Conclusion

This class has been an interesting experience for me, and through some of the dialogues and readings, I really feel like I’m approaching Pop Culture with a mind that is more open that before. But I still feel like I’m pulling back on the reigns sometimes. Maybe that is good. I think back to the first day of class and how we were talking about balance.

Balance is still a tricky thing for me. At times it seems that pop culture is inescapable. To an extent, I am pop culture. But I also need to understand that I can control how I let it effect me. I can control how much and what kind I am taking in. More importantly, I can discern what to dwell on, what has good in it, and what is mostly just fluff/filth (because there is a lot out there).

Sometimes I feel like we can get too caught up trying to find the virtue in things. I remember someone in class saying that Eminem is a good role model because he’s a loyal, loving father. Well… that’s where I’d say I’m “pulling back on the reigns a bit”. Eminem, despite fatherhood, and despite some valuable social commentary, says a lot of severely hateful things. I’m not going to preach that he’s evil. I listen to some of his music. But I’m not about to pretend he’s a good role model. People like him for precisely the opposite reason. I guess I just feel like sometimes, we go through painstaking to find this “diamond in the rough” in pop culture… but really all that’s there is a nickel in some shit. And all of a sudden we’re waist deep. I think with certain things, it’s okay to walk up to it and say “yeah… that’s probably not edifying” and walk away.

With that being said, I’m doing that less, and exploring more (getting my shoes dirty at least, to use my previous analogy). But, even more than actively “exploring” I feel like I’m seeing a lot of the same stuff, but with a new perspective, and that is where I think the value of this class lies—my perspective on pop culture. Ultimately it’s been a good exercise in finding God in places I wouldn’t have otherwise expected.