The Avant-Garde Has Finally Become the Mainstream

Citizens of contemporary society who turn on the television and find an entire night's lineup devoted to nothing but so-called reality TV shows may be more inclined to question whether the authentic reality isn't back inside Plato's cave where the flickering images on the wall are supposed to be what is phony. Those who have walked into the light, rubbed their eyes and witnessed what is actually being passed on as "real life" on television may be forgiven if their initial reaction is to run wildly back into the confines of ignorance. The standards of behavior in contemporary society have consistently been lowered as the rewards for public approval have been raised. The media matrix is populated not by those who are the most admired, but rather those who are the most recognized. The consequence is that achievement is no longer the standard by which to judge success. There no longer exists even the pretension toward differentiating the famous from the infamous; in fact, infamy is now just a rather quaint concept, halfway to becoming obsolete. Celebrities are no longer known for their talents or their abilities, but rather for their ability to successfully market themselves as a niche product. The old time celebrity known for showing up and doing his job-whether it be acting, or singing or dancing or telling jokes or performing magic-is a thing of the past; today's singer or actor must also hype her own brand of perfume or underwear or cookbook. So extreme is the mainstream in their willingness to do whatever is required to get famous and remain famous that the greatest casualty has been the avant-garde.