Oh Muse Mnemosyne Stories poems and songs Apollo

Oh Muse! § § Mnemosyne Stories, poems and songs Apollo Art, science, literature, history, astronomy, drama § Orpheus § Museum, amusement, music

Chapter V, Five, 5 MASS LEISURE § One of the most important aspects of leisure is mass leisure § Throughout history, people have sought out mass leisure experiences § Often the group dynamic enhances a leisure experience § Mass leisure can be one of the hardest components of society to control

Industrial Revolution (or near about) § Leisure (time) increases § Leisure becomes compartmentalized § Government programs and social movements increase § Land set aside specifically for recreation § Televisions not yet invented

Discretionary Time § Time left over after the practical necessities of life have been attended to § The US, Canada and Western Europe have sought to increase discretionary time for leisure § Technology has potentially reduced the amount of time necessary for household chores § Society was headed to a 30 -hour workweek

30 -Hour Workweek!! (Yeah Right) § America has run out of time (a pet subject of periodicals) § Leisure is to the 90 s what money was to the 80 s § Leisure time has shrunk 37% § Americans feel “rushed” § Sundays are for shopping

30 -Hour Workweek!! (Yeah Right) § Leisure value has increased, but so has the competitive nature of US society § Technology has actually hurt our ability to increase our leisure

Robinson and Godbey Somewhat contradicts other studies: § Americans have more free time than ever (but is free time leisure? ) § Time devoted to work has declined, but Americans believe it has increased (think Neulinger) § Unmarried people have more free time than married people § Senior free time has increased the most § Every extra hour of free time gained has resulted in an extra hour of television watched § People cutting back on sleep to gain time § Leisure is valued as highly as money

The Evils of Television § Television viewing has steadily increased in US society § Television takes up 38% of our free time § Television is rated low in pleasure § Television has a direct effect on people not doing activities they consider enjoyable (think Neulinger) § Children and television are a bad combination

The Good of Television ? ?

Other Trends § Consume, consume § “Time Famine” § People need to work more to support their families § Leisure desire is strong, but the desire for material goods is stronger (keeping up with the Jones) § Time famine is greater for women

Technology Double-Sided Sword § Washing machines, dryers, vacuum cleaners, cars, etc…all have made life easier § Unfortunately, taking care of these devices and buying them takes up valuable time

Technology Double-Sided Sword § Computers, fax machines, palm pilots, lap tops, cell phones, etc. . . make working and communicating easier § Unfortunately, they also mean that vacations are now just another place to work § Learning new technology and keeping up with the changes absorbs many free time hours § Technology can frustrate and even intimidate some people

The Middle Classes (The Destroyers of Leisure) § Aristotle noted that without leisure there would be no education and learning § Greeks believed in leisure as a “state of being” § Leisure and education were meant for the elite who could then decide for the masses what they needed § Museums were linked to the early schools, and were meant for the elite as a place “to muse” § Tourism was associated with religious pilgrims and the elite

Mass Culture –vs. High Culture § The mass of men dislikes and has always disliked learning and art…it wishes to be distracted from life rather than to have it revealed; to be comforted by traditional truths rather than to be upset by new ones. --Van den Haag

As Leisure Moves to the Middle Classes… § As leisure moves to the middle classes, it becomes controlled by time (these people do work and leisure *gasp*) § Leisure as a symbol of social class takes on new meaning (the middle classes are trying to show they are upper class) § But…some research does indicate that people of all classes enjoy all types of recreation (even if they don’t have the resources to get it)

Mass Leisure/ Leisure for the Masses § Twentieth Century US, Canada and Western Europe saw mass leisure grow to epic proportions § Economic, social, value and political systems have given more people the ability to have leisure § Outdoor recreation, museums, botanical gardens, parks, libraries, mass media, pleasure travel

Mass Leisure/ Leisure for the Masses § Value systems now include the environment and personal health § Discretionary income increased significantly after WWII § Commercial recreation and leisure products explode in the 1970 s § Popular culture has become legitimized, and once lofty agencies now seek middle class patrons § But still, most standards of the leisure industry are set by the elite

Mass Leisure/ Leisure for the Masses § Value systems now include the environment and personal health § Discretionary income increased significantly after WWII § Commercial recreation and leisure products explode in the 1970 s § Popular culture has become legitimized, and once lofty agencies now seek middle class patrons § But still, most standards of the leisure industry are set by the elite

Mass Leisure/ Leisure for the Masses § Improved highways § Increased outdoor recreation spending (USFS’s increased interest in recreation rather than logging) § Availability of credit cards (obvious middle class effect) § Contraception

Mass Media § Increases in the number of television stations § Television gives us an eye to the world-provides a method for idea exchange § Television took leisure from outside to the home § Allows marketing to influence how we dress and where we go for leisure § Brings the arts, sports and travel to the home § It has reshaped leisure timetables with “prime time” and speciality programming that now competes with family, religious or personal time