“One of the surest signs of the Philistine is his reverence for the superior tastes of those who put him down.” Pauline Kael
What a marvelous thought--by showing the circular logic which keeps the philistine at the bottom of a dominance hierarchy of taste, she points the way for him to reclaim his sovereignty by withdrawing that reverence for others' judgments
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The relation between philistine & tastemaker can be symbiotic; one may admire/desire a tastemaker, while lacking the confidence to act as their equal; so they give this reverence, a gift for the ego. But if the tastemaker responds with putdowns, it's an abusive relationship
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Exactly - so common for both the philistine and tastemaker (as used here) to settle into their respective roles rather than transcend them
End of conversation
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