Polished to a Fault: How Refinement Culture Killed Expression

By Aiden Miller In an era where creativity and expression are preached, refinement culture has leaked into nearly every crevice of society. The smoothed-down sameness and polished aesthetics of refinement culture have affected everything from corporate logos to regional accents. The recent redesign of the Minnesota state flag in May of 2024 and the newly redesigned PayPal logo reminded me of the classic Henry Wadsworth Longfellow quote “Simplicity in character, in manners, in style; in…