Puppeteers of the Populist Culture - Essay Example

Puppeteers of the Populist Culture Introduction "We promote the concept of the American dream" (Klien 123), the corporate promoters of the capitalist society. The concept of manipulating the ideological and social constructs of the society to fit into the schemes of a select few is not new. It has been an age-old practice, and as political speakers have proved, there is always willing crowd of people who are more than willing to conform to the peer ideologues and practices. It is indeed this power to manipulate the mentality of the masses that has paved the way for social constructs, political orders, and economic principles to take control and bring about what is called 'culture'- specific to people, place, and time. The society too, does seem to gather momentum to protest against perceived inequalities from time to time. This essay shall discuss the impact of the manipulatory techniques on the society, which is the push factor that creates a following. It shall explicate the 'cultural populism' that emphasizes the power of the audience in interpreting the objects of consumption, which objects become artifacts of the culture of daily living. In the process it shall envisage an understanding of the works of Klien, Adorno and Horkheimer, Hebdige, Rutherford, and Danesi, and the definition of culture, the undercurrents that drive the mass culture and their economic and political consequences, the ultimate beneficiaries of the whole process. Culture and Ideology 'Culture' can be understood as possessing some transient characters, by which they are identified by people of different ages, as Hebdige suggests it is "Refracted through centuries of usage" and "has acquired a number of quite different, often contradictory, meanings" (p. 66). However, he delineates two specific definitions by which it is perceived" 1) the traditional terms as manifested in the generally accepted best practices of the world which includes appreciation of classical forms of art such as literature, ballet, and drama and 2) the one that is derived from the science of anthropology wherein the meanings and values are not taken in the context of art but, as a means of classification (p. 67). However, accepting broader definition proposed by Williams (1961), which included the "relationships between culture and society, one which through the analysis of 'particular meanings and values' sought to uncover the conceived fundamentals of history" (Hebdige 67) is a more useful one, in the context of the cultural studies. This would enable both the definitions of culture to be more meaningfully integrated with each other. Herein the use of "ideology" or the basic principles on which the culture stood for. Over a period of time "ideology" itself became broad-based and incorporated a wide variety of terms, seeping into all aspects and levels of sociability (Hebdige 68). This explanation is pertinent because, ideology is not explicit, but "invisible by its apparent transparency" (Hall 1977 cited in Hebdige 69), rather it acts from the base, from the bottommost layer of the mind, on which all other external symbols and signs are based. This comes to the forefront, and acts as external manifestations of the dominant groups and sub-ordinate groups inherent in the society, which paves the way for class connotations within the society. The conflicts and tensions within these groups and sub-groups is rather understood from the indirect expressions of "style" in which the ideology is produced and reproduced by means of signs and objects in the society. Inevitably, the conflicts give rise to "Hegemony" or the "situation in which a provisional alliance of certain social groups exert 'total social authority' over the subordinate groups" (Hebdige 72). The most important point raised by Hebdige which is pertinent to this analysis is that, this authority is not won by force or compulsion, rather by "winning and shaping consent so that the power of the dominant classes appears both legitimate and natural" (Hall 1977 cited in Hebdige 72). This is precisely where manipulation and its effects come into the scene. Culture and its Creators Adorno and Horkheimer (1940) in their work lament the technological advancements of the late nineteenth and the twentieth centuries have succeeded in making the people of the society as passive 'subjects' (p. 55). Various types of media are the tools of cultural hegemony, and are utilized variously to suit various plans and fit into various schemes. Astutely comparing the inventions of telephone and radio to "liberals" and "democrats," they state that while the former allowed some participation of the subject in the process of communication, the latter did not allow it, "turning all participants into listeners and authoritatively subjects them to broadcast programs which are all exactly the same" (p. 55). "Interested parties" (who can be equated to the dominant group seen earlier, who view culture as an industry), justify this 'democratization' process not only because large numbers of people participate in it, but also because "certain reproduction processes are necessary that inevitably require needs in innumerable places to be satisfied with identical goods" (p. 55). What is most pertinent here is that, taking mainly the example of Hollywood film production they state, "the whole world is made to pass through the filter of culture industry" (p.57) in such a manner that ensure a continuity or a connection between the world in reality (outside) and the world n reel (inside films). In course of time the inevitable i.e. "real life" becoming totally "indistinguishable from the movies" (p. 57) happens, and thereby becomes a powerful tool in the hands of the entertainment manufacturers (in this case film makers) who are reasonably confident that their product will be consumed, because of the simple reason that the products which they for portray only themselves. The culture thus born is hardly one that stems from a "struggle for self-expression" (p.60). The Manipulators and the Populists Analyzing the impact of the 'manipulatory' forces which push commodities into the receptive market, Klien (2000) gives a vivid picture of the youth culture. The large-scale manufacture and marketing of goods leads to a "loss of space" within "the individual" (p. 118). Branding modalities to market commodities is therefore, nothing but "a colonization not of physical space but of mental space" (p.118). This, however, has impacted various fields in different ways. For example, the consequences of branding created a response in the youth that led to the image-creation of things that are supposed to be aspired for; like for example, "cool alternative, young, hip" (Klien 119). Anyone who did not conform to the general rules risked being alienated as 'not belonging'. One can well imagine the intense reactions that this would create in the youth in an impressionable age. Hence "Am I cool is this cool" became the keywords that occupied the minds of youth. This social impact had its economic side too. What seemed to motivate the youth to buy was not whether they actually needed them or not, not whether they liked them or not personally, but whether those commodities were thought of as "cool" by the peer group (Klein 119). Those who dared to oppose this thought and did not market their brands accordingly were "corporate nerds" (Klein 119) and bore the brunt of economic loss, since the brand did not adhere to the populist demand of 'looking cool'. This lesson became visible to Levis-Strauss in the year 1988, when it carried none of its ads in the lines of displaying tattoos or visible super-stores like Disney (the MNC brand) and therefore, was not 'cool'. This is a perfect example of the populist ideology at work with strong economic implications, and ultimately the hitherto manipulator - the commercial manufacturer and marketer had to backtrack. As Klien quips, with the words of Marshall McLuhan "When a thing is current, it creates currency" (p. 121). Politically, nations realize the power of branding, like for example the Tony Blair's conscious attempts to re-brand Britain into a young, cool, nation had the French President Jacques Chirac, impressed in the G-8 summit (Klien 120). Klien also cites examples of the impact of the manipulators in sports, like Nike, Adidas etc, and their powerful reach on the target audience; Nike created playing courts, Adidas sponsoring the rappers jazz shows and the like. However, there are long-standing social turbulences caused by the frenzy to conform to the populists, creates some long term imbalances in the society. For example the urge to remain 'cool, young and hip' have not only occupied the minds of youth. The not-so-young generations too seek a way to look younger in the society, and refuse to 'grow up' in terms of 'social maturity', as explicated by Danesi (2004). Denying Aging Danesi observes the mood of the society is aptly in the statement "it is true to say that 'looking the look' is now part of a largely unconscious groupthink" (p. 32). The hype created by technological advancements and the technique of branding, have led to a reduction in the decline of social maturity; in other words, adolescents in the society requiring more time to assume their social responsibilities and mature into young adults. They remain as children for longer periods of time; in illustration of this statement further, it is similar to an eighteen year old boy behaving with level-headed responsibility, while a sixty year old grows his hair long and tattoo his body in a bid to look younger. The body, according to Danesi, has always been perceived as a "moral, social and aesthetic symbol in cultures throughout the world" (p.34). Furthermore, industrialization combined with opportunities to start earning at a relatively younger age, have left the present day youth with more expendable money on their hands. The use of hair-dyes, tattoos, rings on various parts of the body are but appropriate messages/signals sent out to desired audiences that they were sexually ready. Therefore, the youth feel it justified to celebrate the beginnings of physical maturity, which is symbolized by extreme focus on the body. The necessity to belong, to be a part of the group touches a feverish pitch during adolescence, that rather than develop their potentials and take it is a transient phase, the teenagers become extremely self-conscious about their bodies and try to hide their self-perceived faults such as obesity, or skin-darkness and the like, with typical array of cosmetic applications and careful choice of cool dresses. The complementary working of the manipulators and the populists can be seen in the examples illustrated by Danesi. The media, especially the T.V. churning out programs especially catering to the young ladies like the Spice Girls, Xena and so on, which propagate the modern, new, 'girl power' (Danesi 36). However, alongside these events, a "de-gendering" also ahs taken place, which has helped blurred the differences of the body image, that the youth are so obsessed about. It has led to the establishment of the fashion industry, which promulgates the fashion statement that is all important in the western society. It has also led to a cross-over of practices which were previously gender defined, like for example, smoking, drinking and the like were once the predominant practices of the male domain, but is no longer so. Danesi quotes that "an astronomical $155 billion on clothes, cosmetics, and personal maintenance" was spent in the year 2000 by American teens. The collusion of the teens' clamor for fashion in a bid to project a fashion-conscious image of themselves, and the manipulatory forces of the manufacturing houses is visible in the fashion-shows in which the designers try to set the trend and gauge the populist preferences, thereby making for mass re-production of the 'hits' of the season, in that place. The Ultimate Beneficiary Be it the push of the manipulator, or the pull of the mass craving, the beneficiary is always the industrial manufacturer. As Adorno and Horkheimer remark, "the purposes of mechanical reproductions surpasses the rigor and general currency of any real style" (p. 58), and "in the culture industry this imitation finally becomes absolute" (p. 60). This is best seen illustrated in Rutherford's work, which highlights the popularity of American T.V. shows in Canada, and as also literature, and until recently even American music. The populist demand for American books can be gauged from the figures given by the authors, " The circulation of American magazines had reached some 50 million copies by 1926" as compared to all the Canadian magazines put together sales of 100,000 per issue (Stephenson cited in Rutherford 106). Especially in Canada, where in the identity of a confederate is relatively new, and the cultural identification with the nation is weak the strong industrialized neighbor becomes the beneficiary, with everything from T.V. talk shows, to the preferred choice on the menu, is defined by the stronger, influential, neighbor, America - in simple terms, the dominant country. Conclusion The study of the five works have proved to be very informative on the definition of culture, and how it forms despite the undercurrent of relationships, and the pull and the push of the mass manufacturers and the frenzied, young, consumers and how they complement each other in the evolution of the society. It has opened some hitherto unknown vistas for further exploration and redefinition of values according to the changing society. List of Works Cited Adorno, Theodor and Horkheimer, Max. "The Culture Industry: Enlightenment as Mass Deception" in Cultural Subjects, A Popular Culture Reader by Allan J. Gedalof, Jonathan Boulter, Joel Faflak, Cameron McFarlane. (2005): 51-63. Danesi. "Looking Like Teenagers" in Forever Young. Universal Toronto Press (2004): 31-49. Hebdige, Dick. "From Culture to Hegemony" from Subculture: the Meaning of Style" in Cultural Subjects, A Popular Culture Reader by Allan J. Gedalof, Jonathan Boulter, Joel Faflak, Cameron McFarlane. (2005): 64-73 Klein, Naomi. "No Logo: Taking Aim at the Brand Bullies (Toronto: Alfred. A. Knopf, 2000) in Cultural Subjects, A Popular Culture Reader by Allan J. Gedalof, Jonathan Boulter, Joel Faflak, Cameron McFarlane. (2005): 115-29. Rutherford, Paul. "Made in America: The Problem of Mass Culture in Canada" in Cultural Subjects, A Popular Culture Reader by Allan J. Gedalof, Jonathan Boulter, Joel Faflak, Cameron McFarlane. (2005): 101-13. Read More