The claim that entertainment holds the capability to ruin society is often indicative of the weak grasp those who critique entertainment have over society’s basic fundamentals. Entertainment can only ruin the structure of society if its audiences foundations are so loose that they would fear destruction at the hands of a piece of literature, film, or the countless other forms of audience satisfaction. Entertainment certainly holds insurmountable weight in society, but it does not have the capability to ruin it or bring about its downfall; it does, however, posses the ability only to change it, due to the fluctuating definitions of the word “ruin."
Can entertainment bring about drastic change? Yes, and there are many who view even the most simple changes to society as its ruin; namely 19th century aristocrats. In the 19th century, wealthy men and women were abundant, but wealth did not equate power. This eliminated wealthy women from the social hierarchy, and gave a large advantage to wealthy white men. When women became more prominent in entertainment, it threatened the dominating presence of men in western culture. Authors like Flannery O’Connor and countless others paved the way for other females in entertainment, and in the public view, and slowly catalyzed the changing perspective of women in society. Women in prominent roles outside of the home are common in 21st century settings, but to too many, this outcome is the definition of a society ruined.
In the 20th century, after the time of Mozart and the Classical period, going to the ballet and opera was a pastime that many wealthy and non-wealthy people enjoyed. In 1913, a ballet and a music piece called The Rite Of Spring premiered in Paris. One of the most controversial pieces to date, it featured rhythms and visuals that no other composer had attempted. The thrilling ballet was a shock to audiences, as they were used to the light and playful tone of the previous century's most famous composer Mozart. After the first minute of the piece, people were leaving the theater, by the middle people were literally rioting in the streets. It featured aspects that today are widely popular and considered classic, despite widespread belief, at the time, that an opera that horrific and nonsensical would collapse society by weakening the basic morals of its viewers.
In Rome, Socrates was a pillar in society, challenging normalities with his writings on philosophy and mathematics. Today, he is looked upon as one of the greatest minds humanity will ever have to offer; one of the fathers of philosophy, thought, and intellectualism. In 399 BCE, he was stoned to death for “corrupting the youth.”
Society can only be ruined so long as the people of whom society consists, allow it to be ruined, and thus far there is no definition for a ruined society, just change. For better or worse. We as humans move forward, never back.
