High vs. mass culture

Sociologists currently losing their minds over the van gogh episodes from doctor who.

What is high culture?

Aspects of culture seen as having artistic value, aimed at intellectual elites (mostly the upper and middle classes)

What is mass/popular/low culture? (They all mean the same thing) as defined by Strinati (1995)?

Cultural products produced for profit by mass production industrial techniques.

Why do people tend to look down upon mass culture?

It often requires very little critical thought or anslysis

How does Bordieu (1971) evaluate the concept of high culture?

He argues that the idea of high culture merely reflects the power that the ruling class have to impose their norms and values upon the rest of society.

What 2 things does Strinati (1995) say that mass culture is most commonly attacked for?

1. Diverting individuals from more productive activities

2. Having harmful effects on audiences such as copycat violence

Why do the Leavis’ (1930s-60s) hate mass culture and what term did they use to indicate this?

They despised it as they saw it as trivial and mindless - calling it low culture.

Why is MacDonald (1965) a critic of mass culture?

He sees mass culture as solely existing for profit, it lacks the soul of folk culture.

What 2 things does Marcuse (1964) say that mass culture creates under capitalism which are negative?

1. False needs

2. The one dimensional man

What do postmodernists say about the distinction between high and mass culture?

They say that the distinction is weakening thanks to mass marketing and consumption