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The Dangers of Educational and Cultural Populism: Three Vignettes on the Problems‐of Aesthetic Insensitivity, the Pitfalls of Pandering, and the Virtues of Artistic Integrity
Author(s) -
HOLBROOK MORRIS B.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
journal of consumer affairs
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.582
H-Index - 62
eISSN - 1745-6606
pISSN - 0022-0078
DOI - 10.1111/j.1745-6606.1998.tb00415.x
Subject(s) - populism , aesthetics , introspection , presentation (obstetrics) , value (mathematics) , sociology , psychology , law , political science , philosophy , politics , cognitive psychology , computer science , radiology , medicine , machine learning
This essay applies the method of Subjective Personal Introspection (SPI) to a presentation of three vignettes that bear upon the dangers of educational and cultural populism. The story of Father White illustrates the problem of aesthetic insensitivity. Revisiting Mr. Holland indicates how this fictional music teacher panders to his students in a way that ensures their lack of aesthetic discrimination. Meanwhile, Nancy LaMott serves as a counterexample to underscore the value of musical training, hard work, and discerning judgment in the pursuit of artistic integrity. A concluding section draws implications for public policy and other concerns related to consumer affairs.