Pop culture? It's more than whatever you want, gosh!

By Diana Maxfield

December 22, 2005 | When was the last time you went through an entire day without quoting a movie?

If the answer to that question is yesterday, then congratulations on your resistance to the permeation of popular culture. If you are like the rest of us, however, you probably came up with something like . . . well, um, never.

It's OK. Being inundated with pop culture to the point where you can't have a conversation without quoting Napoleon Dynamite doesn't make you a bad person. In fact, you are far from alone. The official Napoleon Dynamite fan club boasts 237,700 members from all over the country, which means there are 200,000 plus people wandering around the United States saying things like, "Whatever I want, gosh!" to their friends.

It isn't just movies the pop culturally infected are quoting, either. Popular culture is defined by Wikipedia as "the daily interactions, needs, desires, and cultural 'moments' that make up the everyday lives of the non-elite."

You might disagree with that definition of pop culture. After all, on a website dedicated to the "Grunge" culture that emerged in Seattle in 1991, Bernie Howitt says "it is impossible to derive a universally acceptable definition of popular culture."

It's hard to come up with a suitable definition of pop culture, but it's also kind of a definition unto itself. What is popular with the people is pop culture. It's jokes, slang, clothes, media, sports, literature, Wikipedia says. It's what people are talking about on the street. And although, as Wikipedia says, it may be superficial and rooted in sensationalism, isn't that kind of the point?

"Mostly, it's a bunch of crap, but there are some bright, shining stars in the quagmire of filth," says Alauna Sadler, a junior at Weber State University.

Pop culture isn't just what is on TV or what people are quoting to each other around the water cooler. It's also an underlying driving force which gives us the window we view the world through. Pop culture helps us create a "theory of the world" which in turn helps us know what to expect at a chick flick and what predictions we can make based on what has gone before us, says Ron Shook, a professor at USU.

One aspect of pop culture can be fads. The 1980s gave us Care Bears and Atari, the 1990s Tickle Me Elmo and Beanie Babies These fads are no longer spreading like wildfire, but part of pop culture is knowing what someone is talking about when they mention a Tamagotchi, according toWikipedia.

Being up on pop culture doesn't necessarily mean that you own a Beanie Baby or have played Atari. It doesn't mean you are part of the fan base of a TV show or movie, either. Jackie Lambert, a sophomore at Utah State University said even people who don't watch "Desperate Housewives" know something about the show.

"Even though you don't watch the show, you know what Wisteria Lane is," she said.

The TV show "The Simpsons" is a definite part of pop culture, and everyone should be at least familiar with it, Sadler said. "Basically any person I've spoken to who speaks English loves 'The Simpsons,'" she said.

Pop culture isn't just about what's on TV or playing at the local movie theatre, either. According to Buzzle.com, an online publication dedicated to finding and exposing intelligent life on the web, the Internet has had a huge impact on pop culture. A Buzzle staff editor writes that not only is the web a pop culture in and of itself, but it also gives people an avenue to look at music, TV, fashion, art and the like. On these sites, people can share opinions and passions, spreading the love of a particular book, movie or song around even more. The Internet has made pop culture all the more popular by making everyone's opinions accessible even more readily. Wikipedia says that often a trend or stance regarding pop culture will be taken by a leader, then adopted by the masses. The Internet makes this process even easier.

In addition to providing a place to talk about movies, TV and fashion, the Internet has also given rise to a breed of cartoons, movies, and so on that exist only on the Internet. One of these sites which is popular among students is Homestar Runner. Sadler said she can spend hours watching the exploits of Homestar Runner and Strong Bad and be "endlessly entertained."

"I'm basically addicted," she said.

Part of this addiction is quoting Homestarrunner to friends and sometimes strangers. This can sometimes be a good way to make new friends, she said. People overhear her quoting and there is an instant connection. Sometimes, however, all it earns her is funny looks.

Knowing current events and what is going on in the world is also part of being up on pop culture, said Jackie Lambert, a sophomore at Utah State. Many university students, she said, watch Conan O'Brian, and in order understand his humor, it's crucial to know current events.

In addition to knowing what is going on in the present, part of the underlying structure of pop culture is what went on in the past. According to the American Folklore website maintained by S.E. Schlosser, legends, folklore and myths are part of who we are. The story of the boy who cried wolf is a myth, as is Johnny Appleseed, Schlosser writes. Still, these stories are part of what makes up pop culture. Movies such as "Shrek" and TV shows like "Gilmore Girls" often draw on things like fairy tales or legends that everyone know as well as current events in order to make jokes.

Myths and legends are part of pop culture, but that doesn't mean they are all true, according to Snopes.com. At this web site, you can check out popular myths about everything from movies to food, as well as the current e-mail hoaxes going around, and see how accurate they are.

Myths, television and many movies are a nationwide phenomenon, said Jacob Roskelley, a USU student, but in many ways, pop culture can be extremely regional. Where you live, religion, and politics can determine what you know and what makes up your pop culture. There are millions of different sub-sets in culture, he said, and not all of them have the same pop cultures.

Pop culture also changes, Sadler says. "Last year, we were all quoting Napoleon Dynamite. Before that, it was Pirates of the Caribbean. Who knows what the next pop culture wave we ride will be?"

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