Cultural Creatives

One of the hold-overs of my academic life is that I always have at least two books going at one time, a serious book and a fun book.  Or, better put, a book to stretch my brain and a book to let it goof off.  At the moment, the first category is represented by the book at left, The Cultural Creatives:  How 50 Million People Are Changing the World, by Paul H. Ray.  The gist of the book is that while the "cultural wars" are presented between being between what he calls "Moderns" and "Traditionalists" (the former he deems the descendants of classic liberalism, the latter those who evoke "tradition" in negative reaction to the liberal mainstream), an equally large group of people, the "Cultural Creatives," remain invisible.  Yet while the Cultural Creatives are invisible, they represent a new, productive worldview that is slowly gaining ground and which the author believes will be the hope of the future.

(If you want to know if you are a Cultural Creative, the author has provided a checklist here.  Needless to say, I qualify.)

Wrapped up in his discussion of this inchoate cultural group is a lot of other interesting material related to how ideas are spread or challenged, and the limits of working within a system defined and controlled by opposing worldviews.  Both the discussion of the group and its habits, and of the obstacles it faces in turning from a movement of discrete individuals to a coherent mass movement, interest me, and I'll probably blog further about them. 

For the moment, one thing I want to say is that, if his estimate of 50 million is correct, we are talking a potentially very powerful political force here, and one that runs in a significantly different direction than both the Democratic and Republican power systems.  This is something that begs -- even demands -- further consideration, especially since blogs and online activist communities like MoveOn seem well suited to meeting and expressing the needs of Cultural Creatives as both individuals and groups. 

(Alas, the author's own site fails to move things in this direction, being mostly an advertisement for the book and related public talks.  Talk about a missed opportunity.)

Comments

[Chris Clarke]

I find the concept of this book interesting, especially as it cuts across some political lines.

And yes to what you said about his site: I found the checklist especially annoying. [Do you] see spirituality or religion as important in your life, but are concerned about the role of the Religious Right in politics?" Um, can I answer that as two questions, please?

Maybe this is just the kick in the pants I need to get the book and read it, instead of relying on Utne's condensations.

[Rana]

Well, judging by Powell's (click on the picture) there are a fair number of cheap used copies out there. The one I'm reading now is a library book, but I'm considering buying my own copy because I have to keep restraining myself from writing in the margins.