As a student in this Popular Culture class, I am already starting to make observations and contemplate experiences, choices, actions, events and/or objects in a different way. I am now questioning why a symbol carries so much influence, why some events are more popular than others, why people make the choices of food, movies, books, or activities they make. There is an underlying message and influence of it all.
An example of a cultural artifact that comes to my mind, relating to popular culture, is a brand of car that someone drives. Why do some people choose to drive a BMW, Mercedes, or Tesla? There is the notion that if you drive one of the aforementioned brands of vehicles, you certainly must be elite and successful with a healthy bank account. I beg to differ with this presumption. I will lay odds that many who drive a BMW, Mercedes, or Tesla have similar salaries to those who drive a Honda, Toyota, or Chevy. They are just in debt up to their eyeballs, all in an effort to project a certain image about their presumptive economic and professional status. Let’s remember, popular culture has power to influence and project power.
As was a point made in Dr. Kevin Stein’s Why Study Popular Culture, Highlight #2, knowing about popular culture gives us relevance and connection with humans who we live around and connect with in daily life. It gives us social acceptance. In the workplace, I think of how many times I have walked into a group of men and a few women in the company kitchen and at the proverbial coffee pot who were discussing football, professional football (NFL), or the Super Bowl. I am not an aficionado of football or the NFL, but I became increasingly aware that this was a part of “pop culture”, so I needed to get in the groove, pick a team, learn football lingo, and educate myself a bit on the NFL if I was to connect and relate on this level with my work associates! I picked the Arizona Cardinals and attended a live game so I could have a way to relate!
In my opinion, the study of popular culture deserves its place amongst all academic programs. To imply that the study of popular culture is somehow beneath more traditional programs of study is not fair or in touch with human societal experiences. Humans engage in all kinds of everyday choices and experiences that ultimately consist of persuasive influences and messages. It is worthy of study and research. What say you?
In David Jacobson's Pop Culture Studies Turns 25, we read of Ray Browne, the founder and godfather of the study of popular culture. I commend this gentleman for having the courage, rebel spirit, and bravery to honor his upbringing and unique God-given personality to challenge tradition in academia and forge the path to the study of everyday culture. The Master of Arts of Popular Culture at Bowling Green State University is a one-of-a-kind but helped to put this university on the map!
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