I guess it's something that we've gotten used to in the UK; the fact that (free museums aside) if we want culture, we have to pay (often handsomely) for it. The major problem with our system is that, nine times out of ten, a flat rate applies for all adults, effectively restricting access to those with a disposable income to spend on such things.
I used to take this for granted as being one of those things that just is, has always been, and will be until the end of time. That is, until I moved to Berlin.
Here the attitude is quite different. It would appear that culture is seen as a right rather than a privilege. Not only are there the usual discounts on admission for children and pensioners but also for the disabled, the unemployed, the recipients of state benefits and also for students.
This brilliant system means that I can go and watch top class theatre and opera for under £10, and that I can visit most museums for free on a Thursday evening. On a broader level, it means that anyone who wants to partake in such cultural gems need not be deterred by the fact that they'll have to mortgage their home to get a ticket.
Of course, it does come with its own small sacrifices. For example, student discounts for retail are almost non-existent here. That said though, I know I'd much rather be able to have a well-priced night at the opera rather than 50p off a CD or DVD that will only be gathering dust in six months time.
And there, I believe, lies one of the big problems with today's "broken Britain". There exists an ever growing social group who have never experienced real culture, believing it to be beyond them. Opting instead to define culture as not seeing a comedy at the cinema, or drinking an alcoholic beverage from a glass.
This merely reinforces the untrue belief that success is beyond them and that they will never get out of their life of run-down council estates and government dependency.
I firmly believe that culture is what makes a society great and powerful. You only need to look at the ancient Greeks and Romans to see that.
So if we want to make Britain great again, we should start by bringing culture to the masses.
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14 hours ago
The issue I have with your post is that you believe that people who do not interact with culture (without truly defining what culture is in your post) will inevitably be left without social mobility. Firstly, there are many cultural mediums at play so your analysis of culture is narrow at worst and overly simplistic at best.
ReplyDeleteOn a personal note I do come off of a run-down council estate and have experienced culture plus gained a honours degree in political science for your information. That's because in part my mother (a single parent) valued my education and done all she could to support it.