Art.

I read with interest today this year's award of the Turner prize for a copied piece of anti-war work they call art.
Now normally I don't really care much about modern art, in fact, I do have a rather dim opinion of those that call themselves 'contemporary artists', but the subject of today's article was really too outrageous for me not to comment on it.
I mean, what artistic value does a copied work have? One that is not even done by the 'artist' himself, for crying out loud. I mean, would you credit an imitator of the Mona Lisa, even one with subtle differences deliberately painted in (for the sake of 'irony' or 'satire')?¹
Taken together with the confession by several 'artists' (sorry I've lost that link) that they dare not create 'art' about Islam, for fear of reprisals² by Islamic fundamentalists, I really wonder what real statement these 'conceptual artists' are trying to make - are they merely tools for the rich (or media), and pander to their needs with tired works that have no real concept on their own?
You can call yourself a conceptual artist, but what distinguishes an 'artist' who can't paint from the English major who can churn out truckloads of rubbish about some inanimate object that makes apparent sense? It seems to me that too many 'artists' merely exploit the use of language and the superiority complex of human beings to come up with meaningless rubbish masquerading as art.
Take the latest piece by that same Turner prize winner, the video of a giant teddy bear prancing around in an empty art gallery. Is he merely trying to make fun of himself, the audience, or is it an idea a 3 year-old can come up with, but cannot be credited with since he/she is not an artist?
And another piece by another 'artist', the one with the lights going on and off(2001 winner). Is it an interesting glimpse into the passage of time, perhaps through the eyes of a prisoner awaiting his death sentence, or is it merely a meaningless waste of electricity environmentalists should be concerned about?³ And not to mention the famous pickled cow, a dreadful waste of meat when we've had multiple specimens preserved in formaldehyde in science for years.
It is 'art' like these that make you wonder, what is the world coming to? Why are we now ignoring real artistic talent in favour of such rubbish - are we now reduced to rewarding people who utter words with no real meaning, and 'visionaries' with no vision? It is such work that make you cynical of modern art, and reduces potentially sombre messages to ridicule.
Now if only art collectors recollect more about the true meaning of art.
No, I'm not an artist.⁴

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¹Oh sorry, was that blasphemy, my comparing this trash to the Mona Lisa? I'm sorry, I didn't mean any disrespect to Da Vinci, or any real artists out there.
²I.e. Murder, or assorted violent acts we should all probably threaten them with.
³He didn't even use energy-saving bulbs. But then again, energy-saving bulbs would create such a different effect, taking such a long time to light up (personal experience, my room) that he would need to create another piece to satirise the environmental movement, wouldn't he?
⁴Don't you even dare compare me to a conceptual artist.