Popular Culture in East Asia
Elite/High Culture
Elite culture in East Asia defines a higher class of the populace that was characterized by wealth, prime education, fine art and music, and greater access to healthcare. The elite went to top schools and was armed with specialized skills. This made the elite more entitled to leadership positions with little interactions with the normal populace. The elite owned businesses, worked in enviable careers like the doctors and engineers, and lived in the classy suburbs of the country. Elite culture sought western methods of healing from illness and shunned the more traditional herbal medicine of East Asia. Elite people maintained shallow familial relations but instead encouraged close ties with like-minded people. They cultivated the relationships to last a long time under mutually beneficial circumstances.
Popular Culture
Popular culture made up the larger population of East Asia. They remained bound to traditional ways, and their education included the study of basic things. Popular culture promoted popular music, which was much different from the taste of the elite. The culture maintained their respect for traditional medicine and rarely sought western medicine. The populace of popular culture was content in little change from their traditional ways. They kept close familial relationships, although friendships did not last long. Popular culture did not have much to benefit from the relations of like-minded people, unlike the elite culture. The popular culture populace mostly ended up as employees of the elite and had little wealth or assets.
Language/Accent
Elite culture has a western influence on their accent, especially with the use of native language. They focus more on non-verbal communication. Elite people rarely use their native language for communication. Their use of verbal communication is implicit, implying that they could have more than one meaning to a word or phrase. Popular culture is more versed in the native language and has little influence on the accent. Their use of words is explicit, with minimal focus on non-verbal communication. Their words mostly meant what they said. Popular culture values personal communication over virtual communication, although the influence of technology is slowly changing the fact.
Heterodox/Orthodox
Popular culture is an orthodox culture. Religious belief systems guide popular people’s behavior. They follow ethical norms and keep themselves virtuous based on the judgments they believe they would receive from the religious deities. Popular culture is closely connected to religion and rarely goes against it. Elite culture is more open-minded about religion. While they believe in the existence of a deity, they lean more towards heterodoxy. Elite culture is not tightly bound to religion; therefore, they do not strictly follow the virtues laid out by their faith.
Sumptuary Laws/Customs
Popular people believe in following the rules, norms, and cultural values laid out by their traditions. Even in business, they follow the law and rarely do things to challenge the rule of law. It is challenging to separate popular culture from societal norms. However, the norms guiding the elite culture are ever-changing and are not hinged on traditional customs. They are influenced by education, travel, and other cultures, which make the elite more tolerant, flexible, and less reliant on cultural norms.