Reasons
Detail from back cover of Poetry Magazine, quotation from Literary Fame in the Time of Flame Wars (originally “The Fight for Recognition”) by Adam Kirsch
This line is most likely directed at the Keith Gessen topic and certain aspects of intention/reward relation in the art field rather than a general statement, but seeing it stand alone is still unsettling (because of what could be true). Allow me to rephrase it from another perspective:
Because money is needed, people earn; because power is in the wrong hands, people take over; because some values deserve recognition, people make art.