Bad taste

The display of bad taste, whether on a car's bumper or on the pages of a novel, is that which the individual may readily recognize. Yet difficulty lies in producing guidelines for the detection of bad taste, as it is often based on subjective judgement and defined in terms of its cultural setting. Certain acts of bad taste may be known instinctively, as they lack proportion or appropriateness in a given environment. An example might be the appearance of a belly dancer at a presidential inauguration. Other forms of bad taste, also known as kitsch, are more sublime in their presentation, and may sometimes be mistaken for art. Kitsch distinguishes itself in such artistic pretensions, while attempting to instruct an audience how to respond and learn aesthetic pleasure. Such instruction includes the use of exaggeration and sentimentality in order to appeal to the mass consumer culture. That which is disguised as art becomes easily accessible to those who want to consume what appears to be good taste. Sometimes the line between good and bad taste is blurred by intentions of both the author and the audience.

Without kitsch, "high art" might not be available to the average consumer. Such an environment would further promote cultural elitism. In this way, kitsch is a form of mass communication, and as such, poses no threat to the art world. To the contrary, kitsch promotes and proliferates high art.