Like It Or Not

Jaron Lanier once said, ~Pop culture has entered into a nostalgic malaise. Online culture is dominated by trivial mashups of the culture existed before the on set of mashups, and by fandoms responding to the dwindling outposts of centralized mass media. It is a culture of reaction without action.~ Without a doubt, on any given day each one of us does/says/involved in something that is referenced to pop culture so much so it's part of our everyday lives. In other words, the part of the human condition to the point where it becomes an automatic response to any particular situation in life and more often than not you don't realize how much it has affected you. Hey, it defines us as a generation depending on which ear we all grew up in don't you think?

As I said before, pop culture is part of the human condition to the point where it becomes an automatic response to any particular situation in life and more often than not you don't realize how much i has immensely affected you. True, it's thoroughly ingrained in the way we live our loves and it's something we can't necessarily escape from no matter how hard one tries. For example, we all have movie quotes that have been downloaded in our brain to where we automatically spit out a line when something is said or done warranting a needed amusing zinger. For it's most definitely a comical situation indeed when you find yourself listening to someone say something so incredibly ridiculous your automatic response is to possibly retort with a memorable movie line such as "Hello McFly."

If you think about it, a particular individual can elicit a reaction as well, especially if that person is considered to be a pop culture icon. I think it's safe to say Arsenio Hall is a name we're all familiar with. The mere sight of him leads fans of his to rotate their fists in a forward circular motion all-the-while barking out loud. Once again, an automatic response every time he makes an appearance, whereby showing how big of an impact he still has after so many years out of the spotlight. Thinking about it further, his popularity is quite possibly larger now than it was back, causing it to become increasingly stronger. Essentially, he was and continues to be a pop culture icon who hasn't lost the connection with not only the viewing audience, but his loyal fan base too.

Let me ask you this question in regards to pop culture and loyal fan bases in regards to past tv shows, how many of you would give your own money to bring it back on the big screen? Of course, the show with the best and loyal fans can certainly be debated to the ground. However, you can't dispute the heart and loyalty of the Veronica Mars fans who lobbied hard to get the pop culture that aired from 2004-2007 up on the big screen. A kickstarter was created for fans to primarily fund the movie and it was a complete success racking up over $5.5 million dollars. You see, if it weren't for the passion and loyalty of the fans the movie wouldn't have been made and coincidentally it's those same fans/backers who are lucky enough to take part in the movie.

In retrospect, there are so many people, places, or things that reference pop culture that they'll always have a special meaning to each one of us. The house from the tv show Full House continues to be an awesome tourist attraction after all these years. Fashion trends involving haircuts such as "The Rachel" from the hit tv show Friends have played an influential role for women when it pertains to the hot hair style of the decade. When it comes to music, the reformation of the boy band New Kids On The Block and touring no less. Granted, not every person, place, or thing is pop culture worthy but they unfortunately stick in our conscientious minds. In the end, it will and forever always be the passion and loyalty of die hard fans who will keep pop culture alive and thriving whether we like it or not.