Culture needs broad participation to *be* culture. The brightest innovations have always come from the masses and margins. Epics like The Odyssey, 西遊記, Beowulf, and 1001 Nights were born from oral tradition. Kabuki and K-pop first thrived in red-light districts, and The Globe was built by a joiner-turned-actor.
Fashion and music follow the same pattern. Jeans, Stanley, Carhartt, sneakers, and streetwear all first became popular in working-class communities. The Beatles met in public school, and nearly every modern and popular music genre—hip-hop, rock, jazz, pop, and country— is the result of the appropriation of marginalized Black communities.
The wealthy being in a non marginalized minority can only adopt and amplify cultural trends. 0 reply
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