A reflection of “A theory of mass culture.” By Macdonald, Dwight
The “A theory of mass culture,” by Macdonald argues that two cultures have characterized the western culture for the last 100 years. According to Macdonald, these row cultures include the Mass Culture (Popular Culture) and the High Culture. The article argues that Mass Culture growth starts as early as the 1800s, and the factors which perpetuated its growth are well known. Advancement of technology is a core contributor to the growth of the Mass Culture in the western world because it led to the cheap production of music, pictures, periodicals, and furniture, just mentioning a few.
The development of technology led to new media such as television and movies, which are well adapted to mass distribution and manufacture. More importantly, Mass culture is regarded as a continuation of the Old Folk Art (the common people culture) until the Industrial Revolution. Gresham’s law in culture is one of the striking contents in the reading. This law dwells on the differences between High culture and Folk Art on a fair correspondence which draws a sharp line between the aristocracy and the common people. When it comes to this, I feel that the eruption of the masses disrupted the political alignment, thus leading to disastrous cultural changes.
In the US, Mass Culture persisted due to the prolific mass culture existence in the country. I support the fact that it is this productive mass that leads to the threatening of the High Culture by overwhelming, brutal, and sheer pervasiveness quantity. I think that Mass Culture is more significant because it is a revolutionary and dynamic culture that is capable of breaking down the old barriers of taste, tradition, and cultural distinctions.
Works cited
Macdonald, Dwight. “A theory of mass culture.” Diogenes 1.3 (1953): 1-17.