Popular Culture?
June 30, 2003 |
Tonight I’m going to inform you guys (because that is my primary goal, to inform) about something out there that has more power than all of the world governments combined. It has the power to create and destroy as well as effect our very way of life. Scary isn’t it? So what is this menacing force that I speak so frankly about? Two words: popular culture. Not exactly what you were expecting huh? It is, however, very true. Pop culture has, in essence, taken over the globe. Now the Oxford English Dictionary Online defines popular culture as “the style of life of the majority of the members of a community.” So, yeah, what does that mean? A definition I like better comes from the Lone Palm Creations English Dictionary Online. The LPCEDO defines popular culture as “the world that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth.” Ok, so now I bet you are wondering what the truth is right? The truth is that we humans do not actually have real opinions anymore.
Now I’ve got you don’t I? Popular culture, a PC many times worse than the evil virus known as political correctness, is now so ingrained into our way of life that it effects us every single day in multiple ways, namely trends, fads, gossip, etc. Lets take these one at a time, in order of severity of course.
Gossip is the most identifiable result of popular culture. What do you people talk about around the proverbial water cooler? Well, if you stand there for more than twenty three and a half seconds I guarantee you that right after you find out that your boss is buying hookers with a company credit card something having to do with J-Lo’s ass, who’s currently sleeping with who among the set of Friends, or weather Fred Dirst is currently with Britney or Christina… I’m sorry X-Tina will come up. Don’t believe me, try it out tomorrow. Go to work and bring your certified spy equipment and monitor the conversations of that hot coworker you want to, er work with.
The second result of pop culture is that of fads. What exactly is a fad? Well, simply put a fad is something that is “taken up with great enthusiasm for a brief period of time; a craze” (my props to the one and only Dictionary.com). You all know ‘em, you just choose to forget them–another result of PC which I will address later. Fads that have come and gone over the past years are Bennie Babies, smoking, and the one and only annoying Furbee’s. Oh the humanity. LPC side note: Upon conducting research for this article I came across this extremely interesting video entitled Furbee Luv–aparantly Furbee’s like it rough.
The final result of popular culture on Justin’s List-O-Coolness are trends. A trend is basically a fad that stands the test of time and becomes our reality. If this were PC’s only side effect, pop culture would still be able to run the world; this is how extremely powerful trends are. Sometimes, however, it is very hard to tell the difference between a fad and a trend. You may think the Macarena was a trend but I’m sorry my friend, it was only a fad. Trends aren’t usually noticed because it takes so long for them to develop. Think about it though. Some of the latest trends are that of everyone choosing to be healthy and work out and stuff. Another trend is that of low rise jeans, well you know, I guess you could attribute that to the health trend. I mean if everyone is healthier and thinner and sexier then of course their clothes are going to be smaller and lower… or maybe i’ve gotten dumber as I’ve written this articler.
Ok, so earlier I said that another result of pop culture is that we forget stuff very quickly. Don’t believe me, here, I’ll prove it to you: Proof. This shows how powerful PC is. Take for example when you go to the movies these days, you always go and see the big blockbusters. A great example of this is the recent rise and fall of The Hulk. Ok, so first let me preface this by saying I have yet to see the big green guy on the big screen, but from what I hear the movie sucked more than those girls down on OBT. Anyway, last weekend was opening weekend for The Hulk and millions of people went and saw it. Why? Well for many reasons but the biggest being that “The Incredible Hulk” was a huge comic book back in the day. On opening weekend the angry green man man made just over $60 million dollars. This weekend, it’s second weekend in the theater, The Hulk’s profits dropped 70% to a whopping $18 million. Sad isn’t it. Within the next handful of weeks, maybe three, The Hulk will be gone… as will the hopes for a sequel. But you know, that’s the result you get for playing with popular culture.
Playing with pop culture is like playing with fire. Though, just like fire, PC is kind of hard to avoid. Today people know more about the lives of celebrities than the lives of their own neighbors. People are more interested in what Halle Barry ate for dinner last night than what their kids are doing at four in the morning. Think I’m off my rocker and spent too much time in front of the computer today? Well, probably but some variation on that theme is true. If it weren’t tv shows like Entertainment Tonight would go off the air.
Anyway, point is that popular culture has slowly and quietly taken over the world. It now has it’s clutches on all of us. But you know, I don’t really care. I mean its not a bad thing or anything. In fact, it’s kinda cool. I mean it gives my website purpose. If it weren’t for movies and politics and stuff like that, I don’t know what this website would be about. And so as I conclude this extremely poignant and well thought out article–haha, right–I am giving you, the reader a gift. Below you can download the very desktop wall paper I use on my computer here. I call it the Lone Palm Pop Culture Wallpaper of Doom and created it shortly after I redesigned the title bar for the website. It’s pretty much a testament to hot celebrities, movies, and other forms of pop culture. Hope you like it.
Lone Palm Pop Culture Wallpaper of Doom
amy
June 30th, 2003 | 11:15 pm
you know…the whole esp thing we got gets creepy sometimes, dude. but i despise trend followers. you can tell what will make millions because you know the majority of society is helpless, thoughtless sheep that will do anything their little consumer-driven lives instruct them to do to make themselves more interesting and more attractive…and it’s RETARDED.
i work in the wrong industry for my views.
Jess
July 1st, 2003 | 8:56 am
Preach it, brotha!
Wayne
July 2nd, 2003 | 9:22 am
I don’t quite agree with what this article presents as a recent development of popular culture. People have been following trends, fads and celebrity habits for decades. For example, it used to be very uncommon to see a man going to the office without a hat on until JFK was elected. He typically didn’t wear hats, so no one else did. As long as people have access to the media, which they have for more than 100 years, they will want to be, or do, what they deem socially acceptable.
Wayne
July 2nd, 2003 | 9:22 am
Dude, did I just write all of that?
jeff
July 2nd, 2003 | 1:04 pm
justin, i hope you weren’t complaining about low rise jeans, they’re a good thing.
Ryan
July 2nd, 2003 | 9:17 pm
Father Ryan gives many blessings to this article.
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March 21st, 2008 | 6:41 pm
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