What does it mean to be culturally literate?

Answer 1

When the concept of Cultural Literacy first came before the American public in a strong way, in Cultural Literacy:What Every American Needs to Know, E.D. Hirsch, 1987, it referred to knowing just enough about concepts to understand what we read and hear, without necessarily knowing everything in depth. It represented "familiarity" and "recognition," rather than "mastery." For example, I found the following headlines in this week's issue of a weekly news magazine. Anyone can understand them without knowing the cultural references, but people who do know the allusions will find the headlines much more pointed: --Wall Street Staggers (under a picture of a bull that has been wounded in a bull ring)

--Bailout Balancing Act

--Silver Screen, Platinum Seating

--Aftershocks Begin on The Street

--Sovereign Funds: Twice Shy

--Green Power: Buyers Beware (next to a picture of a man with a l-o-n-g- nose from which tree-branches grow, with birds playing in the branches)

--Walk This Way (an ad for shoes)

--A Giant Leap for Space Program People who get the "sting" of those headlines, are, to that extent, no more, no less, culturally literate. Since 1987, Cultural Literacy has become a cottage industry (get it?), and the market swarms with books about the topic. If you don't understand some references that others know, take heart; for as Will Rogers said, "We're all ignorant, except on different topics." ("Will" who?)