The Modern American Society and Its Impact on Beauty

“Pearls before Breakfast: can one of the nation’s greatest musicians cut through the fog of a D.C. rush hour” by Mr. Gene Weingarten is a fascinating article about how busty the American population is that it has become oblivious of the beauty around them (Weingarten 1). This story is a sociological project where a renowned violinist disguises himself as a street performer on an alley beside a Washington metro station and performs classical tunes, only for the society to pay little or no attention to him. Joshua Bell, one of the best classical violinists in America, with a 16th-century organ pours his heart out on a rush hour, performing to an uninterested audience and hopes to get not only the audience but also some monetary donation. This article reacts to the fascinating results observed from this social experiment (Weingarten 1).

Surprisingly, his expectations hit rock bottom when less than a hundred people notice his presence and all he manages to make with his US$ 3.4 million violins is a mere 32 dollars over a three-quarter of an hour session (Weingarten 1). The modern society is too focused on work, schedule, time management and getting richer than it was yesterday. Everyone on the street is in a hurry, rushing to or from an errand, most of which are aimed at making money. It is a capitalistic society, where everything else takes a side seat to wait for the free time, which never seems to come. As evident in the video, the younger generation is quicker to identify beauty than the elder one, a little boy being pulled by his parent towards the metro station notices the difference in this performance (Weingarten 1). He takes interest in not only the art but also the artist, contrary to his parent, who is focused on saving time and performing ”more important duties“ in his day. The boy is, therefore, dragged away, which leaves the musician disappointed in this society. This demonstrates the influence and how a change in lifestyle is being passed forcefully from generation to generation.

Beauty is defined in monetary terms in the modern society. Apparently, if the same musician wore an expensive attire, erected a stage and hired a security agency to protect him and his expensive organ, things would be different. He would collect more money, and no one would give pennies as a donation. The only sincere attention and appreciation he received was from Stacy Furukawa, who set aside her errands for a moment, took time to introduce herself to the musician and threw in a twenty (Weingarten 1). We can conclude that she is a true icon of beauty in the society. Although everyone is busy rushing around and going about their day, she hears the music, moves closer and attentively listens until the artist finishes his performance. She is a relief that there is some beauty left in the American society.

Conclusively, the modern American society has greatly drifted from societal and cultural beauty to monetary value. Is world operating on economic value, hence it chases the price tag? It has forgotten what is important. This world is too busy on its day to day routines and less focused on other important aspects of life. Many scholars are impressed by the morality and focus of the American people, as it surpasses any other society on the globe. It is essential to note that there is much to live that makes it beautiful, besides discipline and wealth. If we don’t watch ourselves, we will become robots, operating on a timetable, schedule, and money.

Work cited

Weingarten, G. ”Pearls before Breakfast: can one of the nation’s greatest musicians cut through the fog of a D.C. rush hour? Let’s find out. The Washington Post, 8th April, 2007.