Raison D’Etre

“Kultur” is German for “culture”, defined simply as “civilization”. But the comment of an old friend stays on my mind, “We don’t have a culture, we have an economy”. Is this true? Does America have established values, common social mores – a society – that provide a framework for the functioning of our economy? Or do we just have an economy, a system dedicated to maximization of private profit, of shareholder wealth, ad infinitum, with our society its consequential result – its byproduct? What does history suggest about our ability to reconcile economic and social demands through the political process? How are these issues portrayed in that most modern of art forms – film? These are the subjects of discussion for KULTURONOMY, hoping to share thoughts, encourage the enjoyment of reading and film, and have some fun doing it.