Term Paper on "Popular Culture That Is Prevalent Globally"

Term Paper 5 pages (1588 words) Sources: 1+

[EXCERPT] . . . .

popular culture that is prevalent globally. I'll also shed some light upon the role that media both electronic and print has played in spreading this culture and thus converting the popular culture into a global culture that has more or less established it's roots in countries all over the world ranging from those in America to those in Africa and Asia. The effect that this popular culture is having on the youth of today that blindly embraces it shall also be taken into consideration.

The popular culture is the culture pertaining to the masses. The "popular culture" as opposed to the "high brow culture" changes overtime to suit the situations and circumstances of the people. It can be and has been expressed in the form of music, literature, movies, theatre, political cartoons, comic strips, graffiti, and advertisements and so on. It also signifies the struggle and rebellion of the people living in different areas of the world against the domination of a specific class or caste. In a way it can be seen as a reaction to elite culture which is defined by exquisite taste and sophisticated preferences.

While these two terms: popular culture and high brow culture have not generally been given class specific definitions, there has been a tendency among Marxist critics to understand popular culture in terms of the amusements and life styles of the working class and high brow culture in terms of those of the wealthier leisure classes, e.g., the bourgeoisie in capitalism."(Popular Culture and Class struggle)

The popular culture is being embraced by the youth the world over as it creates a sense of belonging and community amongst them. The McDonald's and Coca-cola culture is what the youth of today takes pride in. It is quite a commodity-oriented tradition where the latest hairstyle, shoes, clothes, food and music make the youth of one place in-sync with the youths worldwide. It is apparently "hip" to engage in illicit activities such as sniffing drugs or possessing un-licensed weapons. The pop-culture is basically feeding off the insecurities of the youth; their desire to develop an identity either individually or collectively, they place their souls in their possessions such as cars, hi-fi gadgets, clothes or in the kind of shoes they wear. It is this parameter by which the young judge or are judged. In their attempt to keep up with the modern world as they see it each tries to out shine, the other which usually results in hostility and animosity.

The media has played the most vital role in promoting the popular culture that has greatly influenced the youth of today. Through the television and other means the perverted notions of the popular culture have reached almost every country of the world. In the world that is more like a global village it's quite easy for the culture of one place to be influenced by the other and presently thanks to the media the popular culture has turned into a global culture where we see the youth running to dance clubs, the use of drugs and alcohol is on the rise in the youth population worldwide.

Although the popular culture is more or less the same across different countries of the world yet I have chosen to discuss its consequence and effect on different cultures such as that of America and Asia.

Popular culture around the Globe:

American popular culture:

The kind of violence promoted by the movies is also a source of concern for those who do not want to experience the adverse effects of the pop-culture that has spread like a disease to almost all circles, rich and poor of the American society.

These movies project women as the rapists of men, and indicate the reversal of roles where the rape is a masculine activity and woman is the victim. Not only that but it calls into play the female praying mantis, who consumes the male during mating, and, just for good measure, evokes the fatally attractive brunette of many a film noir."(Humphries, 2004)

African-American popular culture:

The African-American culture has evolved from the kind of treatment that the blacks were subjected to in America. Rap-music is not only a part of the hip-hop culture that has become rampant in the society but also has greatly been the medium in which the blacks chose to protest against the repression and injustice suffered by them.

In this manner "It has become a powerful vehicle for cultural political expression, serving as the "CNN of black people" (Chuck D), or upping the high-tech ante, as their "satellite communication system" (Heavy D). It is an informational medium to tune into, one that describes the rage of African-Americans facing growing oppression, declining opportunities for advancement, changing moods on the streets, and everyday life as a matter of sheer survival. In turn, it has become a cultural virus, circulating its images, sounds, and attitude throughout the culture and body politic."(Best; Kellner, 1999)

Through the pop music ranging from the punk to hard-core to the now "emo" style, the youth has continued to protest against the dysfunctional and unjust society their elders have laid out for them. There are various forms of rap such as suburban rap, rural rap, rap and soul fusions, Latino rap reggae rap, urban rap, white rap, and even Christian rap groups yet it is the "gangsta" rap or the G-rap that has taken over the billion-dollar plus market of rap. It has this attitude about it that makes it so popular internationally and also the distinctive language used in the lyrics that makes it even more enticing.

However it advocates the use of extreme violence in order to achieve its goals. There is an extensive use of obscene and vulgar language in rap not to mention the kind of inciting lyrics that have been the cause of various riots.Ice Cube and other such rappers were highly offensive to the Korean-Americans in their songs and the threatening lyrics inflamed serious racial tensions among these minorities that led to shoot outs n fire bombings. It's highly derogatory towards the females an example of which is the Doggystyle's cartoon art, which portrays woman as a hole to be filled by a man.

The question is why are these rappers so intent on producing music that instigates such hostility apart from the fact that they want to be identified as a part of some group. The reason that most of these African-Americans identify with is that they are only telling the truth. Violence, brutality, bloodshed and mayhem are what they say they have seen and received from America hence it is their truth that the world needs to know and experience. "Truth-telling is an ethic in African-American culture, one of the culture's highest moral values, because as during the days of enslavement and now, truth-telling is used as a way of maintaining self-dignity and holding at bay the oppositional myths the oppressors have used to control African-Americans."(Nelson, 2005)

An attempt is being made to make the pop music more available and accessible to the masses as in the view of some "American youth rebellion is not as effective or authentic when made popular and accessible to the masses" (Lorelei Narvaja)

Although this in my view will not prevent the situation from going bad to worse yet it might help to decrease the aggression by removing the misconceptions that exist between these people belonging to different ethnic origins and making the whites aware of the dilemmas of the blacks and vice versa.

Asian popular culture:

Following the media and whatever it portrays about the west the Asians be they Indians, Pakistani, Japanese or Chinese have greatly molded their own culture to suit the global culture.

The fast-food restaurants, cafes, computer game arcades, shopping centers and department stores are popping… READ MORE

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