The Advocate

The Mediocrity of the World:
A Homage to the Thought of Theodor Adorno

Joseph Kaminski
We live in bizarre times. We have the most up-to-date scientific programs, the fastest computers ever, and all kinds of other amazing gizmos and gadgets. Why is it then, that we are forced into such a mediocre existential state of being? What is it that has drained our time of the creativity and originality of prior centuries? Why are there no more Bach cantatas being composed or Kandinsky canvases being painted? I’m quite sure numerous examples of such exist, but they are hidden away in the university or some overpriced concert hall, inaccessible to those without a lot of money.

Instead, those outside the ranks of the elite are told to accept mediocrity.
People find entertainment in shows that are supposed to be “reality TV,” but in reality, they are just a mockery of what the human condition is able to achieve. People are put on the stage (and here I’m thinking of American Idol) in the most crass manner, with no regard for human emotion, and told to perform tricks like a circus animal. Innocent and unsuspecting singers belt out what the feel is their deepest artistic expression, only to be laughed at by the oh-so-suave television audience. What merit as a judge does this audience possess? I see none. They are even less talented and less ambitious than the pitiful beings that showcase their talent—or lack thereof—on the stage.

Indeed, capitalism once again has presented the consumer with the most vulgar expression of art in a commodified form that reaches out to a lowest-common-denominator audience. Talent and genius are not valued. Creativity and change are not on the horizon; rather the capitalist model seeks only to further placate itself with that which can most easily be reproduced. Walter Benjamin wrote some of his most famous words on the nature of art in the age of mechanical reproduction. However, I doubt even Benjamin could have imagined how commodified “art” and “entertainment” has become. For now we have entered an age where exploitation is the selling product. The name of the game is, “Who can make the biggest fool out of person x for the most bucks?” Reification in our time has reached previously unimaginable levels. We have reached a stage in which not only is the most crass show the best because it can reach the lowest common denominator, but furthermore the most crass show is the best simply for the sake of its crassness. Shows like “Elemi-Date” and “The 5th Wheel” exemplify this idea. Things that truly are great are now branded as “not reaching out to the largest audience,” whereas the things that are truly menial and mediocre are glorified in an almost religious manner…until the beginning of the next season, when all is washed away and forgotten and things begin anew.

What a waste the mainstream American cultural landscape has become. The artist can no longer express herself in a “free domain.” Rather, she must always account for the caustic and callow judgment of the undereducated and uninterested philistine masses. The talent no longer lies in the action performed by the artist; rather, the real talent lies only within the ability of the artist to further expand and propagate his or her product. In the end this amounts to who can get the most bang for their buck, with the least effort. Here we can readily see that the authenticity of the work of art is completely destroyed. Any attempt to forge some significance of the contemporary “mass media” work of art is a wholly fruitless venture.

Joe Kaminski is a student in the PhD program in Political Science.