Jerry wrote:
>
>The rejection of classical music including operas by many also, I think,
>has an anti-intellectual component to it.
>
well i think this depends on what cultural-economic enviroment you have
grown up in. classical music in the capitalist western world (say,
australia) tends very firmly to be what i would term "ruling class"
entertainment. there is no popular classical culture in OZ. the working
class typically would not listen to it and would associate it with the well
to do groups who are either capitalist or their working class managerial
lackeys.
in that sense, an opposition to the tool of the ruling class is in fact a
highly intellectual position to take. it reflects in that context a
heightened sense of subjective class consciousness which should be encouraged.
in OZ, opera and symphony is for the snobs. it may not intrinsically be
anything, but its history suggests that it has been a vehicle where the rich
ruling class (and hangers on) enjoyed the fruits of their exploitation. in
that sense, the medium is polluted and like the system that has used it, it
should be buried as a cultural artifact.
and besides - it doesn't swing.
kind regards
bill
#### ## William F. Mitchell
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