More “Low Culture” Please
graphic by sophie sternkopf
We’re about to give a really hot take—New Yorker cartoons just aren’t that funny.
Maybe it’s because we live in humble, simple Syracuse and not New York, maybe we’re just not smart enough, or maybe we’re not in the right tax bracket to enjoy them. Whatever the case may be, we can’t help but feel slightly judged by people who are enough of an intellectual to actually find them funny. While, in general, our peers don’t consciously judge others for their tastes and interests in Syracuse, of all places, there’s a pretty big population of those who do. These people tend to think of themselves as purveyors of so-called “high culture,” a concept that characterizes some forms of culture or ~art~ as being better than others. But we like to call them elitists.
Elitists think they’re doing a great service to culture by trying to promote what they view as “high-quality” art like Shakespeare and all that other fancy stuff. They get off on separating themselves from the oh-so-gross destitute who dare enjoy an episode of (*gasp*) “The Real Housewives” from time to time. In reality, though, cultural elitism doesn’t really help culture at all. But it does make you look like a total jackass.
The Skyscraper Model of Culture
Those of you who were misfortunate enough to have taken COM 107 are about to cringe…
Presenting, the all-powerful, Skyscraper Model!! This is one of the ways culture scientists and sociologists try to represent the hierarchy of culture.
Essentially, this model categorizes some parts of culture as being “higher” than others. At the very bottom is professional wrestling, and at the top is “Hamlet.” Also, not to be salty, but why is the British version of “The Office” higher than the American version? To be frank, there are a LOT of issues with this.
Classism and Money
The higher you go on the skyscraper, the more ~exclusive~ the forms of culture get. Like, who can afford a ticket to the ballet every week? Not Syracuse students, that’s for damn sure. Rich people are pretty much the only members of society who have not only the time but the money to experience something like “Hamlet.” Average people don’t really have the time to read an Emily Dickinson poem or listen to a Beethoven symphony, because they’re, uh, working?!
Shakespeare is also ironically considered high culture, despite the fact that it’s laden with dick jokes and toilet humor just like so-called “low culture.” Maybe it’s praised because it’s so old and presented in such an antiquated language. But boomers are old too, and we don’t praise them…
Objectivity
Like most people, we don’t deny that Beethoven symphonies are incredibly marvelous pieces of music, but we also don’t really… like…. listening to them? Similarly, we don’t deny that a Wes Anderson film is a masterpiece, but honestly, we still would rather watch a terrible action B-movie instead.
Inability to Have Multiple Tastes (?)
The real question: Why can’t we bounce between “high culture” and “low culture” whenever we want? When we’re trying to relax after having four midterms in two days, we don’t start watching The Nutcracker, we put on “The Bachelor” because we don’t need to be intellectually stimulated every second of every day.
The Bottom Line
Let people enjoy things! Being an elitist only limits what you can enjoy because it’s not “intellectual” or “fancy” enough. But doing this excludes the whole point of enjoying culture: Joy.