Culture and contemporary challenges - part 1

Introduction - on the concept of culture and the scale of the challenge

When we use the term "culture" in free conversations, debates and other forms of exchange of opinions, we usually mean that culture is "a set of various products of the highest sublime reach of the human spirit" and we almost always connect it, and often identify it with art and human activities. is, in a sociological sense, wrong. Understanding culture as extremely valuable, precious, authentic and accessible only to the worthy describes the position of those who consider culture elite. Of course, every art is a very important part of every culture, but in that domain it is just that - just one of the equally important parts. In contrast to the "elite", relatively recently - with industrialization and radical changes in society that it caused, there was a "popular" or "mass" culture. Just as the "man of the new (capitalist) age" opposes elitism of every kind in every sphere of life, demanding freedom and the right to choose, so "his" mass culture, with its main weapon - the mass media, completely opposes the elite, but also the people's , culture, by making meaningless their valuable and rapidly preserved achievements and achievements that become simplified, distorted and fully accessible to the masses (s) serving, while hiding behind the two main achievements of modern civil society which are almost always means, and almost never a goal. Between these two, rather exclusive views on the concept of culture, stands out the French philosopher and culturologist Edgar Morin who believes that culture, as the most universal legacy of exclusively human existence and action, should not be separated from human everyday life (organizational principles of every society, so-called existential codes). by reducing it to the domains of scientific knowledge and artistic expression.1) In this way, uniting all areas of human activity throughout history, we can understand culture as, conditionally speaking, the pattern, code, principle of life of every human being who by his birth, growth and as he matures, he consciously and unconsciously becomes a follower of at least one, and often more, culture and subculture. Although there is no single generally accepted definition of culture, it is important to concretize it as much as possible, in order to imagine as accurately and comprehensively as possible the wide field of existence and manifestation of each culture. To this end, and in connection with the previously explained views, we will use the words of British sociologist Anthony Giddens, who says that the culture of a society includes both intangible aspects - beliefs, ideas and values, which make up the content of a culture - and material aspects - objects, symbols or the technology through which the content of the culture is expressed. Now that we have shed some light on the concept and meaning of the first word of the title, we can shift the focus of the introduction to the phrase - "contemporary challenges". Nowadays, the very often used word "challenges" does not require additional explanations, but it is necessary to list those that our culture is facing, and which we will deal with later in the paper: globalization and westernization of culture, capitalism (commercialization, politicization, technicalization of culture), cultural industry (the problem of mass culture and the rise of kitsch). When we look at culture as the broadest area of ​​exclusively human action and existence, it is certain that we will understand that the influence of the above phenomena, processes and changes has long exceeded the boundaries of politics and economics, which are nothing but the strongest means of control and power over man. . Based on these conclusions, we can assume that the blades of these numerous processes are directed towards (against) what constitutes the center of individual and collective existence of every human being - culture.

A changing world - globalization and westernization of culture

The development of communications, information technologies and transport enabled the intensification of contact and connection between the local and the global and thus contributed to the creation of the largest and most powerful social phenomenon today - globalization. Simply put, globalization is a set of all processes that encourage and intensify social relations and interdependence around the world.) The key phrase in the concept of globalization is "information flow" - without it, globalization would hardly be possible in the form in which we know it. Global media, which are usually the main source of information for local media, provide their followers, directly and indirectly, with huge amounts of information about events from all parts of the world, and since this trend has lasted for several decades, it is certain that certain consequences . In the light of the topic we are dealing with, we are interested in the concrete realized and potential impact of globalization on the culture of modern man. If we say that it is a perspective, ie. determining and directing the view of reality, one of the important elements of any culture, we will notice that globalization in a very short time managed to move the local and national cultural (and therefore economic and political) perspective to the global, which in this context means the opposite of national, and which is reflected in a general, unique, uniform and common perspective. This means that the consciousness of each individual is no longer limited by state and national borders, on the contrary, it crosses them without any restrictions on the path of transformation from the consciousness of a citizen of the state to the consciousness of a citizen of the world who is responsible, questioned and interested in everything. It happens.) Thus explained, a change of perspective does not necessarily have to be understood as something bad and undesirable - a sense of togetherness, belonging, altruism and humanity without prejudice is always more than desirable, but we cannot help but wonder what this new feeling often excessive concern, curiosity and interest in the global means for the national and does overcoming differences mean at the same time renouncing them? Although, theoretically and ideally, the image of the "global world" and its structure should mean a single and uniform "essence" of all, in it equal, states of the world, common sense, and the senses of sight and hearing still tell us otherwise. Instead of all national cultures (which together make up the world) together with their achievements, values ​​and achievements being equally valued, accessible and understood at an age when this is possible more than ever in human history, they are often condemned and marginalized so as not to accidentally obscure the light of a culture that considers itself superior, and which we popularly call Western.) Western culture has its language - English, its deity - money and its liberal - (quasi) cosmopolitan value system, and with all that, a very awkward set of features - unreasonable self-confidence combined with arrogance, ruthlessness and arrogance, on the basis of which she gives herself the right and the task to swallow all those, in her opinion, barbaric, uncivilized and underdeveloped cultures.

The question that logically arises from these words is: has globalization enabled the dizzying rise and dominance of Western culture over everything else, or is Western culture using globalization to fulfill its imperialist aspirations?

Since a valid solution to this complex dilemma requires much more knowledge, words and pages, let's leave this question for free thinking about the topic we are dealing with, and return to the focus that we need to shed light on. One of the concerns that globalization creates with its appearance, duration and strengthening is related to the establishment of a "global culture" which in reality would be much more Western than "global") There are objective reasons for such opinions - we are witnesses that With the fall of communism, the last obstacle to the spread of the already fairly widespread Western lifestyle and value system fell, ie. a cultural pattern that is more or less adopted and followed by almost every individual, regardless of which side of the world they live on. This process, which exists and works in parallel with globalization, is called "westernization". Just go to the mall and feel like a "citizen of the western (and thanks to globalization and every other) side of the world" - you are surrounded by the world's most famous and affordable brands, which in their huge well-lit bars overwhelm you with huge quantities of not so cheap assortment which you will see for hours (if you really want to see the whole range) by listening to the biggest hit from the top list of English-speaking area, while on the top floor you can go to the cinema whose repertoire usually includes over 90% of films exclusively Hollywood and almost strictly entertaining. and after that you can have a snack in one of the many fast food restaurants and return home, exhausted, exhausted and completely ready for tomorrow's working day which must be a victory if you think to continue living in a new style.

Globalization has, generously, made it possible for almost every one of us, at least for a day, to feel like a powerful man from the West. Crises in which national cultures fall, and thus national identities and interests, are real and real - whether it is the complete loss of them or the creation of "hybrid identities" composed of elements of conflicting cultural sources and global, often conflicting national interests. Globalization, along with Westernization, is proving to be a difficult challenge for both universal human and national cultures. Not so favorable consequences are noticeable, at least in the country where we live, in the form of alienation, depersonalization, meaninglessness and disorientation of a man forcibly pushed into a huge world that does not care for him and does not tolerate diversity in any sphere of existence, feelings and opinions. Of course, there was no warning for any of them, but the thought remains of how they could have been foreseen, and as such, as much as neutralized. The most tragic thing in all this is the real possibility that at some point, the return from that big world to the smaller one, where we are much more accepted, understood and cared for than in the big one, will be impossible, because our small world and its culture will no longer exist. to be. Such a not lonely, in a way apocalyptic position is only an indicator of the huge and unlimited scale of the destructive influence that globalization is achieving with great speed in terms of human and national culture of each individual and nation. What, apart from the above-mentioned developments of technologies and techniques, enabled the insatiable domination of the global-western cultural perspective to the detriment of every human and national one, I will explain in the next section.