(photo by Mike Mergen for the New York Times)Barry Shwartz argues that we, as consumers, are so overwhelmed with options that we become paralyzed rather than empowered. When I look at the drug store aisle in the photo above, I can't help but mourn the many wasted hours I've spent hovering in pharmacies, my brain being wrung out like an old towel with the strain of choosing a shampoo.
I would argue that the burden of choice strikes us not only at the supermarket or the drug store, but in our cultural and aesthetic choices too. The advent of online file sharing and the relatively recent "fashionising" of second-hand shopping may seem unrelated, but both contribute to the same stress: the pressure to be our own curators. When cost and timeliness are no longer a factor, the ability to sift through and find the "best" of all genres and eras becomes a valued skill.
In the June 2008 issue of Elle, Stephen Milioti wrote about how "showing that you can move fluidly between low and high — demonstrating your ability to curate the objects and culture in your life — is the latest iteration [of good taste]."
He's talking specifically about the idea of blending high and low-brow culture, of wearing a Rolex and thrift store pants, listening to Britney Spears and obscure jazz and appreciating both equally.
Last fall, I interview the mash-up artist Girl Talk for The Link. As I wrote in then, Gregg Gillis (aka Girl Talk) reasoned that he “won’t spend time sampling songs [he’s] not into” because there are “so many songs [he] could have chosen.”
Gillis' ability to mix high and low and new and old is something he actually banked on and turned into a career. But what about those of us who don't get paid to be our own curators? Who are we trying to impress?
No comments:
Post a Comment