The Origins of Pop Culture

To me, television is one factor that defines a person's cultural capital. Especially among our generation, television catch phrases and pop culture memories create a catalyst for conversation. They also create a world of generalizations and stereotypes that can negatively affect one's outlook on things. This week, I chose television as my media artifact because I now realize how much of an effect it has had on my life. During my entire freshman year at Babson, I did not have a television. Although it was strange at first, I got used to it after about 2 weeks, and found myself without any serious withdrawal symptoms. The only thing that felt strange was not being able to watch the evening news. In that sense, I felt disconnected from what was happening outside the bubble that is Babson. Now that I do have a tv in my room, I often find myself watching mindless reality television, which has more of an effect on me than I care to think about. Although all of this content enriches my cultural capital, it also creates a narrow minded viewpoint of the world. After reading "The Power of Popular Television: The Case of Cosby" by Justin Lewis, I realize how much you can analyze from a sitcom or reality show. He asks an interesting question, "Have things changed at all in the last 30 years, in the forms of media representation which characterise images of black people and ethnic identities in popular culture?" After reading this question, it made me think of the images that I see on a daily basis on VH1 reality shows. Unfortunately, a lot of black culture that people are exposed to is on television. Most of the images are of rappers and athletes, and African American intellectuals are not very prominent in media settings. This has shaped my culture and way of thinking because I do not want to fit into those stereotypes. One show that comes to mind is The Boondocks, an animated series about a black family on Cartoon Network(Adult Swim). Although the show is very funny, a lot of the subjects on the show deal with racism and negative stereotypes about African Americans. I feel that if more positive images of African Americans were displayed on television, then more young kids would aspire to be like those intellectuals. Until the media changes its portrayal of minorities in a satirical or negative light, the cycle of stereotypical behavior will not end.

An ad for the boondocks, in which the main characters have their mugshots taken.