I think Kammen offers a surprising and rather important corrective to the way in which we often think about culture. In the text he points that we often consider the dissemination of culture to be a top down process, but in reality it is often just the opposite: filter up.

Coming from a traditional literary studies background, my understanding of the canon and its acquisition of works was just the way Kammen described it, top down. But if one stops and thinks about the way culture functions, the filter up model makes sense in a number of situations.

In American Culture, American Tastes Kammen points to the examples of Tin Pan Alley and Jazz. Both forms of music are thoroughly entrenched within our conception of (high) culture. As a knee jerk reaction, we would assume that their acceptance within the upper echelon of culture would be the result of a top down process. But, the reality is that their status is a result of filter up, as Kammen rightly points out.

The dissemination of culture through a filter up process is not unique if one thinks about it. The example of street art readily comes to mind. Throughout the '80s and '90s graffiti artists such a Shepard Fairey and Banksy were viewed at best as vandals and at worst outlaws. Even the language used to refer to these artists reflects their assimilation and ascent into higher strata of the cultural sphere. No longer are Banksy and Fairey graffiti writers, they are Street artists. Also, they venue for their art has changed. No longer are their pieces found on walls, alleys, billboards, parking meters, etc. Instead, their pieces are housed in “proper” art galleries. In 2002 Banksy art appeared in a gallery in Los Angeles. Fairey's art was used during Obama's bid for presidency in the 2008 presidential election. More recently Fairey's art was featured at the Warhol Museum right here in Pittsburgh. From the street to the gallery, clearly, this is a rather astute example of the filter up process Kammen is describing.

There are countless other examples one can point to of this filter up process. From Bob Dylan, to Punk the process of cultural dissemination through a filter up process is one that can be pinpointed. I It seems that thinking of culture in terms of this filter up method is often overlooked. Yet, such a methodology allows one to see a culture in a new and valuable way. This understanding could be particularly useful in thinking of how the status of a given cultural object can shift from high to middle to low (another phenomenon Kammen points to). In such a situation it seems as if there would be an apparent tension between the critical appropriation and the filter up process. One would have to question which method of dissemination or appropriation would be at play and at what strength.