The protestant ethic and the popular ídol in America: A case study

A case study of Elvis Presley is presented based on a nonstructured content analysis of statements Presley made about himself & his talents in the context of the ideals of the Protestant & egalitarianism ethic in the US. The close nexus between both egalitarianism & the Protestant ethic on the one hand & the cult of sincerity on the other is noted. Excerpts from Elvis Presley, ELVIS ANSWERS YOUR QUESTIONS. ELVIS CONFIDES IN YOU, Lawndale, Sound Publications, 1956, & from song lyrics illustrate how Elvis Presley constantly asserted to his audience that his behavior was predicated on widely accepted values which the individual members of the audience themselves possess or believe they possess. By identifying with Presley, adolescents magically have for themselves the rewards of wealth, fame, & popularity which have come to him as the result of his `hard work'. Presley addresses each member of his audience as if he were a personal friend in whom he is willing to `confide' & for whose sake he is willing to make substantial sacrifices. He can thus be seen as a symbol for the combined symbols which stand for culturally patterned values & in this form remind members of the society of these values, render them aware of their moral perspectives & provide for a feeling of collective strength, which in turn results in euphoria. Data from other res are then studied to find out whether members of the public do in fact accept or reject Presley on the basis of criteria based on the value systems rather than on his qualities as a performer. Evidence is found that they do. There is also evidence that Presley has welded a portion of his supporters into a cult of fans. A parallel is drawn between the image of Presley & that of traditional Amer folk heroes. A remarkable measure of congruence is found between the given aspects of the latter & Presley as a representative of the current idiom. Both meet on the common denominator of the false promise, are closely related to the idiom of the deus ex machina &both bear a close resemblance to medieval Euro-Amer conceptions of the devil. 2 Tables. A Bibliog. M. Maxfield.