American popular culture, to me, is everything that helps distinguish America from other countries in the world. It is the music, television, movies, and celebrities that shape America and its citizens; and I love it. I love that I could have a conversation with someone 3000 miles away in California about a TV show that I love, or a tabloid story that I’ve heard. And I love that when I’m bored I can turn on the TV and know that there will be episodes of mindless reality shows like Jersey Shore or Dr. Phil to entertain me. As I recently listened to a medley of TV show theme songs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8i7u3fl-hP8, I was flooded with memories of watching those shows or singing the theme songs myself, and, how I have seen every episode of Friends, How I Met Your Mother, True Blood, and many others. I know every word to the Fresh Prince of Bel Air theme, and have many times been in a group where everyone busted out singing the whole thing. When I hear the Cheers theme I really do want to go where everybody knows my name. And I want to live in New York with my five closest friends that will be there for me through everything. Watching these shows, or watching movies, allows me to feel like I am experiencing these things from the comfort of my home. I could easily be best friends with Monica and Rachel and Phoebe if they were real. And sometimes it’s nice to pretend that they are.
Without popular culture how would people really get to know each other? One of the first questions people generally ask when they meet someone new is “what’s your favorite type of music/movies?” and your answer allows the other person to gauge what you have in common and what kind of person you might be. Without pop culture as a reference, people would have to ask questions about your view on a political issue, or something much less personal than your favorite band. Pop culture allows us to easily build new friendships or maybe “frenemies.” I love that “frenemies” has become an acceptable term for an enemy disguised as a friend. Thank you, Hills screenwriters. And that “oh yea I saw that on Facebook” is an acceptable reason to know something about someone you don’t even know. Some of these things, like our obsession with reality TV and the untalented people documented on it, Real Housewives anyone?, might gives us a bad reputation with other countries for being lazy, but we are who we are and this is what makes us stand out.
Certainly, there are things about our obsession with Pop Culture that are unhealthy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHmvkRoEowc; people seem to think that celebrities are God-like humans, who do no wrong, and are much “better” than we could ever be, when, in all honesty, they are simply people, sometimes talented, who got a lucky break. And when these celebrities do something wrong, they are criticized much more than the average person; Jesse James and Tiger Woods were plastered on magazines when their affairs were made public, but people have affairs every day, so why do they get in more trouble? And why do we get so invested in their lives? I couldn’t begin to tell you how many conversations I have had with friends about the girls on Teen Mom, or the newest tabloid story that came out, but our obsessions with pop culture provide a relief from the hectic lives we live. We can relax after a hard day of work by going to the movie theatre to watch our celebrity crush in action, or turn on the radio and dance around the house like a lunatic.
Music has always been my favorite part of pop culture. I have vivid memories of playing “teenagers” with my friends and my boyfriend was always Kevin from the Backstreet Boys http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fndeDfaWCg&ob=av2e. And when we weren’t playing “teenagers” we were choreographing dances to “Genie in a Bottle” by Christina Aguilera http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIDWgqDBNXA&ob=av2n. Now, I try to keep my fake boyfriends in my head, but I will rock out to Backstreet Boys just as hard as I always did, and dance in my room to Lady Gaga or Katy Perry. And I will always remember the first real concert I went to, Justin Timberlake, when I was in seventh or eighth grade. Pop culture can be trashy and embarrassing but it is always there for us when we need it, and it enables us to relive old memories and take a break from the “real world”.
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