THE EDITOR’S DESK: F*#@ Pop Culture
When we say pop culture, what do we mean? John Story, in Cultural Theory and Popular Culture, discusses six definitions. Do we mean culture that is popular, like Shakespeare or Dickens?
Or do we mean mass produced commercial culture, celebrity memoirs, pre-packaged music that intentionally sounds like music you’ve heard 1,000 times before, music you’ve already memorized? Are we talking about movies plotted out in marketing meetings meant to appeal to a segment of the population, instead of a segment of our brain? In other words, when we say pop culture, are we talking about the lowest common denominator, factory produced entertainment sucked down with soda pop and Kentucky Fried Chicken and everything else that’s making us fat? If that’s what we’re talking about, then I say fuck pop culture.
When did pop culture become cooler than regular culture? Was it when Britney replaced Madonna? When did we let the marketing executives into our living room? When did we stop being embarrassed by “guilty pleasures”?
But maybe that’s not what we mean. Maybe what we mean is pop culture appropriation, like Quentin Tarantino or Malcolm Gladwell. Or maybe we just mean anything popular. Maybe you think Jim Thompson’s The Getaway is pop culture. Maybe anything that’s fast-paced and fun, irrespective of where it originated or whether it makes you think or sheds light on the human condition. Maybe when I’m thinking of Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, CSI, and American Idol, you’re thinking South Park, The Sopranos, Radiohead, and Flight of the Conchords. It gets complicated, especially when Kim Gordon starts designing for Urban Outfitters.
It’s possible that what we’re talking about is so undefined that the only thing we can actually discuss is the meaning of the word.
But that’s not what I mean. I love Quentin Tarantino, The Breeders, TV on the Radio, early Liz Phair. I’m looking forward to The Watchmen, the Tyson documentary, and the next great HBO series.
But when people write The Rumpus offering to cover “pop culture” I say, “We don’t cover pop culture, actually (Mainstream K. excepted).” We cover regular culture. We like books, art films, music that doesn’t sound like everything else. We will undoubtably write about things you consider pop culture. We will even write about things we consider pop culture. But not too much. All the other magazines already have that covered for us.
Fuck pop culture. We’re going to focus on everything else.
February 19th, 2009 at 2:02 pm
Just the other day I tried to explain what made the Rumpus stand out amongst the various websites we distract ourselves with during the work day [DFW vocab lists! Come on!) and this post perfectly describes it – regular culture is entertaining and doesn’t make me feel gross afterwards. Thanks for keeping me entertained in the best of ways – a five minute peek and I’m guaranteed to learn something new, add another book to the never ending library queue, or be reminded of what’s good out there. Cheers!
February 19th, 2009 at 2:18 pm
Thanks!
February 19th, 2009 at 4:13 pm
Mr. Elliott, have you learned nothing during our time together? You will be hearing from me shortly.
-Mainstream K
February 20th, 2009 at 2:16 pm
F*&% pop culture is right, but we need to use necessary precautions when F*&%@#* damaged goods.
And by necessary precautions I mean sites like this, keep up the good fight!
April 27th, 2009 at 11:38 am
It sounds to me like when you say “fuck pop culture,” you mean “fuck bad pop culture.” And I have no argument with that sentiment. Hell, fuck bad anything. And there are plenty of sites taking the negative route and ripping bad pop culture to shreds (it’s easier to explain why you hate something than why you like it, and usually more fun), so it’s a good idea to balance things out with something that focuses on the good.
October 11th, 2010 at 11:19 am
F*&% pop culture. But at the same time, I think what Michael says is right; its really more a case that the term ‘pop culture’ has come to represent the worst elements of it, which is really the fault of the general population rather than the proponents themselves.
Either way, its certainly a positive not to focus on the negative aspects of it. And for the record, pop culture was never cooler than regular culture, its just more popular.
June 24th, 2011 at 8:50 am
I like this site… But then, I’m an anarchist. My own mantra is fuck *everything.*