This week in class we discussed popular culture. Up until this point I don't think I really understood what pop culture was. I had heard the term many times but really never understood what it was. I now know that virtually everything we watch on television and read in magazines and newspapers is considered pop culture along with many other things. After realizing exactly what pop culture was I now also realize how influential it can be in determining how a person views another culture or social group. If you do not have any experience or exposure to a particular group virtually all the information and ideas you have about this group comes from what you may see or read. For example if I watched a program about Ethiopia and its people that portrayed the country as poor and its people famished and uneducated that is the view I will have toward Ethiopian people. I have never been to Ethiopia nor do I know any Ethiopian people. After watching this program however I may have a clouded perception as to what the country and people are like.
It also seems that American pop culture is most prevalent even in other countries. This can be bad as well. To those who are not from America or do not know much about this country what they may see on American television shows is what they perceive as "American". So therefore if a person were to watch an American sit com they may think that all Americans have affairs behind their spouses backs and that everyone finds it funny is some sense. If they listen to rap music they may think that there is rampant crime and drug use. The impact of popular culture is huge when it comes to how other cultures view another.
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