The past few blogposts have all been movie reviews, so I thought I would switch things up by talking about something else I am interested in: Communication and Culture. Going to the movies is a choice. As are the t.v. shows we watch and the music we listen to. But how much of culture's influence is really our choice? This is a paper I wrote for my Intercultural Communications class, addressing the question: "How Does Popular Culture Influence You and How Do You Resist It?" And yes, somewhere in there I did quote Gandalf in a college-level essay...
“Popular culture is the new Babylon, into which so much art and intellect now flow. It is our imperial sex theater, supreme temple of the western eye. We live in the age of idols. The pagan past, never dead, flames again in our mystic hierarchies of stardom.” – Camille Paglia
As we’ve discussed in class, popular culture is everywhere. We cannot run from it. We cannot hide from it. We cannot escape it. It reminds me of the goblins in the mines of Moria that Gandalf reads about: “We have barred the gates but cannot hold [popular culture] for long. The ground shakes, drums... drums in the deep. We cannot get out. A shadow lurks in the dark. We cannot get out... [Popular culture is] coming.” The approach and influence of popular culture is inevitable.
In my own life, I find myself influenced primarily by movies and secondarily by music. I am a huge movie fan; I work at a theater so I can see movies for free, I own (with my brother) over 300 DVDs, review movies on my blog, and stay up to date concerning the development and production of up-coming films. I find the movie industry fascinating. But, obviously, devotion to such a hobby brings with it the influences of Hollywood. I’ve often said that I like to think that I’m more informed than the average movie-goer, but not as stuck up as the average critic, which probably makes me more stuck-up than the average movie-goer and less informed than the average critic.
However, it is true that my likes and dislikes, particularly within the realm of art and entertainment, have been shaped by my love of the cinema. I have certainly begun to value acting over other skills, I have become more selective as to what I consider to be a really “good” movie, and I decide how much I like other outlets of entertainment in comparison with how much I am entertained by movies. For example, next to movies, I am likely to enjoy theater almost as much, but dancing, painting, or photography to a less extent. Not that those fields do not require talent, but that they simple do not interest me as much.
Music is perhaps the exception, because both when used in movies and when existing individually, it can evoke emotion and inspire my response. Although that makes it seem as though I listen to sentimental music all the time, when in reality I mostly listen to rap music. So maybe it is more likely that rap music allows me to escape; to experience a lifestyle quite different than mine, which is one of the reasons I like movies so much. And I would be naïve to deny that, frankly, hip-hop is the most popular music currently and so listening to it allows me to find common-ground with others and, at times, seem “cooler” than those who are less familiar with what is considered popular.
Comparison to others in order to connect with and construct the spirit of hierarchy which Burke would say humanity is goaded by is just one purpose which popular culture fulfills, and one reason why I embrace popular culture in some ways. However, in many ways, I react against popular culture, mostly as a product of my evangelical Christian upbringing, which in many ways is, I think, characterized by the quote which preceded this paper. Camille Paglia, a feminist social critic, has some interesting and controversial ideas, having referred in past occasions to Jesus as a Jewish stand-up comedian and prostitutes as not victims, but conquerors of their clients, and is certainly no evangelist for the Christian movement. However, I believe that her quote in many ways reflects, perhaps in a polarized way, how I was led to think about the culture we live in.
If you spend any amount of time in a Protestant church, you will undoubtedly come into contact with the idea that Christianity is counter-cultural, that it is in many ways the opposite of the things which society privileges, and, in fact, is the very reflection of the cosmic battle between good and evil for the souls of humanity. From a Christian perspective, all of the things which popular culture prizes, money, fame, beauty, and success, the “stardom” Paglia mentions, are considered to be idols which are sinful as they detract from the attention and glory that should be devoted to God and which ultimately stem from the sin of selfishness, the idolatry of self. While popular culture emphasizes the promotion of self to higher levels of accomplishments and notoriety, Christianity highlights altruism, humility, and service.
And so as a child growing up in a household where such things were taught, I was raised to have not only an awareness of how I was or could be influenced by popular culture, but also a wariness of it. The willingness to resist culture was reinforced in sermons and services, accountability and small groups, and in conversations with fellow Christians, all in an effort to avoid the dangers inherent in a self-serving culture through alternative Christian music, movies, and activities.
Of course, I have come to realize that the alternative offered to popular culture was really just popular culture individualized for the specific demographic it attempted to reach. The Christian entertainment industry still makes music, movies, and merchandise in an attempt to turn a profit and still rewards success with fame and money. Ultimately, the Christian mentality isn’t a call to resist popular culture, but a call to switch to a different version of popular culture which has been remodeled enough to seem more appropriate for the Christian audience.
And I think that is perhaps a more accurate reflection of how we can react to culture. I do not really feel that resisting is an accurate way to think about our interaction with culture, because the act of resistance assumes that culture can be pushed away or escaped. But frankly I think that is like saying a fish can resist water. We can, on the other hand, have at least some choice as to the version of culture that we subject ourselves to, depending on the ways in which we identify ourselves and the values we have. Just like a fish can choose where to swim, resisting culture has less to do with rejecting it and more to do with identifying with particular domains or manifestations of culture. It cannot be escaped, but we can to a certain extent choose our place in it.
Comparison to others in order to connect with and construct the spirit of hierarchy which Burke would say humanity is goaded by is just one purpose which popular culture fulfills, and one reason why I embrace popular culture in some ways. However, in many ways, I react against popular culture, mostly as a product of my evangelical Christian upbringing, which in many ways is, I think, characterized by the quote which preceded this paper. Camille Paglia, a feminist social critic, has some interesting and controversial ideas, having referred in past occasions to Jesus as a Jewish stand-up comedian and prostitutes as not victims, but conquerors of their clients, and is certainly no evangelist for the Christian movement. However, I believe that her quote in many ways reflects, perhaps in a polarized way, how I was led to think about the culture we live in.
If you spend any amount of time in a Protestant church, you will undoubtedly come into contact with the idea that Christianity is counter-cultural, that it is in many ways the opposite of the things which society privileges, and, in fact, is the very reflection of the cosmic battle between good and evil for the souls of humanity. From a Christian perspective, all of the things which popular culture prizes, money, fame, beauty, and success, the “stardom” Paglia mentions, are considered to be idols which are sinful as they detract from the attention and glory that should be devoted to God and which ultimately stem from the sin of selfishness, the idolatry of self. While popular culture emphasizes the promotion of self to higher levels of accomplishments and notoriety, Christianity highlights altruism, humility, and service.
And so as a child growing up in a household where such things were taught, I was raised to have not only an awareness of how I was or could be influenced by popular culture, but also a wariness of it. The willingness to resist culture was reinforced in sermons and services, accountability and small groups, and in conversations with fellow Christians, all in an effort to avoid the dangers inherent in a self-serving culture through alternative Christian music, movies, and activities.
Of course, I have come to realize that the alternative offered to popular culture was really just popular culture individualized for the specific demographic it attempted to reach. The Christian entertainment industry still makes music, movies, and merchandise in an attempt to turn a profit and still rewards success with fame and money. Ultimately, the Christian mentality isn’t a call to resist popular culture, but a call to switch to a different version of popular culture which has been remodeled enough to seem more appropriate for the Christian audience.
And I think that is perhaps a more accurate reflection of how we can react to culture. I do not really feel that resisting is an accurate way to think about our interaction with culture, because the act of resistance assumes that culture can be pushed away or escaped. But frankly I think that is like saying a fish can resist water. We can, on the other hand, have at least some choice as to the version of culture that we subject ourselves to, depending on the ways in which we identify ourselves and the values we have. Just like a fish can choose where to swim, resisting culture has less to do with rejecting it and more to do with identifying with particular domains or manifestations of culture. It cannot be escaped, but we can to a certain extent choose our place in it.
If I may yet again quote Gandalf as he speaks to the wish to escape inescapable circumstances: “So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.”
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