16 replies to this topic

[bart]

Ray, on Apr 17 2008, 03:52 PM, said:

[T]here are creative solutions to problems that have yet to be tried yet because of the inherently slow-to-change nature of large-scale arts organizations

This certainly fits my own totally non-empirical impressions.  I also have the impression that some such organizations, after years of inertia and once they get into serious trouble, will sometimes overreact in panic and veer off in completely new directions (plans, policies, management changes, etc.) without thoroughly thinking through the implications or even whether they have a likelihood of working.  

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(Bart this is part of Jeff Edwards's point; I will try to summarize it soon).

Thanks, Ray.

So far we're talking about the U.S.  How about the "business" situation in other countries, especially those with different structures of funding?

[4mrdncr]

SanderO, on Apr 17 2008, 12:02 PM, said:

I would recommend a 4 part series which was produced by the BBC about precisely what Bart is referring to and it's roots going back the the late 19th century and the early 29th century and the work or Edward Bernays, the father of public relations.

The presentation is called:  The Century of the Self

http://www.bbc.co.uk..._the_self.shtml

This explores how the public has been "manipulated" to behave as consumers, of ideas, products, lifestyle and self image and so forth.  It's a rather upsetting and frightening look at what "we" have become, or let happen to us (by capitalism) in our case.

I can't recommend this production enough.  It is a real eye opener (mind opener).

There was a similar program (90min) on PBS' Frontline several years ago, which I also made sure every high school class I taught also had to watch and analyse.."The Merchants of Cool".  The program specifically demonstrated how marketers infiltrate and manipulate teenagers into assuming a "popular" persona (not peer created as they think, but created by the marketers) and consuming a product (again, created more by marketers) that directly feeds the "lowest common denominator" segment or worse. There was also a follow-up program "The Persuaders" a few years later.  Both are available on dvd.  Thank you for posting, I will definately investigate the BBC program you recommend.