Just watched this old interview with lady Gaga on French TV.
First thing that came to mind was these two parties really symbolize two realities separated by an impassable gap. On one hand entertainment, pure emotional passion (sentimentalism) and on the other Reason (rationalism). (I know very dualistic, but this is TV after all!)
No need for musical elaboration, complication, advancement, or lofty topics with Lady Gaga. Simply passionate communicative vibe, that is intrinsic to all mankind. Sex, drugs, and party ! The secret to her notoriety and success is her accessibility to all natural beings.
I guess our social evolution, which is felt in our education and vocabulary has constantly tried to limit and repress to some extent this passionate side of our characters. So to speak it has helped us build societies on solid foundations of Reason, thus enabling the advancement of civilization, which needs rigour, consistency and hard work.
Thus we are biased in our judgement, always putting values on ideas, ideals and actions. But these are arbitrary in the sense that they are noble or base, only in relationship to our own advancement as a species. No absolute value. (For a quick example just look at the evolution of sex in society)
When in less developed societies such passion was directed to the only desired material objects surrounding us, that is mainly other humans, our passions were logically directed towards it. Violence, rape, you name it came of that. (see Dogville!)
Thus, the necessity of dogma to coerce. Religion, cult, nationalism.
Today, industrial and post-industrial economies, have enabled us I believe, and the US is a great example of this, to direct desire in mass towards other material belongings, that is objects.
We create objects of desire, through design, marketing and associations to other naturally desired humans - swedish models for example...!
The US has found an equilibrium of passion and reason that is certainly more tilted towards passion than Old Europe, which has also made it more powerful economically. It is economically more efficient.
In fact, it has found balance, limiting destructive emotions fueling insecurity, violence and sexual harassment (also helped by strict law - stricter than in most UE I believe - and more present, that is for sure - though another topic to itself) and enabled the emancipation of consumerism, desire of objects and production.
On the good side it makes Americans more emancipated than across the pond. On the flip side, I guess they will also be more frustrated if these greater desires do not materialise.
Nevertheless, being more efficient it should seem only normal it will naturally spread to other parts of the globe's humanity. Thereby goes the great wheel of human social development.
Desire is limitless. Reason is bounded.
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