“popular culture has been growing increasingly complex
over the past few decades, exercising out minds in powerful new ways”
–Stephen Johnson
Length—900 usable words (3 pages)
Linked SI: SI1, SI5, and SI8
Topic:For this essay, argue how a piece of American popular culture teaches either multiculturalism or particularism is better.
Purpose: We have discussed values; we have talked ethics; we have discussed American Culture. Now, let’s consider where we get some of our values and what these values teach us. In particular, let’s consider what part of popular culture influence our values the most—for better or for worse. It is important to note, too, this doesn’t have to a piece of popular culture that you like; it can be something you dislike. For example, you could argue a show, like Dancing with the Stars and its class-based undertones, hurts us by promoting a view that everyone should be rich and wealthy.
First: a definition of Habermas’ concept known as ‘the lifeworld’. The lifeworld consists of all those things that we see and hear, but do not actively pay attention to throughout the day. It’s the songs on the radio when we drive; the billboards on the side of the road; the fashion that people wear; the ads in the side of our Facebook page. Even though we don’t pay attention to them, they affect how we make meaning. Think about, for example, what we consider beautiful based on our models on billboards. (Take a trip to the mall and see how all the models look. Do they look like you?)I consider popular culture a part of our culture and part of the lifeworld—it’s a shared experience. According to this concept, popular culture teaches us something whether we want it to or not. Just watching TV, for instance, is giving us information and helping construct a view of the world.
So, using the Ravitch piece, one other reading from class, and one additional outside source (e.g., metacritic.com, a credible blog or website, or another credible source), convince me that some part of popular culture affects our values.
Rational: This assignment will help you think more about who you are and what you stand for, and it will also help you consider what and where we get our information from and how we make meaning. Also important is that skills develop by synthesizing multiple sources together AND using them to support an argument. It might be useful to find an element of popular culture that represents a future profession or industry.
