This is timely: "American men have a naughty little secret. Sometimes, they like to relax with a little Céline Dion. Professed classical music fans have one, too: as it turns out, they don’t tune into classical radio nearly as much as they claim... As radio executives are discovering, what people say they do and what they actually do is different — especially where 'My Heart Will Go On' is concerned."
Even the snobbiest snobs have a few Célines in their closets.
Radio is a civilizing force! Really? I guess the person who made that claim has never listened to DC 101's Elliot in the Morning show. While I'm by no means conservative in my popular culture consumption habits, I feel completely comfortable in claiming that there is nothing civilized about that show--it being a poor man's Howard Stern and all. Rubbish. Absolute rubbish it is.
ReplyDeleteWow, 123, if that is your real name, that's really helpful.
ReplyDeleteYes t'is t'is rubbish. I agree that much of radio is for the everyday man, what many would consider low-brow. Also, the radio that is on the other end of the spectrum, such as NPR (though I do love it) tries a little too hard to project itself as such. As far as indulging in guilty pleasures like Celine Dion, we all have them and try to hide them. With individuals and with NPR, as with several cultural entities, it's all about reputation; we want others to see us a certain way, so we tirelessly negotiate, conceal, project, etc. It connects to Focoult's idea of surveillance - someone is always watching, so we act appropriately. My question is, can we attribute this tendency to hubris (we want others to see us a certain way to contribute to a better personal self-image) or as defense (if others like us, we'll do well in relating to them and therein achieve life success in any way we desire). Oh the continuing, seemingly unanswerable quandaries....
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