Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Entertainment/2019 April 7

= April 7 =

Cultural artifacts and design
Hi I know I have asked this question a few times I promise this will be last time but I was really hoping someone could help me to understand in the classic article it says the term classic denotes a particular quality in art, architecture, literature, design, technology, or other cultural artifacts. What do they mean by cultural artifacts and design? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classic https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Design_classic — Preceding unsigned comment added by 110.151.134.164 (talk) 02:05, 7 April 2019 (UTC)
 * Have you read: Cultural artifact? It could mean something as simple as a spoon -- A "classic" design for a spoon would be something that could be deemed as "timeless"; something that never really goes out of style. —2606:A000:1126:2123:84EE:7E72:1C0D:58F7 (talk) 04:33, 7 April 2019 (UTC)

I have read it but do they mean that every cultural artifact or design is classic or not from what they're saying? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Design_classic https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_artifact — Preceding unsigned comment added by 110.151.134.164 (talk) 05:25, 7 April 2019 (UTC)


 * No, in that context, "classic" would mean of a specific class or particular design style. For example a classic Edwardian chair or a classic art-deco radio.  Something that is not a classic (in this context) would be anything that is not readily classifiable. "Classic" has many meanings, and is often misused, especially for promotional purposes. —2606:A000:1126:28D:F935:C7E2:FE1:E49 (talk) 15:59, 7 April 2019 (UTC)


 * You keep asking the same question over and over about the meaning of the word "classic". You're trying to find a rigid definition for a word that is not precisely defined.  If I were trying to define the word "classic" for anyone without referring back to the dictionary definition, it would be "Old things that have remained popular over time".  That's it.  -- Jayron 32 11:50, 8 April 2019 (UTC)

You are right it is not precisely defined as it can only be applied to "somethings" not all things but can fashion, video games, tv shows be classic or not compared to books films, music and classic cars etc? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 110.151.34.169 (talk) 10:03, 9 April 2019 (UTC)
 * Everything you have listed there, including fashion, video games, TV shows, films, music, and cars all have exemplars that have been described as "classic". Classic fashion, classic video games, there are whole TV stations dedicated to "classic TV.  There's even ESPN Classic, if you want to watch old sporting events.  Just about any cultural thing can be described as classic.  It just means "this has been popular for a long time".  -- Jayron 32 13:22, 9 April 2019 (UTC)

I think maybe I'm frustrated by the time it takes for "something" to become a classic?
 * Why is that frustrating? ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 10:58, 9 April 2019 (UTC)

Something doesn't become classic as a consequence of the passage of time but rather as a consequence of the reevaluation of what has transpired over a period of time. That which is classic is that which is seen as the last point at which all was well with a given endeavor. When the perception is that an endeavor has gone astray, "classic" refers to that point before which that endeavor embraced spurious concerns. The term doesn't have a constant definition but it has agreed-upon usages that remain more-or-less constant. Bus stop (talk) 14:05, 9 April 2019 (UTC)

At the bottom of article it's categorised under culture. What do they mean by culture? Are there many types or not really? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 110.151.87.56 (talk) 10:20, 10 April 2019 (UTC)
 * You could try reading Culture, although it's slightly bizarre to have a "citation needed" on the very first sentence of an article. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 00:06, 11 April 2019 (UTC)

I'm not quite sure what you mean by citation? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 110.151.0.85 (talk) 10:19, 13 April 2019 (UTC)
 * Read Citation If that doesn't help, read Citation. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 16:19, 13 April 2019 (UTC)