Intro

My name is Benito and I'm taking an Eng Pop-Culture course at CSUN.  On this blog I'll be providing commentary on the assignments provided in this course.  I believe that pop culture is that which society deems to be considered new/fresh (which it then becomes popular) whether it be music, fashion, or social agendas.  It's something that challenges current values or social concepts in a way that is acceptable and then adopted by the masses.



After reading The Politics of Culture by Julie Rivkin and Michael Ryan, I immediately thought of two things: Madonna and Mad Men.  The Culture from Below perspective has used music to dominate the social medium as a means to convey a message.  Madonna has used music to express her opinions of religion, sexuality, and her right of freedom of expression.  With her sexually charged Like a Virgin performance on the MTV Awards, to her shocking news of being pregnant on Papa Don’t Preach, to the religious outcry of having a nonwhite Jesus on her Like a Prayer video, Madonna has used lyrics that entice a mob and visual imagery to contradict social norms.

Music has become a very profitable means to grab attention while still making a statement about what is old and what’s new, the new ideas, the new way of thinking, what should be acceptable in society, and even what could be acceptable in society.  Well crafted catchy tunes can illicit a response, whether it be negative or positive and I think that has helped to initiate discussions on “is this acceptable/not acceptable?”  It challenges society, families, and friends to take a look at their current views on many facets of life by placing this new video, song, or idea into their current catalog of acceptable norms, and reaching a conclusion of whether or not this new concept is potentially a good thing or deciding it is a bad thing that has been introduced into this world.

And the ongoing theme of “is this acceptable?” “will this be the new norm?” is seen in film and tv shows.  For decades, tv shows such as Leave it to Beaver, Happy Days, Little House on the Prairie, and the Brady Bunch have pretty much set the tone for daytime tv.  In my opinion, the morally charged group has used the Culture from Above perspective to keep the social norms in check, which is why we still have the MPAA ratings still in place, deciding what movie or tv show is appropriate for each age bracket.

I see the aforementioned shows as the ideal family guide to living, each character showing the epitome of what an ideal family should look like.  The family that has the loyal and obedient wife who cooks, provides wisdom, comfort, the one who keeps the family together.  And the dad whose the bread winner, the one who makes the family decisions.  Granted, the roles progressed with the times, but the foundation of the roles have already been established and remain relatively the same.  Shows like the Simpsons and Married with Children showed the true dysfunctional family that existed in society which marred the image of the perfect family on most tv shows.

In my opinion, Mad Men did an exceptional job in presenting the social and historical events in the ‘60s by including the reality of what happened behind closed doors, at the office and at home.  The characters presented one image to the public as an individual, as a family, and when it was safe to take the mask off, their true identity came out.  It gave the audience a chance to see that even a show in that time frame, that the stereotypes and stigmas that were present then, from the racism, to sexuality, to the familial roles, are still present to this day.

It’s all a power struggle with society when it comes to culture.  And I believe that culture is still a touchy subject for some since culture is viewed from several perspectives, from the Culture from Below to the Culture from Above and beyond.  Each one feels their way is the “right” way to go as a group, maybe even as a nation, but maybe it’s that conflict itself that challenges our views of life that helps us as a collective to move in the right direction.  Eventually.