Mass Culture Industry

After reading both articles “Selling Culture” by Ohman and “Culture Industry by Adorno & Horkheimer they both feel that our society is centered around Capitalism brought on by heavy advertising. In other words our country is a mass culture industry and there is no way to escape it. Although they agree on that they both look at and talk about it in very different ways. Take Ohmans article he portrays our society in a more enlightening way. Hes telling us we are part of this mass culture industry because we let advertisements control what “we think” we need and want. Especially when it comes to name brand items, those are all ways portrayed as better. He doesn’t point a finger and just blame the advertising companies its more like he is just letting us know what is really going on because we are blinded by all the Ads. He explains Capital as “wealth capable of producing more wealth” which is true but in Adorno & Horheimer’s article they explain it more like we are being brainwashed by the wealthy people and letting them control our lives. We let them tell us what we want and what we need to be in the in crowd. If you don’t have these items then you’re an outsider even if you don’t like the item and see through it you still buy it to be cool. Where they are more straightforward with their accusations but they don’t have the facts to back it up where Ohman listed quite a few different ones.

So after reading both of these articles I came to the conclusion its easier to take in what Ohman says more seriously and actually think about it. For example maybe I don’t need to spend a hundred dollars on a pair of pants just because of the name brand or maybe I don’t need every new item that comes out and is advertised on TV as the new hot thing to have. But after I read Adorno & Horkheimer article I just thought they were crazy telling everyone they are being brainwashed and we aren’t really happy when we work because we work to buy stuff and so on. So I didn’t even think twice about what he said or about not spending so much money on something I really don’t need. I think it’s all about the way Ohman approached his audience but awaring us of our surroundings.