. I sure wouldn't. Opera is completely irrelevant.

Crickets chirping. Facebook silence.

Ten of these. They all went like that. It would've been funny if I didn't love opera so very much.

But I do.

At any rate, I think if a business is no longer viable, it has every right to fold and make way for other businesses. I also think that maybe some of these organizations are structured in an un-sustainable way. As in, six-figure salaries for administrators while the artists are working side jobs at Denny's to be able to afford the hours of lessons and weird rehearsal schedules. That's not a great choice, either.

However, to the people who say that, and I'm loosely quoting here, "Opera is for people with advanced degrees making six-figure salaries. Who can afford $40 tickets for a night out?" I say to you: Seriously? Have you ever seen a professional sporting event? Even a minor-league baseball game costs $20, and that's for the cheap seats. Those Dallas Cowboys games cost fans WAY more than $40 a ticket, and the stadiums are still packed.

Not to mention the fact that a concert ticket, perhaps to see the über-talented Britney Spears, can cost over $100.

Don't even go there. Just don't. I will hurt you.

Also, it should be noted that the person who made this comment colors her hair (at a salon, not at home with a box...I can tell the difference), and has manicures and pedicures regularly. She also has multiple large tattoos, which cost quite a bit of money. 

I can't afford to do any of those things (well, I have tattoos, but they're very old and very small), but you can bet your butt that I'd spend $40 to go see an opera. Or an orchestra concert. She just doesn't like spending her money on those particular items. Which is fine, but don't tell me $40 is too much for the excellence in an opera.

I get that not everybody likes it. But there's no way it's an upper-class thing. I've never been upper-class and I love it. Not just being part of one, but seeing something that still demands a level of technical proficiency and emotional artistry that isn't provided by machines and/or very expensive boob jobs (not that opera singers don't get boob jobs, because I'm sure they do, it's just not usually a big part of the show). So, yes, the industry is having problems, and, yes, sometimes businesses are run poorly and have to be shut down. The artists will still find a way to make their music, even if it comes to self-subsidizing (which most of us are having to do, all of the time, anyway).

By the way, Mrs. "It's Too High-Class!" I would never, EVER pay $100 to see a football game. So there you go. Facebook-Only Friend? You really are a turd. Enjoy your date night at KFC, followed by a thrilling time at Monster Jam (tickets for that run about $30…I checked). I can just feel your mind expanding every time a truck runs over another truck.

Actually, that sounds kind of cool.