tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38560481.post1738596723875867924..comments2023-04-10T04:17:16.433-04:00Comments on The Transcontinental: On the Extinction of the Lowbrow in Musical TasteAndrew W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00071098030747838202noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38560481.post-77965106352081117982009-11-10T11:47:52.538-05:002009-11-10T11:47:52.538-05:00I was going to write a longer response to ACD'...I was going to write a longer response to ACD's post, but Osbert has stolen my thunder!<br /><br />A.C., I don't really see much difference between your position and mine. I think, if anything, some of what I'm describing reflects some of the frustration you yourself have registered on your blog over the years, namely that there is this tendency to treat classical music as something aking to any other consumer product.<br /><br />Maybe where I wasn't entirely clear was whether or not I believe there are highbrow classical musicians and listeners. I do, however, I think the bulk of what constitutes classical music and its discourse is resolutely middlebrow in its reflection of tastes and attitudes. I think this is problematic, but what I don't think is that it's an issue for highbrows.<br /><br />As for the disciplenary differences we have (philosophical/sociological/phychological), I'm actually happy that we are unpacking yet another way to broach the subject of culture and comparing tastes and attitudes that reflects the poverty of so much discourse these days. The more the merrier I say!Andrew W.https://www.blogger.com/profile/00071098030747838202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38560481.post-25628601794310484502009-11-07T14:13:28.032-05:002009-11-07T14:13:28.032-05:00Osbert Parsley wrote: ACD wants to cast the issue ...<b>Osbert Parsley wrote:</b> <i>ACD wants to cast the issue in terms of psychology and evolutionary biology, which is perfectly natural given his admiration for Steven Pinker.</i><br /><br />Just to keep things in their proper perspective here, it's perfectly natural for me given my even greater admiration for Sigmund Freud who, pace Dr. Pinker, on all fundamental matters psychological, got it right first time out of the box, and more than a century ahead of his time.<br /><br />ACDA.C. Douglashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12090447201234367871noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38560481.post-9439502961651354342009-11-07T14:10:34.425-05:002009-11-07T14:10:34.425-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.A.C. Douglashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12090447201234367871noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38560481.post-20259641848366252352009-11-07T13:25:01.165-05:002009-11-07T13:25:01.165-05:00I had intended to refrain from comment on this unt...I had intended to refrain from comment on this until you posted a response, but since you've asked for comments:<br /><br />I don't really think there is, in fact, a huge disagreement here. ACD, if I read him correctly, is concerned that your discussion of highbrow and lowbrow attitudes seems to place undue emphasis on class conflicts. He would prefer to place the issue within the context of "individual psychology and the culturally conditioned psychological dynamics of the group," and most especially the lingering influence of "postmodern dogma." But you both agree that the result is a lamentable form of groupthink, which insists on the equivalence of "high" and "low" culture, to the detriment of both.<br /><br />The conflict, then, seems to me to be purely methodological. As you noted recently on my blog, you tend to use a sociological framework to explain our current cultural woes, where I would use philosophical language to explain the same problem. ACD wants to cast the issue in terms of psychology and evolutionary biology, which is perfectly natural given his admiration for Steven Pinker. It's quite natural, given our varying background commitments, for us to disagree on method, but I don't think this should be an irreconcilable difficulty.Osbert Parsleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11942314635696174528noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38560481.post-73212506406985789182009-11-06T12:23:03.954-05:002009-11-06T12:23:03.954-05:00Turns out, I had a perfectly free morning rather t...Turns out, I had a perfectly free morning rather than a perfectly free afternoon or evening, and so you can read my promised response <a href="http://www.soundsandfury.com/soundsandfury/2009/11/a-response.html" rel="nofollow">here</a>.<br /><br />ACDA.C. Douglashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12090447201234367871noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38560481.post-24607470976192175582009-11-05T11:00:48.293-05:002009-11-05T11:00:48.293-05:00I was at some pains to make it clear that it was N...I was at some pains to make it clear that it was NOT my intent to be snarky here. Your post in no way pushed my snark button, and it never occurred to me that I or my blog was the post's "target" even marginally. I simply wished to lodge my objection to most of what you wrote if only to balance the kudos your post received from other commenters.<br /><br />As I said, if I get a perfectly free afternoon or evening, I'll post a response to your post on S&F and provide you the link when it goes up.<br /><br />ACDA.C. Douglashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12090447201234367871noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38560481.post-81922976621028857992009-11-05T09:58:38.238-05:002009-11-05T09:58:38.238-05:00Have at it, A.C. Given this is a blog post and no...Have at it, A.C. Given this is a blog post and not a journal article, I'm not the least bit averse to revising my ideas in light of argument, or defnding them in light of someone's own arguments. <br /><br />If it got you feeling snarky though, I don't think that's a bad thing, although you weren't in the least a target in this post. <br /><br />Now that being said, I'm interested to hear what you think is so ill-informed about my post.Andrew W.https://www.blogger.com/profile/00071098030747838202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38560481.post-18590657949104614042009-11-05T09:29:06.318-05:002009-11-05T09:29:06.318-05:00I don't at all mean to be snarky about this, b...I don't at all mean to be snarky about this, but there's so much that's ill-informed and badly skewed in your post (badly skewed because grounded in the premises of your ill-informed ideas) that I don't know quite where to begin tearing it to shreds (and, BTW, I've no aversion at all to well-placed snarkiness as anyone who reads my blog is aware; it's just that I don't intend it here). Perhaps when I get a perfectly free afternoon or evening, I'll write a response to your post on S&F and provide you the link, but for the nonce, I just wanted to lodge my objection to most of what you had to say.<br /><br />ACD<br />http://www.soundsandfury.com/A.C. Douglashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12090447201234367871noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38560481.post-36315110731036421962009-11-04T21:05:59.733-05:002009-11-04T21:05:59.733-05:00So enjoyable! The middlebrow community reminds of...So enjoyable! The middlebrow community reminds of Jose Ortega y Gasset's <i>The Revolt of the Masses</i>, in which he inveighs against the bourgeoisie who would pull all things fine down to their level, who are in fact blind to what even makes them fine.John Blackburnhttp://watchingapple.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38560481.post-52327718630494737732009-11-04T19:17:30.815-05:002009-11-04T19:17:30.815-05:00This is a wonderful post. Following Robertson Davi...This is a wonderful post. Following Robertson Davies, I suggest an alternative to the currently available brow types: the <a href="http://angryorganist.blogspot.com" rel="nofollow">concertina brow.</a>Osbert Parsleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11942314635696174528noreply@blogger.com