Ep. 72: Snobbery, Taste, & Elitism | A Discussion with Stephanie Patridge скачать в хорошем качестве

Ep. 72: Snobbery, Taste, & Elitism | A Discussion with Stephanie Patridge

In this episode, Brandon Polite (Knox College | he/him) talks with Stephanie Patridge (Otterbein University | she/her) about snobbery: what it is, what forms it takes, and why it matters. We begin by discussing of the origins of Patridge's thoughts on snobbery, which includes a brief synopsis on the small body of literature on the subject that exists in aesthetics. We then trace the history of the term "snob," from its origins as another word for "cobbler" to a derogatory term (from William Makepeace Thackeray) for social climbers to one (from George Bernard Shaw) that applies to those who look down their noses at perceived inferiors. We then shift to consider how snobbery functions today. Patridge thinks that while Thackeray's notion of "snob" still applies today, that the central sense of is Shaw's notion of a particular kind of elitist. This sort of snob is obsessed with social status and keeping inferiors in their place, and we discuss the various ways in which they do so -- both aggressively and passive-aggressively. We next talk about how snobbery relates to issues in aesthetics. The particular connection is to taste, as snobs think they have good taste across aesthetic domains and that anyone else with different taste is necessarily inferior. We discuss how certain "low" culture forms get taken up by elites as a status marker of omnivorism, whereas others -- especially art made by and for poor whites -- often are not; and generally how snobbish elites are generally interested in putting others down. We also consider whether "reverse snobbery" is possible. We then discuss whether snobbery can ever be good. Patridge thinks that it generally is not and that this even extends to looking down our nose at Donald Trump's golden toilet -- although the case is complicated for reasons she considers. Next, we discuss whether snobbery can be untangled from taste. Patridge believes it can and should be, since the notion of someone having "good taste" doesn't make sense when thought of as extending to ALL aesthetic domains. Good taste, she thinks, only applies to particular aesthetic domains, and is better thought of as a skill of discernment that enables people to perceive things in new and richer ways. Finally, we briefly consider whether some aesthetic domains, like Christian Rock or Nazi Punk, are inherently bad. Patridge thinks that if they are, it's because of moral or political reasons. References: Stephanie Patridge, “Snobbery in Appreciative Contexts," British Journal of Aesthetics (2018): https://doi.org/10.1093/aesthj/ayy024 Chapters: 0:00 Introductions 0:26 The Origins of Patridge's Thoughts on Snobbery 4:47 The History of Snobbery 15:56 How Snobbery Functions Today 27:41 Snobbery & Aesthetics 36:27 Can Snobbery Ever Be Good? 45:45 Untangling Taste from Snobbery 53:04 Are Some Aesthetic Domains Inherently Bad? 56:07 Conclusion SUBSCRIBE TO THIS CHANNEL https://www.youtube.com/c/Philosopher... Subtitles edited by Athko Ehrnstein