Starting with my parents wedding an importance aspect to consider is the class differences as the bride came from a middle class and the groom came from a working class background. With this in mind it would make sense to see influences from both cultures present due to incorporation of two different societies, defined by their class, in one setting. However, despite this the dominant influence came from the middle class, supporting the Marxists view of us living in a class dominating culture, this was emphasised through the following of 'wedding traditions' seen through the items featured in the ceremony. These traditions conformed to the conditioning of middle class culture who have the ability to spend money to conform "the best day of my life " attitude, an expectation middle class culture encourages. However is this truly the best day because of the act of love a wedding proposes or it is due to the amount of money spent to create a form of art after years of saving...The main division between middle and working class is the income. Being a working class citizen, from a Marxist perspective, means you willingly sell your labour to dominant classes in exchange for the value of money which conforms to the 'survival of the fittest' mindset of a right-wing system in which we currently live in. However, as a middle class citizen you stand higher in terms of hierarchy and have a greater disposable income to afford more than just the basics of survival. Middle class have the ability to be materialistic and a product of Media consumption influence in which the media can use different forms to influence those with disposable income, such as 'unique' selling points of products, in order to win over that income to make a profit. With this in mind what can be said about culture? Marxism states the media is in favour of the upper classes and therefore media products such as newspaper and TV are put forth to only serve to them. However, is this truly the case? As without the upper classes making the decision to indulge in media consumption industries wouldn't be able to survive without profit. Therefore are the media truly supportive of the middle class as a way of setting an example to society to form a culture enriched with the ideas of upper class ideology or are the upper classes merely targeted and focused on as oppose to the working class as they are the ones who fuel the finance of the Media.
Conformity has replaced consciousness, in the sense that culture is no longer dominated by the individual initiatives of society to make decisions, but rather the passive nature of conforming to the mainstream 'idolised' way of life we're conditioned to aspire to. 'culture is ordinary' (Williams) if this is factual it would imply no thought or action is original therefore culture, in terms of progression, has plateaued. This would find truth in the eyes of The Frankfurt school and when looking at western culture it can be argued it stands close too fact, years after Williams writings, in a highly standardised society. However, although hundreds of examples can be given That approve these ideas, such as the assembly line reproduction of boy bands capturing the desire of a teen girl cult, its the rejection through many art forms which is interesting. Looking at the expansion of mainstream culture the visceral pessimism felt is natural for art enthusiasts yet deeper exploration of culture is needed to stimulate the thought provoking that culture may not be so ordinary.
Upon arrival to my Cousins wedding the distinctive feature was the florescence of everything being pink. From a westernised perspective our society is 'trained' to make certain association with colours from birth. Pink in this case in terms of semiology has connotations of feminism and is known for being a "female" colour as even from birth pink is the colour culture teaches us to dress girls in so they can be distinguished from the boys. The choice of this colour scheme could hint at the feminisation of weddings and how in contemporary times it stands as a celebration for the woman as oppose to conforming to traditional religious values of a wedding being (almost a ritual, get from blog) to celebrate the bond of a couple. This appears to be a reoccurring theme across weddings and is influenced by celebrity culture and the "beauty" of having the money to recreate an ever long fantasy of the bride. This is further emphasised through reality TV such as my 'big fat gypsy wedding' or 'don't tell the bride' all of which centre around the bride and her wants and desires for her "big day." my big fat gypsy wedding puts a strain on cultural norms through divorcing traditions from wedding ceremonies as their aim is to go extremely over the top to the point it evokes a shock factor from audiences outside that lifestyle. Even in terms of ideology girls are raised to watch Disney films filled with princesses, marriage and happy ending which has seemed to become woven into western culture
Due to technological advancements it has allowed Western culture to become highly standardised to the point very little remains 'original.' As a result of manufactures means of mass production allowing everything to duplicate a single product it grants society the ability to purchase the same product over and over. This westernised way of living has become encrypted into the ideologies of most classes who live with this modern way of thinking. Instead of travelling to a farm to obtain fresh produce its now more convenient for most to simply go to the supermarket to purchase food and this is what we are conditioned to believe. Print adverts, TV Advertisements and Radio all support supermarkets through advertising stores for their low prices and providing deals to benefit a mass audience. However, independent farms for example don't have media power in the sense they aren't funded by a company to advertise there products thus taking the simpler route, which we are encouraged to, powers over the traditional way of life.
The main division between middle and working class is the income. Being a working class citizen, from a Marxist perspective, means you willingly sell your labour to dominant classes in exchange for the value of money which conforms to the 'survival of the fittest' mindset of a right-wing system in which we currently live in. However, as a middle class citizen you stand higher in terms of heirachy and have a greater disposable income to afford more than just the basics of survival. Middle class have the ability to be materialistic and a product of Media consumption influence in which the media can use different forms to influence those with disposable income, such as 'unique' selling points of products, in order to win over that income to make a profit. With this in mind what can be said about culture? Marxism states the media is in favour of the upper classes and therefore media products such as newspaper and TV are put forth to only serve to them. However, is this truly the case? As without the upper classes making the decision to indulge in media consumption industries wouldn't be able to survive without profit. Therefore are the media truly supportive of the middle class as a way of setting an example to society to form a culture enriched with the ideas of upper class ideology or are the upper classes merely targeted and focused on as oppose to the working class as they are the ones who fuel the finance of the Media.
Edward B. Taylor (1871) ‘Culture includes socially acquired knowledge, beliefs, art law, morals, customs and habits.’ – To adapt from this it emphasises the role society plays in not only formulating culture but growing culture to create societal norms in which individuals follow through gaining ‘socially acquired knowledge’ highlighting we are taught how to act and believe in from a young age which becomes encrypted into our ideologies and allows us to join a formulated culture one enriched with civilization and ‘morally right’ actions. e.g we are conditioned to abide by the law and recognise acts of violence, vandelisation and theft are morally wrong acts and should be avoided.
George P. Murdock (1930) – Human relation area files to identify and sort distinctive cultural variations – Imporatant when it comes to comparing and contrasting.
n terms of culture being ordinary‘Every human society has its own shape… purposes, its own meanings. Every human society expresses these, in institutions, and in arts and learning’ – Williams, culture is ordinary (1958) pg 93 However, this is expressed differently depending on the class of individuals which leads onto the effect class has on culture and society. Living in a working class society with little income resulting in different tastes and interests in which will cater to those with less money to pay for luxuries attached stereotypically to the upper classes such as the opera which is know for being a upper class art form. The working class on the other hand don't have the disposable income to appreciate the opera therefore they find their appreciation for the arts in different art forms such as
Products of human manufacture sold to society for materialistic consumption to emphasise someone’s wealth or to simply praise an individual for their hard work a trophy of achievement. – can be applied to weddings, we are often taught when it comes to weddings the bigger the celebration the better which ties into our competitive nature to succeed. Thus the materialistic items seen in weddings can work as an investment to impress guests with their wealth – westernised ideology derived from American culture portrayed in TV shows, films and magazines the celebrity ‘wow factor’ the working class are striving for to perhaps cover up their own culture which isn’t as idealistic. (Material culture)
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