If I hear one person more decry the dumbing down of modern life, I think I'm gonna scream. There seems to be this increasing trend of articles proclaiming that' things just ain't as good as they used to be', and they all seem to pick the wrong targets for their criticism. Big Brother wasn't thought up on a council estate in Glasgow, the writers at Heat magazine all have journalism degrees... the majority of the shite thats out there (and yes there is a lot of it) was dreamed up by educated middle class professionals coming up with 'something to keep the plebs quiet'. Its patronising as hell and downright offensive.
For a start, this notion that there was ever a 'golden age' of entertainment is revisionist rubbish. For every Bowie and Bolan there was a Bay City Rollers, for every 2001 there was a 'Redneck Zombies' (oh its a real film). The airwaves have always been full of dross, its how you appreciate the good stuff. But whats worse is this 'heres your dose of culture', attitude which is even more patronising. The 'medicine stirred in with the pudding' sort of thinking thats lead to all these programs where you teach four plumbers to put on a production of the Rigoletto or produce a crunk version of Chaucer set in Brixton. Or The Culture Show for fucks sake. The sodding Culture Show! Theres no law saying anyone has to appreciate 'high art' anyway but at least have the decency not to fob everyone off with a 'here it is in a way you'll understand', low fat version.
If you treat people like idiots they'll respond in kind. The great British publicc are nowhere near as stupid as those in positions of power make out, but we are lazy. Most people will consume whatevers put in front of them and you can't fill the schedules and playlists with rubbish and then complain that people only watch and listen to rubbish. Give people a choice and they might surprise you. Two examples; For years Sigur Ros have been making great music but music that was about as likely to get played on daytime radio one as Napalm Death. Then someone dubs Hippolya (sic) over some footage of penguins on a wildlife program and shock horror - people liked it. Now its everywhere, Jo Whileys claiming she liked them from the beginning (but then Jo Whiley likes everything) and its being played over break up scenes on Hollyoaks. Result. Second, the Da Vinci code. Bloody awful book admittedly but when they opened an exhibition of his sketches in Leeds, people turned up. Lots of people. People who might not have even set foot in an art gallery 12 months before.
After watching five minutes of 'I'm a celebrity...' you could be fooled into thinking that everyone in the country's a babbling moron and those polar icecaps couldn't melt quickly enough, but its not an accurate reflection on the world. If the media types who come up with the TV schedules, the magazine spreads, the adverts and the playlists cut down on the coke just a little bit and stopped talking down to everyone, you might be surprised at the choices the public make.
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andy@straighttohelvetica.co.uk 07908 419660
