Is Capitalism Good For Popular Culture - Essay Example

Is capitalism good for popular culture? Capitalism refers to a socio-economic system where private ownership gives profit to the owner, who also controls the mode of production. It began in Europe in the 17th century and is linked to European enlightenment, which focused on the concept of individual freedom in pursuing a person’s economic interests for him to make profit. In capitalism, production is determined by the free market, price, and distribution of goods and services. A free market means unregulated demand and supply with little or no government interference in trade matters. Price agreements are determined by buyers and suppliers, while the market states demand and supply. A free market capitalist system may consist of competition policies. Competition policies in a capitalistic structure are often based on the efficiency of the feasibility of the economy, while. The contrast of a free market is a controlled market, where the government controls the prices and supply of goods and services (Marx, 2005). Capitalism realizes profits by labor wages and means of production to produce goods. The means of production in the capitalist world requires everything possible in production including land and its property rights. In capitalism, markets work via a system of payments and rewards. If one does something, he is paid for the particular act. The much you give determines the much you get. Individuals are motivated to follow to their personal interests, so long as it is legally acceptable. The market is on to ensure that what people wish to get or do is consistent with whatever is available. In capitalist systems, price is the mode by which people’s aspirations are coordinated and products are rationed. Incase something is insufficient, its price rises, if more of it needs to be done, the prices goes up. I f a product is not needed, its price declines. In this system, price fluctuations play a vital role in coordinating needs of individuals (Fontana, 1976). Popular culture can be defined as the normative beliefs and values available for general masses of people on domestic, national or international scale. It involves the knowledge of up-to-date or current events, the totality of attitudes, perspectives, memes, images, ideas, and related phenomena preferred for each informal consensus within specific cultures. It is heavily influenced by mass media and thus instills the daily lives of the society. The biggest producer of popular culture is the United States, which is manifested in the rest of the world via television shows, music, movies, satellite broadcasts, newspapers, fast food and clothing, in addition to other consumer and entertainment goods. An example of popular American shows like ‘one tree hill,” “gossip girl,” and “Glee” are TV Shows on American individuals that seem to deal with American subjects like cotillion, prom, and American high school life. Consequently, teenagers from all over the world get informed of such rituals and are likely to incorporate certain American customs in their lives. These popular shows aggressively promote music, bars, restaurants, and brands, leading to worldwide imitation. Capitalism may positively or negatively impact popular culture. In this context, the discussion will base on both sides of the effects. Capitalism as a social system recognizes individual rights, inclusive of property rights. This entails expulsion of physical force from human relationships. The only role of the government in such a society is to protect people’s rights. By this aspect, capitalism promotes popular culture in that, since popular culture is much associated with media, it has all the rights and freedom of spreading its values without interference by the government or any other force (McGuigan, 2002). To some extend, profit motive and competition, both of which are the major encouragement of the capitalist market system, stimulates actions in popular culture. This encouragement of action is the reason behind diversity of products produced by capitalist societies, which may include production of quality and competitive technologies such as best movie series, and up to date TV shows. In the manner that capitalist system works, reward is not always guaranteed top contribution. The capital system operates as a “winner takes all” system which in real sense encourages stronger competition in popular culture. In a capitalist system, the market place is limited by how much people need. This results to a natural tendency in a market structure for the suppliers in the system to effectively work in order to increase the desire of many, thus leading to creation of the strongest wants and expanding the market. Whereas marketing is most directly expressed in this phenomenon, capitalism really pervades the popular culture as it is reflected in general entertainment, religious values, government policy, education system, and personal attitudes. The development of pop culture created by market capitalism has been the biggest change in American society. Consumer culture and advertising had become so significant by the early 20th century following the thrive of American capital economy. This later increased rapidly with the widespread implementation of radio, but it was not really until late 1950s, plus the widespread of movies and Television, that consumer popular culture was initiated. Not only did contemporary technology promote advancement of popular culture, but the major policies adopted by America subsequent to the World War II viewed popular culture as the drive-train of their economy. To illustrate the effects of capitalism on popular culture in this context, an example of classic cigarette smoking can be given, whose promotion was not just advertised by portrayed in media and general society. The most interesting part of this example being that the same tobacco portrayed on media is the oldest major industry in America as the epitome of the country’s establishment, representing some of the oldest fortunes existing in America and its oldest corporations. Most media and social practices promoting desire are facilitated by capitalist culture, since the promotion of desire, even when not related to a certain product directly, promotes a consumerism culture, and most of the adverts are not about promoting a certain product, but promoting the desire culture. Considering a capitalist society as a composition of many mini-capitalisms that serve and are served by corporations, industries, movements, institutions, companies, and governments, such integrations ensures the survival of a capitalist system. Capitalism works by increasing and using our similarities to one another. The tastes and needs of the consumers of popular culture influence the products available according to demand and supply. Capitalism comes in to provide products which legitimate themselves by creating demands for supply that is ready-made. Our needs are therefore evoked, diluted, or interfered with, and this is true for popular culture. Inducing the need for luxuries leads to accomplishment of marketing. Art foams are created to be money-spinning, and their marketing meant to kindle a need. By use of the mass media, capitalism can promote spurious ideas on educating and addressing a huge audience to attain common good, like the enterprise was determined by demands of financial success. Popular culture, it’s communicating ways, procuring publicity, and the reasons for its existence are influenced by capital and judged basically on surplus value. If there is need for interest and funding, in the market place, popular culture industry attempts to satisfy it, producing for mass utilization and for self-regeneration. The success or failure of popular culture thus depends on financial market. Artificialities of the industry such as organized space, entry fee, performance, and mass production on various media are presented as ordinarily; the audience purchases a culture just as much as they can buy imported products. Capitalist democracy restrains itself from total exploitation by the media. Those which are popularly unpalatable have stayed off the screen, with censorship being used as a regulatory tool. The balance between possible and necessary amounts of advertising has been largely established (Fontana, 1958). Watersheds are employed as differentiators, and watchdog bodies are in existence to prevent harmful excesses in the social world. In effect, notions of Televisions of acceptability are determined by beliefs of its society which are considered inviolable. Crucial effect on popular culture and electronic media changes in the disorganization of capitalist societies is the destruction or loosening of grid and group. The result has been the development of a sensibility favorable for the reception of postmodernism popular cultural objects and the opening of opportunities for a more rational and universalities subjectivity. In capital society, novels and movies produced (popular culture) seal a dual role. First, they are capitalism products, for the most parts are designed and also marketed as substances to be sold to people in large masses. Hence, to succeed in the market, such tasks must meet specific criteria in terms of revenues and costs, and must appeal to readers and viewers living in a particular place and time. Fiction and film serve to produce social being and other beliefs, practices, and contexts, since mirror and draw on those times and societies where they are reproduced (Marx, 2001). Free markets and capitalism fulfill personal desires for goods, freedom, and satisfaction, more efficiently and effectively. Capitalism rests on the concepts that; people naturally barter and truck with each other for things they require but cannot posses them or make themselves. This prompted the popular culture in a way that, people can be up dated no matter their capability to make or posses them, so long as they can afford. Unregulated markets make it effective for exchange, and mediated by prices which are the function of the demand and supply for scarce products. Thus, popular culture’s worth is measured in terms of its prices which determiners its quality. According to Marx’s theory of capital predicts that it has a tendency toward period depression and crises, but they are not accidents, but inevitable and inherent due to the internal dynamics and nature of capitalism itself. As much as capitalism may impact popular culture positively, it has negative effects to this industry. Capitalism deludes people that they are living in a free world, but this is not the real sense of the matter. Capitalism restricts consumers of popular culture to choose from various consumer goods and services. Cultivation of false services is bound up with culture’s role. In capitalism, everything is forced to be reduced to the dollar. Other dimensions of popular culture are reduced to a relationship to money and capitalism forces it to conform to capital. Widespread concerns show that consumer advertisement is important in controlling and oppressing consumers (Bennett, 2005). Misdirection and deceit of consumers is irresistibly universal. In capitalism, the way in which advertising help consumers to purchase is viewed as unfairly combining market share rather than offering the probability of mutual benefit to businessmen and consumers. There is much of real oppression, and many people are ion naked compulsion and exploitation. Much of the reason behind what popular culture is today does with corporate control of business. Capitalism disables creation of cultural objects like photographs, images, and words. People do not have voices where there is no substantial culture created by the people for the people. It is logical to argue that American pop culture is capitalist in nature. In capitalism, commodities produced spur a desire for more goods. It reduces by sheer market force and promise of pleasure. In the communist manifesto, Engels and Marx described capitalism as essentially unsettling, destructing social conditions, creates “agitation and everlasting certainty.” Intellectuals on popular culture expanded this view in mid 1940s. Dwight Macdonald lamented in his famous essay that popular culture was “imposed from above” and that it resulted into “passive customers.” Conclusion The concept between capitalism and popular culture is not as definite as it seems. Daniel Bell, a sociologist points out that traditional capitalism along with its requirements for planning and restraint is not reconciled easily with the unbounded ambitions and desires of popular culture. Popular culture has changed to capitalism, just like capitalism has changed in response to popular culture. Additionally, acceptance of culture is no9t a requirement for acceptance of popular culture (Storey, 2003). Popular culture is becoming the standard bearer of modernity, indicating its transformations. Even among intellectuals, some cultural effects are scorned. It may be hailed by left-wing critique for its energy in liberation, but at the same time condemned as an opiate by conservatives, and feared for its influence on morals, tastes, and preferences. References Arnold, Matthew.1982, Culture and Anarchy http://www.library.utoronto.ca/utel/nonfiction_u/arnoldm_ca/ ca_titlepage.html Bennett, Tony. 2005, ‘Culture’, in eds., T. Bennett et al., New Keywords: A , Revised Vocabulary of Culture and Society. New York: Routledge Fontana, Williams. 1976, Keywords: A Vocabulary of Culture and Society, London: Fontana. Fontana, Williams. 1958, ‘Culture is Ordinary’, extract rp. London: Fontana Gilbert, Jeremy. 2008, Anticapitalism and Culture: Radical Theory and Popular Politics, Oxford: Berg Leavis, Richard., 1930, ‘Mass Civilization and Minority Culture’, extract rpt. in Storey, J., ed., 1998, Cultural Theory and Popular Culture, 2nd edition, Minneapolis, University of Minnesota Press. Marx, Karl 2001. ‘Introduction to a Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy’ http://www.marxists.org/ archive/marx/works/1859/critique-pol-economy/appx1.htm Marx, Karl. 2005, ‘The Fetishism of Commodities and the Secret Thereof’ (orig. 1867), rp A Reader, Sage in IGuins, R. and O. Z. Cruz, eds., 2005, Popular Culture. Oxford: Oxford University Press. McGuigan, Jim. eds.2002, Studying Culture: An Introductory Reader, 2nd edition. . London: Arnold Simon, Roger. 1988, Gramsci’s Political Thought, Lawrence & Wishart. New York: Columbia Storey, John. ed., 1998, Cultural Theory and Popular Culture, 2nd edition, Prentice Hall (see especially part two, ‘Culturalism’). UK: Pearson/Prentice Hall Storey, John. 2003, Inventing Popular Culture, New York:Blackwell Read More