This is a very interesting article out of England, regarding the current state of cultural affairs. Contrary to popular opinion, there has been no formation of a "cultural elite" (at least in England, though I have a hard time thinking these results won't generalize to America), and if people participate in culture at all, pop culture plays a major role - there is no group that participates primarily in higher forms of art. Not sure what to make of this, except to say that I personally see nothing wrong with being able to enjoy both an art exhibit and a rock concert (or Iron Eagle, for that matter!). It appears, though, that many people are eschewing anything more complicated that pop culture, which is too bad. I obviously love many aspects of pop culture, but there is something stimulating about periodically challenging oneself intellectually and artistically, and you aren't going to get that from anything on a Top 40 list. Variety is also very healthy, in that there are experiences, for example, I get from listening to certain pieces of jazz music that rock simply can't come close to. Anyway, the article is interesting, give it a read!