POPULISM
What is populism?
Populism is an aesthetic modality that prioritizes what the market or the audience wants as the basis for artistic production. What will consumers pay? (for the price of admission, or the actual article). This sounds very democratic, and so it is - but is that a virtue in art? One of the problems which this approach is that it supports stereotypes much more than innovations, and even new things become stereotyped very quickly. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately), it doesn't work this easily. There is, it turns out, a market for novelty, so some new things do sell; and by the same token, some of the "same-old, same-old" doesn't sell, despite the care taken to replicate the original.
In a recent, very well-crafted film about a screen-play with a homosexual theme, the screen writer and the producer in the story agree that the American film audience will not accept a movie with an openly homosexual theme! This kind of irony prevails throughout aesthetics production, proving thereby that "audiences are conventionally unconventional, or unconventionally conventional". Investors are the ones chasing public opinion, but investors are a big part of the aesthetics industry - only they can afford to finance a lone performer or team in the production of an offering that could reap multiples of its initial cost, OR be a flop.
On the audience side, the stereotypes of successful products are often criticized unsparingly by those whose sensibilities have been piqued. Feminists rarely find heroines who are sufficiently autonomous and assertive. Ethnic spokespersons note either that their group was under- represented or mis-represented, which they say, speaks volumes about the ignorance of the artist. Non-smokers chide every instance of someone smoking in a work of art, claiming it glorifies the practice and leads the young into vice through bad example. Animal lovers insist that no living creature be injured during the production of the artistic offering, and even depiction of such events is condemned. Those in crime control (the police, state prosecutors, etc.) see every depiction of lawlessness as an encouragement to act out what is portrayed unless the perpetrators in the story get swift and fulsome punishment. Consensus in aesthetics is as rare as in politics.
How populism is manifest
Styles which have broad appeal will most likely be superficial. Slogans which get wide circulation may be easy to remember, but they are likely simple-minded metaphors. Most aesthetic offering of superior quality will have limited appeal. Interesting movies from small countries, even those about compelling events, usually only go abroad to small festivals, rarely theatre chains. Rising diversity is eroding national chauvinism, but some worry that the global culture now emerging may eventually simply produce its own stereotypes to replace local ones. The experience of tourist hotels is increasingly standardized in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
Reference
