Week 2 - Wednesday

A few things struck me in today’s lecture.

The first one was the attitude of cultural studies theorists towards the working class, especially those of the earlier years (Arnold and Leavis). They seem to study this social class in a very cold and scientific way, as if they were studying the reactions of animals in a specific ecosystem. I am guessing that these writers were part of the Elite.

The evolution of the theories through time was also interesting. The constant line for all of these writers’ (Arnold, Leavis, Hoggart, Williams and Hall) ideas is that industrialization had a negative effect, especially for the working class.
The concept of high Culture being an objective norm for Excellency seems to have faded to the idea that there are several cultures, and so called “high Culture” is one among many, while mass produced culture emerged (out of working class culture?), being viewed negatively at first. With time, good aspects seem to have been noticed about it, and a more balanced opinion was made by Williams and Hall, masses taking what they need or want from the media to create their own subcultures.

I have always been more or less aware of the impact of media on western culture, but these reflections bring a few questions. To what extent do media form people’s minds and influence their decisions and lifestyles? Is there a ‘natural’ resistance to this form of commercial ‘propaganda’? Is there an ‘uninterested’ popular culture?

I have gone way past my 75 words, so I will be quiet now.