[lit-ideas] Re: "Our Superficial Scholars"
- From: John McCreery <john.mccreery@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 24 Jan 2011 23:33:54 +0900
And, on the other side of the coin, something I was just moved to write (the
bit in italics is the question to which I am, in a curmudgeonly mode,
responding).
*but what really is the use of any of the humanities as supplying some
economic demand?*
They have, of course, historically played an important role in producing
audiences for high culture and fine art — thus providing the wherewithal to
keep institutions like Sotheby's, the Vienna Philharmonic, and university
presses in business.
The marketing problem faced by the humanities is similar to that faced by
BMW in Japan after selling too many 3-series cars during the economic
bubble. When the bubble collapsed, BMW found that, when people thought of
its brand in terms of the 3-series, they envisioned a "Roppongi Corolla,"
i.e., a starter car for nouveaux riche vulgarians.
Democratizing the humanities and, in effect, adopting the McDonald's slogan,
"We do it all for you" has predictably destroyed the luxury cachet the
humanities once enjoyed. And claiming to teach critical thinking in big
lecture classes with shrinking reading and writing assignments isn't going
to rebuild the brand.
John
On Mon, Jan 24, 2011 at 11:18 PM, Julie C <juliereneb@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/21/AR2011012104554.html?nav=hcmoduletmv
>
> Julie Krueger
>
>
--
John McCreery
The Word Works, Ltd., Yokohama, JAPAN
Tel. +81-45-314-9324
jlm@xxxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.wordworks.jp/
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