Culture In James Cohen's Essay Monster Culture

Culture is the collection of human traits developed outside of societal norms while nature describes the traits humans are born with. In the seven theses essay “Monster Culture,” James Cohen explains the aspects of culture in society and the human condition by portraying them as monsters from different cultural eras and places. The monster is multidimensional, different, and constantly evolving (Cohen 5). Michael Pollan’s article, “Why Natural Doesn’t Exist Anymore” explains the impact of the terms “nature” and “natural” on our society, and questions if the laws of nature dictate our ethics. In the perspective of nature, the monster is the enemy. It is created from ideas and attitudes that did not previously exist, it arises from difference, and so it threatens the very concepts of what nature, tradition, and normal …show more content…
It does not retain its original form, develops from many different ideas, and changes its form in relation to whichever movement is relevant to the time era (Cohen 4). “The too-precise laws of nature set forth by science are gleefully violated in the freakish compilation of the monster’s body” (Cohen 6-7). This cultural monster picks up ideas considered “unnatural” to society. Sexuality, interracial marriage, and feminism are all concepts which challenged what is deemed as normal, “the monster offers an escape from its hermetic path, an invitation to explore new spirals, new and interconnected methods of perceiving the world” (Cohen 7). Because the ideas are new and challenge the status quo, they are considered “unnatural.” Yet, these very same “unnatural” movements evolve and shape society’s morals and values. This aligns with Pollan’s ideas on same-sex marriage and vaccination, as they are considered by others, to be against tradition and normal, yet seen as ethical and moral to a large portion of society, thus supporting Pollan’s idea which states that nature no longer shapes our ethics and beliefs