The scope and magnitude of Nickelodeon theater’s is an important factor to consider because popular culture develops at the intersection of the rural and urban cultural divide. The rural communities from the hinterlands and the urban communities were both able to influence the films being created because nickelodeon theaters catered to their audiences and developed films that would generate the most revenue. The folk culture of the hinterlands would intermingle with the elite culture of the urban cities, and create a new byproduct that would be displayed in films at nickelodeons across the country. The cultural byproduct projected in these films is what helped mold America’s new national identity. Furthermore, the abundance of theater’s across
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The bulk of the audience’s demographic was youth, and the rest consisted of working class people and immigrants. To the reformers, the nickelodeon institutions represented an arena of danger to the youth who frequented the movies. Reformers and elites believed it was their responsibility to prevent the working class and immigrants from disseminating their cultural mores and corrupting America’s youth.
The media felt much the same as the reformers and elites, and systematically launched interventions against the nickelodeon entertainment industry. The nickelodeon theaters received a bombardment of criticism from the press and the reformers, claiming that the theaters liberated people from Victorian values, challenged sexual norms and promoted reckless behavior. The result of the media’s and reformers combined action caused an increase in movie censorship, and lead to the development of the National Board of Censorship in …show more content…
The Reformers realized that movies were not a simple fad, and that they could manipulate the films to shape a national identity, and aid in the cultural assimilation process of immigrants. Potential films were screened for insensitivities to Victorian norms, and suggestions were made on how to reduce the crudeness of many films. However, the National Board accepted ninety-five percent of films that it reviewed and most of the time only made subtle changes to the
The bulk of the audience’s demographic was youth, and the rest consisted of working class people and immigrants. To the reformers, the nickelodeon institutions represented an arena of danger to the youth who frequented the movies. Reformers and elites believed it was their responsibility to prevent the working class and immigrants from disseminating their cultural mores and corrupting America’s youth.
The media felt much the same as the reformers and elites, and systematically launched interventions against the nickelodeon entertainment industry. The nickelodeon theaters received a bombardment of criticism from the press and the reformers, claiming that the theaters liberated people from Victorian values, challenged sexual norms and promoted reckless behavior. The result of the media’s and reformers combined action caused an increase in movie censorship, and lead to the development of the National Board of Censorship in …show more content…
The Reformers realized that movies were not a simple fad, and that they could manipulate the films to shape a national identity, and aid in the cultural assimilation process of immigrants. Potential films were screened for insensitivities to Victorian norms, and suggestions were made on how to reduce the crudeness of many films. However, the National Board accepted ninety-five percent of films that it reviewed and most of the time only made subtle changes to the