SOC281 - Cultural Omnivore

Question 1

What is a cultural “omnivore”? How is omnivorous culture related to class?

Answer 1

•Peterson: ppl in higher status occupations distinguished by variety of tastes, in contrast to lower status ppl who are fans of few cultural genres
•research:
taste for + participation in almost everything (except hours of TV watched) goes up
oHigher status ppl like more kinds of music. MOST likely to like higher status music, but also to like many less prestigious musical genres

Question 2

What is a cultural “omnivore”? How is omnivorous culture related to class?

Answer 2

otake part in more kinds of cultural activities. MOST likely to participate in popular activities (attending sports activities) + more “cultivated” ones (visiting historic sites)
owider range of taste for things from many genres
ooften include some high status genres but NOT limited to them

oErickson 1996 shows this for the security industry in Toronto

Question 3

What is a cultural “omnivore”? How is omnivorous culture related to class?

Answer 3

•Bryson looked at the kinds of music ppl do NOT like: higher status ppl do NOT express greater distaste for lower status forms of music
othey dislike very little, less than lower status ppl.
•she links this to their higher levels of education ⇒ greater tolerance for many things

Question 4

What is a cultural “omnivore”? How is omnivorous culture related to class?

Answer 4

•Peterson + Erickson:
•modern higher status work typically requires working with many diff kind of ppl
omanagers must work with + coordinate work of, ppl doing diff work at diff levels inside + outside their own organizations
orequires forming working relationships, motivating, communicating
ogood relationships – share culture to talk about ⇒ useful for higher status ppl to know bit about many kinds of culture
oprocess of working with many kinds of ppl teaches many kinds of culture

Question 5

What is a cultural “omnivore”? How is omnivorous culture related to class?

Answer 5

oneed for varied cultural repertoires fuelled by globalization: increasingly, higher status ppl often work with others from diff societies
•knowing a lot of diff types of culture, distinguishing relevant culture to use – business culture, popular culture, highbrow culture
•knowing about variety of culture, you can engage in conversation with a lot of diff ppl, figure out what they would be comfortable + happy to talk about

Question 6

What is a cultural “omnivore”? How is omnivorous culture related to class?

Answer 6

• knowledge of relevancy + repetoire of cultural competencies
• cumulative life chances
• at bottom: limited chances to do interesting work, increase cultural repetoire + social networks - less time working with ppl, small range of ppl, not much time to talk to ppl
• start at higher level, have more chances to expand cultural + social capital, they take off upward

Question 7

Omnivore

Answer 7

• mix of cultural tastes + knowledge that works in one industry may not be much use in another.
• diff kinds of omnivorousness, broadly defined
• 3) Peterson style omnivores: highest number of activities, high rates of participation in the high status activities + in lower status ones + in home-based activities (especially reading)


Question 8

Omnivore

Answer 8

• 4) Omnivores not into high status genres:
pretty high variety of activities, do more popular, not high status activities than Peterson style omnivores, + read less, + engage in high status forms less
• prestigious genres are not as essential to distinction as they once were; ppl can afford to be not interested

Question 9

Omnivore

Answer 9

• Groups 3 + 4 are diff kinds of omnivores: 4 focussed on non-high-status activities outside the home + group 3 into everything, including high status genres
• knowing a lot of diff types of culture, distinguishing relevant culture to use
• can engage in conversation with lot of diff ppl, figure out what they would be comfortable + happy to talk about