The American "Values" of Aesthetics

[WanderingLands]

I'm not the first person to criticize the art and culture of America (United States), but I'm doing this post anyway to state my opinions based on observations and research.

Before I start "bashing" the aesthetics of the United States, let me say that I'm not completely ripping on what I perceive as the "true" aesthetics of America. There are many good genres in American music (apart from Pop culture) that I do like: Jazz, Blues, some Heavy Metal, some Hip-Hop, Electronic, Dub, Avant-Garde/Experimental and all. What I am bashing is the mainstream music that is being (over)-played; music that has no real beauty, or anything deep and profound.

The music genres here whom I'm ripping on are: American Modern Pop Music, Mainstream Rap and Hip-Hop, Mainstream Rock and Metal, etc. Then on TV, you have: Rob Dierdek, Bam Margera, other people from "Jackass", That Metal Show, 16 & Pregnant, Spongebob Squarepants, South Park, Tosh.0, Friends, The Big Bang Theory, Family Guy, The Simpsons, list goes on. Going beyond, I should mention the constant bombardment of commercial advertisement running and interfering with our daily lives; or how about the movies from Hollywood?

The message(s) in American "culture" and "aesthetics" are the same; it is American Exceptionalism, and with it the ideal images of what "modern" societal people should be like; massive and unhealthy consumerism, and tying that with immorality with the "good life" in the "American Dream". The "good life" in America is often partying, getting drunk, free love and sex, and among other things the idea of an artificial modern social hierarchy, based on how well you fit in with the American culture. These message(s) can be found on TV, radio, magazines, movies; I call it overall Mass Media. This is part of the American Illusion: the Illusion of America being a truly free democracy (a subject that I will get deeper into as time goes by).

More information and further elaboration will be added to this.

[Kurt]

Over the last few generations here in Australia this same ideology has been creeping in. To the point that our own culture is vanishing and becoming more like the 53 state of USA. The direction seems to be that selling something whether a product, ideas or even ones self is the number one priority and at all costs.
We are supposed to be "human beings" not "human doings" but where is this now taught. Not at home, institutions, or at schools, if anything these areas of society seem to be moving at light speed in the other direction.
I believe we are rapidly loosing the art of living for the relative safety of just existing. In living I don't mean the ability to achieve moments of adrenalin rush or excitement, but the ability of a society to have meaningful social priorities such as empathy, respect, compassion, courage, sacrifice (increasingly seen as weaknesses) rather than the self interest that our current system is increasingly holding up as the pinnacle of achievement.

[WanderingLands]

Over the last few generations here in Australia this same ideology has been creeping in. To the point that our own culture is vanishing and becoming more like the 53 state of USA. The direction seems to be that selling something whether a product, ideas or even ones self is the number one priority and at all costs.
We are supposed to be "human beings" not "human doings" but where is this now taught. Not at home, institutions, or at schools, if anything these areas of society seem to be moving at light speed in the other direction.
I believe we are rapidly loosing the art of living for the relative safety of just existing. In living I don't mean the ability to achieve moments of adrenalin rush or excitement, but the ability of a society to have meaningful social priorities such as empathy, respect, compassion, courage, sacrifice (increasingly seen as weaknesses) rather than the self interest that our current system is increasingly holding up as the pinnacle of achievement.

The "Individual" in the modern western world is nothing more than a clone whom is a passive consumer; the masses whom these sick elites would want to control all too easily. As we keep being distracted and stupid, the tyrants who run governments will continue to reign and prey upon the ruled class.

I believe there are many causes to this degradation of the world by Western globalization. Our schools, modeled after the system in Prussia back in the early 19th century, create mindless sheep and destroy real individuals. Those who can't/don't comply with the archetypal peoples of society are left out. Then we have Big Pharma coming into the picture, forcing kids to buy their prescription "medication" which does damage to their mind and body. It's all about numbing the mind to where people can't think anymore and so they pretty much have no choice, and/or would probably enjoy servitude.

[Kurt]

Yes, except that even governments are pawns just a tool of a hidden elite. I never used to think this could be the case, but as I experience and see more of what's happened and is happening in the world. I am increasingly comming to the conclusion that a plan of taking control and power by an elite group is real. Furthermore has been in place for some time.

[tbieter]

I watch Classic Arts Showcase all day, every day.
http://www.classicartsshowcase.org/
I experience and enjoy beauty in many modes there, much of it originating in the U.S.

Doesn't the good life include the pursuit of beauty and the avoidance of ugliness? And living a balanced life?

[WanderingLands]

Doesn't the good life include the pursuit of beauty and the avoidance of ugliness? And living a balanced life?

I agree with what you said regarding what the good life is. Very too bad that the average American(s) (not all) now days don't have a care for things in real Aesthetics. P.S. l look at that website later on.

[tbieter]

I watch Classic Arts Showcase all day, every day.
http://www.classicartsshowcase.org/
I experience and enjoy beauty in many modes there, much of it originating in the U.S.

Doesn't the good life include the pursuit of beauty and the avoidance of ugliness? And living a balanced life?

I watch CAS so much each day that I think I'm becoming cultured.
The other morning I was sitting on the toilet. CAS was on. I heard Saint-Saens' Rondo capricciosi, one of my favorites, begin. But, then after a minute or so, I said "That's not Janine in the red dress." I was right. It was some guy. And his performance was distinctly inferior to Janine.
Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pGZeRJWles

[Bill Wiltrack]

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I think there is a lot to be said for the "good life" in America; often partying, getting drunk, free love and sex, and among other things the idea of an artificial modern social hierarchy, based on how well you fit in with the American culture.




...and of coarse, sitting on the toilet.




.

[duszek]

What country´s " "Values" of Aesthetics " seem better ?

Constructive criticism can help the Americans to improve. They would improve gladly I am sure.

Constructive = suggesting ways how to make things better.

Or is every country just as bad or even worse ?

[tbieter]

.



I think there is a lot to be said for the "good life" in America; often partying, getting drunk, free love and sex, and among other things the idea of an artificial modern social hierarchy, based on how well you fit in with the American culture.




...and of coarse, sitting on the toilet.




.

LOL

[Blaggard]

.



I think there is a lot to be said for the "good life" in America; often partying, getting drunk, free love and sex, and among other things the idea of an artificial modern social hierarchy, based on how well you fit in with the American culture.




...and of coarse, sitting on the toilet..

That's not an American philosophy in fact that philosophy is very European, the fact that Americans have adopted it is neither here nor there. Mind you it's a good philosophy, IMO. Life's kinda odd, enjoy it, if you don't well you will miss out on so much.

And taking a really big dump as well, is there anything more satisfying than parking a submarine that could sink the Titanic.

What country´s " "Values" of Aesthetics " seem better ?

Constructive criticism can help the Americans to improve. They would improve gladly I am sure.

Constructive = suggesting ways how to make things better.

Or is every country just as bad or even worse ?

In modern times there are of course some countries that are worse than others, of course when those countries are trying to establish some sort of moral code, and fail and are in fact all about self interest it becomes hard to see just how great it is and who and whom of course is in fact a good country or just a cuntry.

[WanderingLands]

Whoa! Lots of comments here. I was too busy researching when I overlooked this discussion (thought that it pretty much had died out).

[WanderingLands]

In modern times there are of course some countries that are worse than others, of course when those countries are trying to establish some sort of moral code, and fail and are in fact all about self interest it becomes hard to see just how great it is and who and whom of course is in fact a good country or just a cuntry.

If only there wasn't globalization, boy oh boy there would still be actual cultures.

[Blaggard]

Americans think a lot of things look good, most of them however look shit, I wouldn't ask a yank to describe what is aesthetic or artistically good...

[Blaggard]

In modern times there are of course some countries that are worse than others, of course when those countries are trying to establish some sort of moral code, and fail and are in fact all about self interest it becomes hard to see just how great it is and who and whom of course is in fact a good country or just a cuntry.

If only there wasn't globalization, boy oh boy there would still be actual cultures.

Globalisation?

Imperialism killed that.

Imperialism
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For other uses, see Imperialism (disambiguation).
Cecil Rhodes and the Cape-Cairo railway project. Rhodes founded the De Beers Mining Company, owned the British South Africa Company and had his name given to what became the state of Rhodesia. He liked to "paint the map British red" and declared: "all of these stars ... these vast worlds that remain out of reach. If I could, I would annex other planets."[1]

Imperialism, as defined by the Dictionary of Human Geography, is "an unequal human and territorial relationship, usually in the form of an empire, based on ideas of superiority and practices of dominance, and involving the extension of authority and control of one state or people over another."[2] Lewis Samuel Feuer identifies two major subtypes of imperialism; the first is the "regressive imperialism" identified with pure conquest, unequivocal exploitation, extermination or reductions of undesired peoples, and settlement of desired peoples into those territories.[3] The second type identified by Feuer is "progressive imperialism" that is founded upon a cosmopolitan view of humanity, that promotes the spread of civilization to allegedly "backward" societies to elevate living standards and culture in conquered territories, and allowance of a conquered people to assimilate into the imperial society, an example being the cosmopolitan Roman Empire.[3]

The term as such primarily has been applied to Western political and economic dominance in the 19th and 20th centuries. Some writers, such as Edward Said, use the term more broadly to describe any system of domination and subordination organized with an imperial center and a periphery.[4] According to Marxist theorist Vladimir Lenin, imperialism is a natural feature of a developed capitalist nation state as it matures into monopoly capitalism. In his work Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism, Lenin observed that as capitalism matured in the Western world, the economy shifted away from real commodity production towards banking and finance, as commodity production was outsourced to the empires' colonies. Lenin concluded that the competition between empires and the unfettered drive to maximise profit would lead to wars between the empires themselves, such as World War I in his contemporary time, as well as continued future military invasions and occupations in the undeveloped world to establish and expand markets and exploit cheap labour for the monopolist corporations of the empires.

It is mostly accepted that modern-day colonialism is an expression of imperialism and cannot exist without the latter. The extent to which "informal" imperialism with no formal colonies is properly described as such remains a controversial topic among historians.[5]

The word imperialism became common in the United Kingdom in the 1870s and was used with a negative connotation.[6] In Great Britain, the word had until then mostly been used to refer to the politics of Napoléon III of obtaining favorable public opinion in France through military interventions

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperialism