Week 5 Assignment 1
Popular Culture: Shaping and Reflecting Who We Are by Billy Wilson Popular culture influences all kinds of art, music, literature, beliefs, and values not only in America but in other countries as well. 1 Have you ever tried to escape popular culture—to give up Oprah and not rush out to read the books she recommends; to turn off your favorite DJ or talk radio station on the way to work? Have you ever refused to engage in small talk about the next Survivor castaway or about who killed JonBénet? Can you resist the tailgate party at the big game on Saturday? Can you boycott the homecoming dance, where you could dress in elegance, or the masquerade party, where you could be anything from an Osmond to an Osbourne? If so, you are fighting popular culture—and you have probably already lost the battle! masquerade a party of guests wearing costumes and masks 2 Few among us ever really escape popular culture—those who don’t know that wrestlers and action heroes can be governors; who don’t care what Nicole Kidman wears to the Oscars; who are not turned on by an XKE or a 350 Z; who can’t tell hip-hop from punk rock; who haven’t a Clue who killed Colonel Mustard in the library or how many degrees Kevin Bacon is separated from Queen Latifah; who don’t know Calvin Klein from Calvin Coolidge or Shaquille O’Neal from Ally McBeal; who are convinced that Siberian tigers don’t live in Las Vegas and don’t realize that Neverland is just outside of Santa Barbara! The few who escape the popular culture phenomena may live simpler lives—but they probably have a lot less fun. Their lives might even be “D-U-L-L-dull” as Barney Fife would say (or was it Gomer Pyle?). Neverland Michael Jackson’s California estate 3 Dr. Ray Browne, the father of the academic study of popular culture, says that popular culture includes “all aspects of our daily lives that are not narrowly academic and are free from the elitist standards which dominate the fine arts.” Dr. Joan Fedor, a member of Phi Theta Kappa’s Honors Committee, adds that popular culture often incorporates “the boldest sights and sounds of society.” Dr. Fedor’s definition emphasizes not only the word “bold,” but also the word “society,” stressing that popular culture becomes part of our shared beliefs and values. Phi Theta Kappa an honor society that recognizes the academic achievement of two-year college students 4 Popular culture is often bold because of those responsible for it. Some purveyors of popular culture, such as Bob Marley or Ellen DeGeneres, are often restless, with causes that cry out for recognition. Others, like James Dean, are merely rebels—perhaps even “rebels without a cause.” Stars like Madonna, television’s Fonzie, Cher, and Britney Spears might also fall into this category. Some, like Janis Joplin, Prince, and Michael Jackson simply march (or dance) to the beat of a different drum. Whatever drives them to create the “bold sights and sounds,” they make a name for themselves in popular culture, and also in the history books. Historians say that Elvis Presley was at the forefront of the “youth movement” in America and that Bob Dylan helped shape America’s conscience during the Civil Rights Movement. These same historians argue that certain pop culture events were “epochal,” in that they helped to define the times or change attitudes and values. One purveyors providers epochal highly significant, especially marking the beginning of a new era such event was the raunchy and defiant Woodstock; another was Elvis’s first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, which some see as a symbol of the establishment’s acquiescence to rebellious youth and its music. Woodstock a large rock music festival held in 1969 at a farm in Bethel, New York the establishment people holding most of the power and influence in government or society acquiescence acceptance without protest 5 But popular culture is not always rebellious, confrontational, or bold. It can be a purring pussycat as well as a roaring tiger—unifying as well as divisive. Consider those two characters from the Andy Griffith television show: Barney, the wiry caricature of police incompetence, and Gomer, the good-hearted. Why do we know them? Because, at any given time, we can find on our 80 channels a rerun of the exploits of Andy, Opie, Barney, Gomer, Aunt Bee, and Floyd the Barber. Boomers and children alike find comfort in the eternal Mayberry, just as we find comfort in the ageless Mickey Mouse and Yuletide celebrations accompanied by Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas.” Generations find common ground in the popular culture of today as well. When high school and college students flock to see The Lord of the Rings trilogy, their teachers are often occupying seats in the same theater. Parents are standing in the same lines as their sons and daughters for an autograph from Michael Jordan, Venus and Serena Williams, or Julia Roberts. Adults are discussing Harry Potter books in book clubs just as their pre-teens are reading them. And today’s youth can look forward to sharing this popular culture with their children, because, like Mayberry and Mickey, Michael Jordan and Harry Potter may be “keepers” for generations to come. divisive causing great, unfriendly disagreement in a group of people wiry lean, stringy, thin in appearance caricature a cartoon-like character 6 Americans of all generations have been proud to share our popular culture with people of other nations. Mayberry, Mickey, and “White Christmas” have traveled the globe. America has not only created popular classics with an international following, but has given birth to entirely new classifications of popular culture. These include motion pictures, two of the world’s most popular sports—baseball and basketball—and three kinds of music—jazz, rock and roll, and country. The stars of these American genres are known and welcomed throughout the world. Michael Jordan soars in the remote villages of the Third World. Elvis Presley may be better known abroad than any of the world’s political figures, literary giants, or philosophers. Blue jeans, cowboy boots, and Garth Brooks are almost as popular in some European cities as in Texas. New Orleans jazz and Memphis blues have found large international markets. In many ways, American pop rules the world, but America gets a wonderful exchange for its exports. Just as Jordan is an icon abroad, Norway’s Sonja Henie and Brazil’s Pelé have been heroes in the United States. Ichiro, the Japanese baseball star, and Yao Ming, the Chinese basketball star, have made smooth transitions between cultures and find themselves heroes in both. 7 Popular culture is unique in its power of universal appeal. Unlike most other cultural phenomena, it appeals to individuals and groups that are markedly different from each other. As a result, it is a great leveler of classes. Historians and anthropologists have shown that even elitists, who typically resist popular culture when it is new, eventually embrace it in the same ways and venues as people in the middle and lower classes. As popular culture has expanded, it has encouraged and affirmed the participation of ethnic minorities and others whose voices are often suppressed. By appealing to people of different ethnic groups, different socio-economic status, and different political ideologies, popular culture connects and unites people who might otherwise be mutually antagonistic. leveler of classes something that erases economic or social inequalities for all people anthropologists people who study the origins of human beings and their worldwide cultures ethnic minorities groups of people who share common traits and customs but who differ racially or politically from a larger group of which they are a part antagonistic hostile, unfriendly 8 A close look at popular culture reveals a phenomenon that is difficult to define. It is irresistible, annoying, marvelously entertaining, frequently out of control, and ultimately inevitable for all but those who hide under a rock. Popular culture can be a vehicle for change, a generational and international unifier, a leveler of classes, and a tool for recognizing and understanding even the least among us. Popular culture boldly manifests itself in anger and rebellion, but also provides comfort through shared experiences. Some expressions of popular culture establish deep roots, while others put up a bold front, die quickly, and leave no roots for future growth. We barely remember such popular products as the pet rock or one-hit wonders like Tiny Tim, yet Elvis may live forever. In the end, most popular culture falls somewhere between the evanescent and the eternal. It may not last forever, but it leaves an impression and produces a flame that lights the way for others, whose own sights and sounds will both reflect and perhaps also shape our society. evanescent vanishing like vapor A Closer L k An allusion is an indirect reference to a person, place, or thing readers should already know. In paragraph 2, the author writes of people “who don’t know that wrestlers and action heroes can be governors.” To whom is Wilson alluding in that quotation? In paragraph 4, Wilson says that popular culture “is often bold because of those responsible for it.” As support for this, he lists three categories of “purveyors of popular culture.” Name the categories and the famous people he lists for each category. In paragraph 5, Wilson states that “[g]enerations find common ground in the popular culture.” What examples does he offer to support this statement? Cite three examples of support Wilson offers for the topic sentence of paragraph 6, “Americans of all generations have been proud to share our popular culture with people of other nations.” In paragraph 7, Wilson says that popular culture “is a great leveler of classes.” Cite one example of support he offers for this. Making Critical Connections Wilson mentions “such popular products as the pet rock or one-hit wonders like Tiny Tim.” In your writing group, discuss another person or a fad that was once popular but is no longer considered trendy, talented, or fashionable. Paragraph 6 offers a number of aspects of American popular culture that “have traveled the globe.” Write an essay about one of those aspects, detailing what you think is its appeal. Wilson begins by asking if the reader has ever “tried to escape popular culture.” Write an essay about one aspect of popular culture that you would like to escape, detailing why you think it does not merit its popularity.
