A few historians who shared the views of
historian Lawrence Levine began to look at different mediums of entertainment
and its impact on society. Sklar talked
about the motion picture business and how it was the first medium to not have
culturally elite men running it. Harris
talked about the arts to talk about the transformation of society. Toll looked at the racism of the minstrel
shows and how it impacted views on African-Americans and the south. Douglas looked into feminism and why female
writers were ignored. Levine’s ideas and
works helped lead to new views on society and new looks at the minorities of
popular culture and how they shaped society.
Later, in the 1990’s, scholars
debated popular culture. Lipsitz argued
that mass media lead to “exploitive social hierarchies (pg. 13).” Susan Smulyan argued that the audience choice
and industry control have left the industry lopsided. These ideas are interesting because the definition
of popular culture and how it works seems to be different for everyone.
My own definition has morphed from
just being about what television shows or music is popular to a much more
complex definition. Now I see popular
culture as what is defined and accepted by the masses, be it a song, clothing
style or even a haircut. I also do not
see it as just the younger generations defining it, especially now that I
realize that older people who run the companies can often start a trend.
You mentioned this in the first couple paragraphs but I think it is worth noting that yes, by definition, pop culture is what is consumed by the masses, but it is also a social/power structure. It involves the masses, but some groups of the masses influence it more than others and that often has powerful effects.
ReplyDeleteWhen there is a popular representation of a group, females, African-Americans, minorities, that is negative in nature, it is very difficult to overcome this negativity. There was political power and pressure exerted to create the negative representations to the exclusion of positive portrayals. It was systemic until a stereotype was achieved. As an example, minstrel shows and Jim Crow laws existed in the same time period. Imagine the temerity to want to correct details about African American history during the time of segregation in the South. There was a real risk to an individual’s physical safety when he or she chose to speak out and correct a wrong.
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