Sublime

The upshot of taking mass culture seriously has been a growing awareness that much of what we call good taste is merely an aesthetic like any other.

She had left her home country of Italy after speaking out against former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. Her agent there had sent her to one of his “Bunga Bunga” parties in 2010, and she became a witness against him when he was tried for abuse of power and having sex with a minor.

The old high-low spectrum was policed by people who shared identity markers, experiences, and educational backgrounds, so it reflects their prejudices.