The "Spreading Ooze Of Mass Culture"

Ever the cultural pessimist, MacDonald coined this term to describe the effect Mass Culture (Mainstream Culture) has on society.

According to the Collins Pocket English Dictionary (2000) culture is "the ideas, customs and art of a particular society." However when put into practice, I believe it allows for a more in-depth analysis.

Cultural guru Raymond Williams described culture as "ordinary". Unlike MacDonald, Williams is a cultural optimist, believing that Mass Culture has a positive effect on the masses and therefore should be valued within a society. 

This leads me to question: What is "ordinary"? What is culture? And who defines it?

The topic on the agenda today was the much debated issue of TASTE.

Taste is not something we are born with, nor does it stay the same. It is a learned behaviour and is constantly changing as we become "enculturated" into a society. Taste can be used to express our individuality (whether individually or in a group) and it is socially constructed, meaning we are all affected by it. Therefore we as the consumers are "manipulated" into a particular lifestyle that affects the way we think and act. 

Having said that, we shouldn't automatically assume that this is such a bad thing. Strinati says "mass culture is a culture which lacks intellectual challenge and formulation, preferring the undemanding ease of fantasy and escapism." Personally, I like the idea that Mass Culture allows us to "escape" from the trials and tribulations of everyday life. Because as Bourdieu quite cleverly states "different forms of culture provide different forms of pleasure."

So don't be ashamed if you watch Eastenders or are a die-hard football fan. My philosophy is that Mass Culture should be valued as a product of our culture. It enriches us and has the potential to dissolve all cultural distinctions.