Adono and Horkheimer vs. Ohman

Theodore Adorno and Max Horkheimer's essay "The Culture Industry" and Ohman's "Selling Culture" have a vast amount of differences. Despite their differences, they both relate back to the same topics, our culture, advertising, and capitalism. These authors have different views on capitalism. Ohman seems to be more open to the idea of capitalism, and Adorno and Horkheimer seem to reject capitalism as a whole. Throughout reading these texts, it becomes obvious that advertising has a strong impact on society, capitalism has flaws, and our culture is shaped by both of these.

Adorno and Horkheimer project a negative attitude towards capitalism. They believed that the producers ran capitalism and our culture, which turned everybody in the society into a group which strives for perfection, and has a lack of emotion. He clearly states "The most intimate reactions of human beings have been so thoroughly reified that the idea of anything specific to themselves now persists only as an utterly abstract notion: personality scarcely signifies anything more than shining white teeth and freedom from body odour and emotions. The triumph of advertising in the culture industry is that consumers feel compelled to buy and use its products even though they see through them." In this quote they not only state what they believe humans have become, but also they we buy products we know we don't need, just because they are being advertised. Throughout their essay, they did not give examples of how to do things differently. They showed so many problems, but no solutions. Adorno and Horkheimer were raising awareness of the situation the society was in because of capitalism. There is no doubt that capitalism has flaws, but unlike Adorno and Horkheimer, Ohman sees the flaws, and the positive things capitalism can bring too.

In Ohman's "Selling Culture", he much more accepting of capitalism then Adorno and Horkheimer. Although all the authors seem to agree capitalism is a huge money making process through advertising, Ohman doesn't see capitalism as completely negative. Ohman believed there were many influences which shaped into capitalism, and that it gave opportunity.

Throughout reading both Ohman's "Selling Culture" and Adorno's and Horkheimer's "The Culture Industry" it showed two different aspects, that are both useful. By reading "The Culture Industry" one can basically infer that capitalism is a flawed system, that makes the rich, richer and the poor, poorer. "Selling Culture" gives a much better perspective, especially since it gives the good and the bad at once. Instead of completely blaming the government and advertising, Ohman gives a reader more to think about, like how capitalism was shaped. No matter which stance you agree with, our culture was undoubtedly shaped by advertising and capitalism.