CULTURE: An Owner's Manual

CULTURE: An Owner's Manual

CULTURE: An Owner's Manual is a newsletter covering pop culture and its hidden mechanics from W. David Marx — author of Status and Culture: How Our Desire for Social Rank Creates Taste, Identity, Art, Fashion, and Constant Change and Ametora: How Japan Saved American Style.

Latest

Oct
03

Forget Gladwell

Society should withhold all esteem and attention to a nonfiction author whose entire oeuvre spitballs explanatory social theory under the
6 min read
Jul
29

Cultural Stasis Produces Fewer Cheesy Relics like Rocky IV

The much-maligned 1985 boxing film provides a few hints about the causes of 21st century artistic stagnation: namely, popular artists
7 min read
Jun
11

Culture is an Ecosystem: A Manifesto Towards a New Cultural Criticism (3)

Finally, here is a proposed revision to the ideology of inclusive cultural criticism that builds upon the poptimist critique while
5 min read
Jun
03

Culture is an Ecosystem: A Manifesto Towards a New Cultural Criticism (2)

A healthy cultural ecosystem provides the maximum number of artistic works that are useful and stimulating to the widest range
6 min read
May
28

Culture is an Ecosystem: A Manifesto Towards a New Cultural Criticism (1)

The "culture" of a society isn't a blob of random human activity, but an orderly ecosystem
5 min read
Apr
02

Paris Hilton: Grace through Monetization

In her ghostwritten memoir, Paris Hilton further emblematizes 21st personhood by gushing about fame and business success while blaming her
5 min read
Feb
27

"Luxury beliefs" are not real

Rob Henderson coined the term "luxury beliefs" — views that provide status to the upper classes but are costly
7 min read
Feb
13

No Canon for Old Memes

The Internet culture of the Aughts revolved around lo-fi images and videos. Will they be remembered by coming generations, and
4 min read
Jan
30

Links on Status and Culture - January 2024

Read to the end for a longer essay critiquing Ted Gioia's idea of Macro vs. Micro cultures that
6 min read
Dec
12

A 2023 Look-back: the internet dies, etc.

A year when the internet platforms’ erosion became fully depressing, social media creators settled into being a petit bourgeoisie, and
5 min read