Less 'fast food' culture will make way for a genuine cultural feast

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"At last. I can see the whole passage. It's magnificent!"
　
What is described as a "complete masterpiece" of the sixth Dalai Lama Tsangyang Gyatso has recently enjoyed tremendous popularity both on the internet and on mobile phones via Wechat. In fact this sensational "masterpiece" has turned out to be a fake. Segments in verses such as "We had better not see each other anymore" come from translated versions of works written by famous Chinese scholars and writers like Daoquan Yu and Zhen Zeng, combined with all sorts of other informal sources. This combination includes works of contemporary poets, supplemented by online writers and verses from Tibet.

While such works provoke enormous excitement, few people are aware of the obvious evidence which proves them to be fake. Neither the format nor the style of the verses resemble in any way genuine works created by Tsangyang Gyatso. But among the credulous they win cult-like popularity and provoke a mania of worship. Their acolytes have never thought about getting hold of a real copy of Tsangyang Gyatso's writing to sample and explore.

This "fast food" approach to culture has launched a new wave of cultural "appreciation". Passages from Weibo and Wechat become primary sources of reading material. As they wait in line, people hold iPads and smart phones instead of traditional books. Even when it comes to love letters, academic papers, and working documents, people are increasingly likely to look for models online. A range of electronic devices provide a scrambled combination of sources that deeply affect our lives, to the extent that they can profoundly affect people's hearts and change their innermost thoughts.

Why do people enjoy this "fast food" approach to culture? The simple act of clicking on a mouse makes a huge range of information immediately available. Always ready to take the easy route, people tend to resort to the illicit and ignore deposits of genuine culture.

But we should not put all the blame on the rapid development of the internet. Although the internet provides a tool for disseminating culture, we should rather say that it is internet that exposes the shortcomings of society's utilitarian approach to its cultural legacy.

Respect for genuine culture risks being consigned to oblivion by this utilitarian approach. Imprudence and misconduct in transmitting culture also result in a loss of respect for culture. For instance, large numbers of cultural programs are promoted that do little more than consume time and money. Cultural centers and theaters compete for customers on the basis of luxury than quality. Funding to preserve genuine culture is being reduced.

Culture and utility are not natural allies. Culture has its own indigenous regulations and logic. More prudence and discretion will lead to a better attitude to culture. While "fast food" culture continues to flourish, it must not be allowed to prevent us from sitting down to a feast of genuine culture.

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