Grassroots cultural activity cannot displace the mainstream celebrity system.

Evidence

Grassroots cultural activity ultimately posed little threat to the celebrity aristocracy of movies, TV, and supermodels. Only the mainstream seemed to satisfy the eternal need for a shared culture—one that could fuel conversations with friends and interactions with strangers. At best, the monoculture could undergo slight cosmetic changes: a rotating cast of royal houses in the pop aristocracy rather than a true revolution. — W. David Marx, Blank Space, 687

Categorization

Category: Causal Relationships

• CANDY: The aphoristic close — a rotating cast of royal houses rather than a true revolution — is a quotable summary of how the monoculture absorbs challengers.

Related

• Only mainstream celebrity satisfies the human need for shared culture (similarity 0.85)