Doug asks:
> In fact, raising the cultural level of the working
class seemed central to their revolutionary
project. That didn't last through the 1920s. That's
never been too big a part of the American left, has
it?
But any cultural ranking is arbitrary. Some people love Brahms and some love Kander and Ebb. How can anyone say defintively that one resides on a higher cultural level than the other?
My personal problem is that leftists sometimes allow the pendelum to swing too far in the other direction and deny that any cultural distinctions can be made.
I think it is fair to say that more complex artistic works have the potential to provide a more robust cultural experience, but that there is no inevitable correlation between complesxity and robustness.
Brian Dauth Queer Buddhist Resister