As the values of the market place progressively took precedence over the dictates of social and cultural discrimination, salonnieres imperceptibly lost the ability to select guests according to talent , intelligence or L'esprit. The triumph of the star system made it harder and harder to tell the difference between innate ability, earned reputation and the kind of glory [ celebrity] conferred by public success... Pg 163
Questions #3
• Why do celebrity opinions outside their own field merit attention?
• Is this quote relevant to a description or discussion of contemporary mass media?
• Can you find a relationship between the sentiments in this quotation and the society in which you live?
• Did you see the interview with Britney Spears about how she voted?
Quote #4
Madame de Stael had set the tone for a mondain critique of "the party system" in the 1790's by noting that partisanship united people around common hatreds rather than feelings of friendship and mutual esteem. The morality of mondain relations, she argued, suffered when those with "the same political religion" excused the vices of their allies and ignored the positive qualities of their foes... Pg 167
Questions #4
• what is the vehicle in our culture, or global culture, which facilitates the coming together of people with different political "religions" or different artistic "religions" or different religions to, discuss differences civilly and create a larger world?
• Is there a difference between tolerance and acceptance?
6 comments:
Re Questions 3:
Celebrity opinions? Who cares?
Mass media? Many of the blogs that I read ignore or don't have TV's. Is that the type of mass media that one is expected to follow these days? I don't even listen to commercial radio as it is mostly commercials and not much radio.
I don't believe I live in a "salon society" and I tend to ignore the "market place society" as much as possible.
Is Britney Spears a hockey player? Sorry, I don't watch hockey either.
My general philosophy of politics has nothing to do with how I vote at elections times. It appears that I am always voting against the greater evil rather than for any particular political party. If there is any civility in politics, I must have missed it. Perhaps the only civil discussions that I am aware of in a larger sense is that which happens on the CBC radio among guests or on the Ideas program.
Am I missing something here? Where is this "discussion" going? Where are the other participants?
hi wanderer... you are not missing anything. and this discussion is hopefully going to find its way to someplace or perhaps nowhere ie like in vjane's talk last nite.
the other participants may not have logged on yet. we miss them. but let's carry on regardless and see where this goes.
thank you for taking the leap.
the market place (shopping) vs societal discrimination (only shopping for classics)
Like the Queen, she just never lets anything get in the way of setting her own sail in the fashion arena does she?
Tolerance is like a boil, a thin skin stretched over a virulent capsule of pressurized pus. "I can tolerate you as my neighbor"
Acceptance an attempt to clean the wound of human tolerance.
I saw the Britany interview clip- it simply revealed what a brainless twit she is, and as far as I know she is not into hockey. The problem is entertainers like her have a huge potential influence over many young women who may not have tried to ask the relevent questions they need to for the development of informed opinion and making an impact on the decisions a free society allows us.
As Eddie King said being aware of our surroundings including those areas that may not hold interest for us is what distinguishes our species from the rest of the animal world, but it can be even more useful if we can create a listening in the minds of others - its how real change is brought about in society at large.
I find as I read these questions and the quotes I have more and more appreciation of the value of the Salon, and see hope that society will possibly consider a venue that is something above Gerry Springer.
I like the way comments on a blog have that Harold Pinter quality of people in a room each having a converasation with themselves. Somebody will come up with disjointed/linked play play based on blogging I'm sure. Maybe even a neo baroque opera?
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