It's the chicken and egg conundrum that has been altered, but not answered, by our multimedia world. Everyday, we are exposed to countless sources of culture. Most of this is of the flashy, popular fair of the screen, stereo, and laptop. Other voices still remain heard after millenia have passed. Our understanding of these influences is determined greatly by our ability to connect our lives with the messages within.
Those that wrote the poems, composed the songs, bled the novels, shot the films, and entertained through the shows; you know something about them? On some level, they are not much different than you. It's the same world, with the same emotions, and the same experiences.
Perhaps you may not be full of opiates, married to an adolescent cousin, and up to your neck in gambling debts. But, if you've ever loved, or even felt an inkling of longing for antoher, you can feel the pain of a poet and fear the relentless call of a Raven.
Yes, for anytime that you have ever felt the terrifying chill of being the only person to ever experience something, you were wrong. In that vast space between Neverland and The Dark Side of the Moon, from Camelot to the Dirty South, a voice is waiting for you. It is the embrace of a plethora (si, El Guapo, a plethora) of sympathetic voices, floating like stardust in the wind.
What you talkin about, Chris?
Not to toot my own Foghorn Leghorn, but I am steeped, I said steeped, in culture from pop to pulp and cult to classic. I've found that no matter what is going on in my life, there is another person's art that expresses what I feel. More often than not, if I dig a little bit deeper into the Rabbit Hole, I can get a better idea on how to approach the situation. Whether it be recognizing a siren's song before it's too late, or knowing to hold onto that Golden Ticket rather than selling out to Slugworth, I've always had some help from my 'friends'.
So what's your story, and where has it been told before? With this site I'd like to open up a discussion exploring the unending world of cultural influences out there, and see how these can be tied to our understanding and navigation of life.
We can search through:
- Literature - From classics to contemporary, poetry to shorts and novels. Maybe you're a Holden Caufield or an Ignatius Riley, an outcast amongst dunces. Or perhaps you're a Don Quixote fighting off the windmill giants of your mind.
- Film - Trying to market your creative venture like Kermit pushed Manhattan Melodies? Do you have a Lumberg giving you unnecessary flak about TPS reports and worry that you might be on the verge of a Beatrix Kiddo rampage?
- Music- Can't get no satisfaction? Got a case of the Boogie Woogie Blues? From friends in low places, to Ziggy Stardust on a Space Oddity; Jimmi's lady in the Red House to L.L.'s round the way girl, your song has been sung.
- Television - Keep on zipping of the the land of make believe? Got a Costanza wallet or know a close talker? Trying to evade some Boss Hogg that just won't let you be the only way you know how?
Hear the voices out there. They are everywhere. If you need help making a connection, want to share some of your own, or have any questions on some of those I dropped here, talk to me. Until then, peace. love. and soul.
13 comments:
Film has always had a major influence on my life. Some of my favorites like, "Star Wars," "Karate Kid," and "Dead Poet's Society," have played a role in how I view the world. I find that I am particularly drawn to movies with master/student themes. The master is always guiding the student into some form of enlightenment. The student usually restores balance as a result of the master's teachings.
With all the good culture has given me, it has also offered some negative influences. Keeping in theme of some of my favorite movies, I wonder how or if it is possible to find a healthy balance of cultural influence?
With each decade, the multimedia takes on a more influential role within our culture. My grandfather often tells me how sorry he feels that I’m growing up in this day and age because “life was so simple and beautiful when I was growing up … there weren’t half the stresses or the worries.” Back in the 40’s, people lived by different standards, morals, and values than what people live by today (that’s a bold statement, but let’s look at this decade as a whole.) With each decade, the youths of America are influenced more and more by film, and more times than not in a negative fashion. Do you think the film industry needs to take a closer look at values and morals portrayed in classic films in order to shape (or start re-shaping) the youth of today?
I tend to revel in pop culture, and I know that people loving things is part of what makes them popular. But why is it that people always seem to take sound bites from movies and such and just keep saying them over and over until they lose their significance? Is there a special place we can send these people, like, say, over a cliff?
When you say "pop culture," my mind unfortunately drifts away from film, music, and books, and toward the gossip columns and magazines that dissect the lives of actors, musicians, and even - occasionally - authors (no one is safe!). It seems the two come hand-in-hand now: cultural influence and gossip fodder. I actually had to resolve to stop reading online gossip blogs a few years ago because I found they were bringing too much negativity into my life. (I'm not going to lie - I still browse the covers of gossip rags when I'm standing in line at the grocery store.) When you’re trying to take in all that culture and pop culture has to offer, how do you weed out the negativity and focus on the art?
I find it interesting that pop culture has a way of influencing politics. Bill Clinton got "cool points" for playing his saxophone on late night television. I have always thought that Will Ferrell's impersonation of George W. Bush was one reason that he beat Al Gore, who was played so stuffily by Darrell Hammond. Hillary Clinton gained some momentum after both Tina Fey's infamous comment and her appearance on the show. Some studies are showing that there is some legitimacy to the "Colbert bump" after politicians appear on his show. Is this something relatively new, or do you think that pop culture and politics have always gone hand in hand?
wow, that's a lot of pop culture references in one post! I was recently talking to someone about some of the reality shows on TV. I never watch these shows but had seen the funny clips on the Soup on E!
Do you think that with the internet and attention spans getting shorter that we will not have to sit through whole 30minute long shows after a while? I think some of these could be boiled down to about 3 minutes of funny, and that would be it...thoughts?
I do believe that every emotion we feel has been felt by someone else at some point in time and that together we can help pull one another through whatever we're encountering. I am looking for music that is spiritual and calming without putting me to sleep. You seem to have a wealth of experience with what's out there. Do you have any recommendations? Also, what about help with motivation? Any music come to mind?
How has pop culture influenced you - your personality, your hobbies, etc?
Do you think there is validity in judging possible interactions with people based on their music, film, or TV preferences? I've been scrolling through roommate matching sites, and most profiles include these topics. I am instantly turned off when I see someone’s preferences that don’t mirror my own. I don’t like chick flicks, American Idol, or country music. When I view someone’s profile who likes these things, I assume I wouldn’t get along with them or be able to live with them. I do realize that people are judging me in the same way; not everyone likes Tarantino movies, the History channel, and The White Stripes. I have very good friends who don’t like the same music and movies, but we remain friends. Had I known their preferences beforehand, I think I would still have become their friend. I think it’s the added impersonal disconnect of online communication that makes this information affect our judgment; we have nothing else to go on, no tone of voice, facial expressions, or body language. Should these criteria really affect our judgment before we invite someone into our offline lives?
I believe when you get right down to the fundamental purpose of life, it has to do with relationships. Because of the innate human pursuit of relationships and connections, it logically follows that when we seek entertainment, we look for diversions that provide an element of personhood or provide a connection. Here’s what worries me. When kids play games like “Grand Theft Auto-San Andreas,” the element they’re connecting with is not positive, in fact, it’s entirely negative. What can be done to make the entertainment industry more responsible for the “culture” they’re inundating our youth with?
I can understand why people like to look at pop culture and reminisce about how things used to be. I can also understand that we learn from what we were and who the people were before us. So, I get why a lot of people enjoy a little pop culture. However, I don't get why some people are absolutely consumed by it to the point they know all the lines in movies of old times. I know there is a great answer, but what do you feel is the importance of observing pop culture past the more iconic and influential pieces.
Hey Chris,
This is a great topic. It looks like we can all agree there are many influences out there that allow us to move in our comfortable circles or to expand our horizons.
Personally, I think it's great to have the choice.
And, wow, my influences . . . there are so many . . . my mom's
50s dance and 60s Detroit and jazz music - I continue to enjoy jazz - my uncle's 60s rock and contemporary music and watching TV to see if he was going to be drafted to serve in Vietnam, getting a color TV set, 70s contemporary, hard rock and disco music - ah, yes, I was clubbing when disco came out - and the 70s women's and civil rights movement and the heyday of "sex, drugs, & rock-n-roll, the opera, plays, musicals, desegregation of high schools with KKK marches down the streets, smoking sections with race riots at high school, the 80s music - hello Michael Jackson, Prince and Madonna - I even like some country music. My favorite movies are the ones that really show morals, values, ethics of people, and I love to watch the classics all the way back to the 40s sometimes (I used to watch them with my grandmother), all the cultural influences shared with my two kids - rap, video games that hook up to a TV, learning to operate a computer, and more.
Throughout it all, I must admit that there were individual people who had the most influence on me. Some taught me characteristics, values, ethics, and morals I wanted to model, others taught me how "not to be." So despite the influences of pop culture, these individuals were most memorable for shaping my beliefs through their "messages within."
As you are in a younger generation than me, how do you see pop culture evolving over the next ten years?
Leah
As writers, we clearly have influences. You mention Holden Caulfield as one of your literary examples. Do you think a writer's purpose is to "kill the father" or can we exist in our own right without having to define ourselves by our influences?
Post a Comment