In modern society, there has always been a gap between the dual sophistication of the educated and their culture as opposed to the less or should I say differently educated and their culture which appears more popular and even more commercially successful; I suggest this latter category appears happy to be entertained whilst the former consider themselves cultured and more discerning. This article attempts to explore the differences between culture and entertainment with a view to understanding their roles in what seems to be a society divided by different cultures. The aim of this item is to be more that of an open and on-going discussion rather than definitive.
John Ruskin,(1)* writing about art, noticed this disparity in 1843 when he wrote: “ When public taste seems plunging deeper and deeper into degradation day by day, and when the press universally exerts such power as it possesses to direct the feeling of the nation more completely to all that is theatrical, affected and false in art…it becomes the imperative duty of all who have any perception or knowledge of what is really great in art, and any desire for its advancement in England, to come fearlessly forward, regardless of such individual interests as are likely to be injured by the knowledge of what is good or right, to declare and demonstrate wherever they exist, the essence and the authority of the beautiful and the true.”(2)*
Similarly, in 1975, 132 years later, Shostakovich wrote, “Great music, the receptacle of all the greatest spiritual insights of mankind from ancient times up to the present, will not, of course, perish under pressure from the avant-garde. It is not the first time it has been rejected, reviled and ridiculed, but it has always stood firm… Great music is eternal, like life. Every new generation makes its own contribution to the treasure-house of world art…Music becomes a fact of life, alive and effective only when it is heard and is understood by those for whom it is written…We must never lower our criteria of art. Otherwise art will degenerate to the level of amusement, of empty, mindless diversion. The danger exists in modern society, which is bombarded with all sorts of sounds. The ‘ninth wave’ of second-rate pop music is constantly crashing against the pillars of great music, threatening to pulverise them and wash them away.” He goes on to explain that an aesthetic code is inherited and addresses the human heart, and through the response of this heart it gains immortality. “Music unites people and helps each person to become more aware of himself, it enriches his thoughts and feelings…these days, music – like all other forms of art – is going through a complicated period; it is seeking to express our unsettling but glorious modern age…Of course, in all art forms new paths must be developed. If art were to stop in its development it would be its downfall. It is reassuring that art today knows many new paths, but only those which are based on the great classical traditions have any future”.(3)*
Culture can be simply defined as “the total of the inherited ideas, beliefs values and knowledge which constitute the shared bases of social action.”(4)* Additionally, to clarify this point as relevant to this article, “the artistic and social pursuits, expression, and tastes valued by a society or class, as in the arts, manners dress etc.”(5)* The complication arises in defining the differences between culture and entertainment precisely because of the class element in society. Within the culture of a society there exists a material element (e.g. machinery, experience in the field of production) and a spiritual one (e.g. achievements in the realm of science, art, literature, philosophy, ethics and education). These combine over the course of time into a succession of socio-economic formations, the arts (culture) reflecting the action of the dominant socio-economic group; the subjugated masses enjoying their different approach often seen as entertainment. Entertainment is defined as “the act or art of entertaining, which can be provided by a professional singer, comedian or other performer who takes part in public entertainment”, the implication being “the provision of amusement.”(6)* This amusement possibly avoids exploring the depths of the material and spiritual elements and relies on conscious inaccuracies of these elements to provide release from the real tensions of life. Shostakovich reminded us, that, at worse: “We must never lower our criteria for art. Otherwise art will degenerate to the level of amusement, of empty, mindless diversion”. Similarly, Ruskin warns of “the theatrical, affected and false in art”.
In comparing the implications of cultural reflection with those that are entertaining, there is a different process at work. I suggest that being entertained releases the superficial tensions that come about through more immediate and generalised sensations of living. More profound processes are at work when the superficial emotion of being entertained is replaced by specific and more complex, reflections of reality. In this process, deeper emotional responses are aroused mirroring a fuller complexity of relations between people and also to the objective world. Emotions are shaped by society and play a tremendous part in what is considered to be acceptable behaviour, practical and involving full cognitive activity. These aspects lead to complete understanding and the concept of truth. Emotions are an indication of success or failure of activity, the conformity or non-conformity of objects or phenomena to ones needs or interests. Sthenic emotions create energy and satisfaction whereas asthenic emotions are negative and unsatisfactory in effect.
Behind the emotional content are interests. These are a purposeful orientation of thought and action reflecting the material and spiritual ingredients, mentioned above, by an individual, social group or historically developed community. These correspond to the objective needs and tendencies of social development, constituting the interests of society. The interests of the dominant class are united by voluntary associations and similar personal interests. Thus, in a class divided society, different social groups will have different interests which will show in their lack of unity of ideas with each other and even become diametrically opposed to the status quo. A stable interest in an economically stable society is an important requisite for a creative attitude, cumulatively leading to a broadening of horizons and enrichment of knowledge.
With current developments where the divisions in the understanding of history, society and the direction of both are not necessarily conducive to stability, direct access to definable material and spiritual ingredients is divergent, it is no wonder that culture and entertainment are not easily nourishing either the thirst of the artist or the audience. So when John Keats wrote “Beauty is truth, truth beauty, – that is all ye know on earth and all ye need to know”(7)* where does this leave us? I suggest that the culture of the dominant class can no longer exploit any former stability in the form of its chosen culture with such confidence as the more commercially led and more readily self-modernising entertainment grows in appeal across social groupings – big changes and influences are realigning socio-economic allegiances resulting in a fusing of opposing cultures.

(1)* 8 February 1819 – 20 January 1900 was the leading English art critic of the Victorian era, also an art patron, draughtsman, water-colourist, a prominent social thinker and philanthropist. He wrote on subjects as varied as geology, architecture, myth, ornithology, literature, education, botany and political economy. His writing styles and literary forms were equally varied. Ruskin penned essays and treatises, poetry and lectures, travel guides and manuals, letters and even a fairy tale),
(2)* Modern Painters Vol.1 3.4
(3)* Dimitri Shostakovich: About Himself and His Times P.334-335
(4)* Collins English Dictionary
(5)* ibid
(6)* ibid
(7)* Conclusion to Ode on a Grecian Urn

Ron Tendler 27 July 2016