Today’s “Culture Industry” — Quotations Included
Tackling ‘culture industry’ in the briefest of terms is a difficult task; consider this my attempt at being as concise as possible about ideologies that demand endless and ever-evolving discussion. To be perfectly dramatic, I — personally — see the modern creative industries and society’s consumption of them as a farce. There has never been more creative people, nor more freedom and accessibility of tools to create, than there is today. While we, the creatives, communicate and share amongst ourselves, I believe us to be the minority of individuals, existing in a small bubble marred by the giant that is culture industry.
It was Adorno and Horkheimer (2007) that coined the term ‘culture industries’ to the commodification of popular culture by the mass communications media; creating ‘mass culture’. Essentially we are living the result that is popular culture being produced and sold to the masses by the large corporations. Popular culture being reduced to a formula of sorts, marketed to the lion’s share of society’s consumers, designed to manipulate them into a state of mind akin to complacency.
It is the idea of manipulating the average Joe that XYZ is what they desire, and then fulfilling those desires by providing XYZ through the products of capitalism; now Joe is content that his desires are fulfilled thanks to XYZ corporation, and he will continue to consume in this manner.
So, what does provoking content targeting this topic look like exactly? Let’s take a look at -
Banksy’s Simpsons Statement
The ‘couch gag’ is a consistent feature in the introduction sequence of the long running series The Simpsons (Groening, 1989). Usually, the couch sequence is a form of routine that leaves each episode of the show beginning with a different short, simple slice of humour. In recent years, renowned street artist Banksy directed his own version of the Simpsons couch gag, as a sort of guest appearance but as director of the show’s opener. He used the pre-established routine gag to subvert the expectations of humour, instead, he provided viewers with a deeply political and rather sombre sequence of imagery. This came in stark contrast to the normally fun and light-hearted nature of that portion of the show’s intro.
Banksy is the popular anonymous artist responsible for the infamous balloon girl shredding auction (2018). To put it very briefly, his work is usually known to challenge mainstream culture; through this he has become an icon, somewhat ironically. He pulled no punches in his (no doubt intentionally) ironic use of the mass media platform 20th Century Fox (1935) to portray the underbelly of the culture industry. It is a commentary on our complacency in consuming mass produced media, that we are content in our consumption and either ignorantly or intentionally turn a blind eye to the injustices that enable productions such as The Simpsons on such a large scale.
We are shown imagery of a Chinese mass production factory, and inhumane working conditions of the labour workforce there. Banksy even went as far as showing skeletons littered around the factory floor, and one does not need to dig deep to find some measure of truth to the suggestion, that Chinese workers are literally dying in the name of producing media that we in the Western culture consume, and take for granted (“600,000 Chinese die from overworking each year”, 2016).
During the sequence dead or suffering animals can be seen being used in the production of The Simpsons merchandise. While there may not be literal truth to this, I interpret it as further commentary that to consume this media is to support the abhorrent values (by Western standards) of the Chinese government, particularly those pertaining to animal welfare in this case, or lack thereof (People’s Republic of China, 2014). Further driving his point, Banksy is sure to end the dark opener by flashing the very familiar logo of 20th Century Fox — the producer of the very show that this sequence takes place on, The Simpsons.
Closing Thoughts
I remember the first time I saw this particular show opener. The couch gag is such a long running tradition on the show, and with that comes the expectation of comedy. Banksy’s opener was absolutely the opposite, and I remember that was the factor that made it a very polarising experience to witness. It was provoking to the point where it made me uncertain if I should even watch the show that I had sat down to enjoy for a moment. The over-entitled part of me wants to cry foul, that it was unfair to be confronted with these thoughts. I was attempting to use the show as a form of escapism, to take my mind off my current problems — only to encounter a guilt trip affirming what I had already accepted was a situation I couldn’t change, nor would it overnight. But hey, that’s just a first world problem, right?
Bibliography
20th Century Fox. (1935). Retrieved 1 October 2019, from https://www.foxmovies.com/
600,000 Chinese die from overworking each year. (2016). Retrieved 1 October 2019, from https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2016-12/11/content_27635578.htm
Adorno, T., & Horkheimer, M. (2007). The culture industry: Enlightenment as mass deception. Stardom and celebrity: A reader, 34. Available at: http://www.litandwriting.umb.edu/engl380-1/spg09/documents/adorno.horkheimer.pdf
Banksy. (2018). Balloon Girl [Canvas]. London: Sotheby’s.
Blind Inspiration Cast. (2018). Doctor Who pocket universe [Image]. Retrieved from http://www.blindinspirationcast.com/doctor-who-s07-e10-e11-hide-and-journey-to-the-centre-of-the-tardis/
Groening, M. (1989). The Simpsons [TV]. United States: 20th Century Fox Television.
People’s Republic of China. (2014). Animal Protection Index 2014 Ranking (pp. 1–21). Retrieved from https://api.worldanimalprotection.org/sites/default/files/api_china_report.pdf
