Genuine critical gatekeeping cultivates rather than restricts cultural vitality

Evidence

A cultural ecosystem approach is more inclusive than poptimism. When innovative artists are supported and taken seriously, the entire system thrives. Critics and tastemakers play an essential role—not by acting as obstinate gatekeepers, but by assuming that audiences are capable of engaging “with cultural products that are complex and intellectually demanding,” as Fisher writes. And by fostering a deep reservoir of creative ideas, we ensure that even mainstream pop culture remains vibrant and dynamic, rather than endlessly recycling its own past. — W. David Marx, Blank Space, 863

Categorization

• QUESTION: Is the proposed ecosystem model falsifiable, or a normative preference dressed as cultural theory?
• XREF: connects to: Cultural absorption neutralizes even the most extreme cultural protest — Martin Jay, The Dialectical Imagination: A History…, 72