TEXT B A folk culture is a small
isolated, cohesive, conservative, nearly serf-sufficient group that is
homogeneous in custom and race with a strong family or clan structure and highly
developed rituals. Order is maintained through sanctions based in the religion
or family and interpersonal relationships are strong. Tradition is paramount,
and change comes infrequently and slowly. There is relatively little division of
labor into specialized duties. Rather, each person is expected to perform a
great variety of tasks, though duties may differ between the sexes. Most goods
are handmade and subsistence economy prevails. Individualism is weakly developed
in folk cultures as are social classes. Unaltered folk cultures
no longer exist in industrialized countries such as the United States and
Canada. Perhaps the nearest modern equivalent in Anglo America is the Amish, a
German American fanning sect that largely renounces the products and labor
saving devices of the industrial age. In Amish areas, horse drawn buggies still
serve as a local transportation device and the faithful are not permitted to own
automobiles. The Amish’s central religious concept of Demut "humility", clearly
reflects the weakness of individualism and social class so typical of folk
cultures and there is a corresponding strength of Amish group identity. Rarely
do the Amish marry outside their sect. The religion, a variety of the Mennonite
faith, provides the principal mechanism for maintaining order.
By contrast a popular culture is a large heterogeneous group often highly
individualistic. Secular institutions of control such as the police and army
take the place of religion and family in maintaining order, and a money-based
economy prevails. Because of these contrasts, "popular" may be viewed as clearly
different from "folk". The popular is replacing the folk in industrialized
countries and in many developing nations. Folk-made objects give way to their
popular equivalent, usually because the popular item is more quickly or cheaply
produced, is easier or time saving to use or leads more prestige to the
owner. The best title for the passage would be ______.
A.Folk Culture B.Folk and Popular Culture C.Contrast between Folk and Popular Culture D.Cultures in the Industrial Age