Horkheimer and Adorno Pre- Class

"Unending sameness also governs the relationship to the past. What is the new in the phase of mass culture compared to that of late liberalism is the exclusion of the new." (Horkheimer and Adorno 59) This quote reminded me of a previously discussed topic in class, where most of the enjoyed films have similar story lines when looked at in regards to format. There's an intro, climax, downfall, and resolution, of course with the love affair thrown amongst the mix. Our culture is one that likes the known and stands weary to the new or foreign.
Horkheimer and Adorno then move on to analyze how closely bound the entertainment industry and culture are. When asked to define culture in my CMC 200 class, most students stated that we as a community define out very own culture. Professor Gournelous found this to be interesting in saying that when looking closer most of us were in the process of writing literature reviews of how different spheres of media form culture and in return we are defined as a community. This article relates to that very idea that in reality, culture is made through the media and is then presented as a communities values.
I think the best way to put this into function is through the Oscar winning films and those of the world wide festivals. Most films with a message, such as documentaries, never make it into theaters or reach a large population. When story lines step outside of the norm people tend to shy away and the unknown remains unnoticed.