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> It's easy to prove me wrong. The NYT started in 1851. Can you demonstrate how the Catholic church was an important 'cultural maypole' in the US before then?
by dmfdmf 11y ago
> It's easy to prove me wrong. The NYT started in 1851. Can you demonstrate how the Catholic church was an important 'cultural maypole' in the US before then?
Again you need to widen your context to the whole history of Western Civilization. My point compares the Catholic Church prior to the printing press (1400's) and the NYT prior to the invention of the internet (1900's) -- this was Shirky's point too.
- dalke 11y agoThis has nothing to do with Shirky's essay. You said "The New York Times (primarily) really replaced the Catholic Church as the cultural maypole." Please demonstrate the validity of that statement. In the "whole history of Western Civilization", when did the NYT become "the cultural maypole" of Italy, Mexico, and Brazil, and have more cultural influence than the Catholic Church? How is it that The Times of London did not have similar sway on the world stage in the 1800s, nor the the BBC (especially with the BBC World Service) in the 1900s? Why do you pick "Western World" when the Catholic church also has a big influence in Africa (140 million members) and the Philippines (80 million). Which has more social influence in the Philippines, the NYT or the Catholic Church? Which has more social influence in India, the NYT or the BBC?