But beyond simple availability, actual quality is, I believe, on the increase. Democratization of every major medium has resulted in creative people from all walks of life, and from all means, being able to get their art to bigger audiences than ever before. Mainstream movies may be in dire straits, but the chances of a small, independent project getting released is greater than ever before. Television networks are beginning to populate their schedules with writers and producers who come from more diverse backgrounds than at any time in the medium’s history. Artists no longer need the sanction of a handful of publishers, networks, studios, or labels to get the public’s attention. Even if the talent pool remains static, we can now see the work of a far larger percentage of that talent pool if we so desire. The general public may still have a taste for chaff, but more wheat is being grown than ever. These are the things that are of paramount importance to point out to combat the cultural cynicism brought about by that same cultural overload.
Why bother? Well, other than the obvious fact that I make my living as a sort of cultural advocate, the fact is, as my colleague Donna Bowman put it, people living through a golden age often don’t know. And it’s important that they do, because this golden age, as with all the ones that lie behind us, depends on patronage. If enough people lament the death of culture, culture will die, no matter how sophisticated our means of disseminating it. And what will crush the horn of plenty won’t be the things it isn’t producing, but indifference to what it is.
