High culture cannot exist in conjunction with capitalism, as I bear witness to every day in Toronto. This holds especially true in countries like Canada and America, where our nationalism is really just barely held together by legal documents. There is no persisting history of which to speak. Feasibly, if the connection between England was fostered more closely throughout the past couple of centuries, we might have developed some subsidiary traditions of which to boast. But really, there can be nothing outside of capitalism to fill the void of arts, tradition & culture.

We are already witnessing the dissolution of national authenticity in the old world as American hegemony finds its footing, as all that is left in Europe, Asia, arguably Africa, are mere vestiges of once rich traditions.

I hate to be a sentimentalist about this, or a knee-jerk social liberal mindlessly touting the wonders of Europeanism, but the truth is as long as money and profits are the baseline of policy, government, and society, the arts will always be seen as superfluous. What we have left of music, theatre, and television are base productions of what the masses enjoy mindlessly consuming.

This is a very Marxist perspective, but even if a cultural niche were allocated in a capitalist society, it would be so influenced by the dominant ideology of immediate gratification, high arts would have no way to develop itself. The question then becomes: can capitalism co-exist with Romantic (real, rich) culture?

An opera is not the same as a pop-song. A pop song is a catchy riff that will stay with us for a few weeks. It is unmoving. It is something that offers us immediate enjoyment.. A well-produced opera is something we have to look deep within ourselves, our psyche, to connect with.

Undiluted capitalism will only bring forth a great technological civilization devoid of the wealth of Romantic tradition, diversity of language and perspective, and a visceral link with our psyche. Nationalism does serve as a source of value in contemporary society.