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Reading [this]https://newrepublic.com/article/179432/age-cultural-stagnation timms-cultural-stagnation) triggers a near fatal Irony Attack.
“How Dare They! Only We, the literati, the credentialed, the highly paid few know culture.
It used to be that Broadway, traveling acts, magazines, museums (and other exhibitions), books, and the newspapers were culture. And outside the cities, books and magazines weren’t well publicized so often High Culture didn’t extend much past MegaBurb boundaries.
Before the late 19th century it was much worse.
But then came the cultural democracy. Instead of the “successful” culture-producers who earned (or were given) paying audiences having a hammer-lock, un-credentialed, even un-skilled, people were making more entertaining (if banal) material than the approved producers. Entertaining themselves if not the critics and snobs.
And that’s a bad thing. It shrinks the market for snobs!
I love how good works and performances by unknown musicians get word of blog and get popular.