Cultural Collapse, or just Busy Commuters?

[devonin]

Check out the news story here:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...040401721.html

The 50-cent version: The Washington Post decided to conduct a test in Washington DC as regards placing a busker in a very busy metro station during the morning rush, to see how many people would stop and listen, and how many would donate some money.

The catch: The busker (though dressed in just jeans, a t-shirt and a baseball cap) was Joshua Bell, arguably the greatest classical violinist alive.

From the article:

Do you stop and listen? Do you hurry past with a blend of guilt and irritation, aware of your cupidity but annoyed by the unbidden demand on your time and your wallet? Do you throw in a buck, just to be polite? Does your decision change if he's really bad? What if he's really good? Do you have time for beauty? Shouldn't you? What's the moral mathematics of the moment?

He spent 45 minutes performing some of the most impressive and beautiful violin music I've ever heard, and also from the article:

In the three-quarters of an hour that Joshua Bell played, seven people stopped what they were doing to hang around and take in the performance, at least for a minute. Twenty-seven gave money, most of them on the run -- for a total of $32 and change. That leaves the 1,070 people who hurried by, oblivious, many only three feet away, few even turning to look.

What, if anything, does this signify about the state of culture and appreciation for beauty in the world today?

Have we lost touch with the finer things in our rush to get where the paycheck is? Can we only appreciate beauty if we schedule the time to go and see it? Or was it just foolish to think businesspeople during rush hour would have the time to stop even if they wanted to?

The other really interesting factoid from the article (though really all of it was fascinating reading) every single child, without exception, tried to stop and listen, and was pulled away by the adult with them.