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Recently I overheard someone saying 'I refuse to adopt the pop culture that permeates our lives.' Ok, I didn't really overhear it, so much as I am paraphrasing the attitudes of the multitudes of 'classy folks' who firmly believe they can remain safely above the teeming, sweaty masses that put the 'pop' in culture. You know the ones; the snobs who think they have Culture with a capital 'C' - and leave the 'pop' the hell out of it. These are the folks who think that by ordering a latte cuz they really like it makes them better than the rest of those that do because it is cool. To which I say, first, "isn't a latte a hot beverage?" Then I start with something a little more fun... I barrage them with questions about their cars, hygiene products & where they get theirs news. Sure, they answer - and we mean the deodorant - Crest, CNN, all sorts of mainstream answers. Even the ones that buy exclusive brands are at a loss to throw me - they are popular brands, deemed by the masses as 'good.' If that doesn't get them to see the light, I ask them why they don't clean their teeth with the nub of an old tree branch... The answer usually lies in the realm of 'common sense dictates good health & hygiene.' Ok, I can't argue that. Even if my dentist were to suggest using a Banyan tree root for cleaning my teeth, I think I'd stick with my Crest anyway. But I can make my point another way. Yes, I can. I'll turn to art. You know these folks like their art; The classics, & I don't just mean the shirts by L. L. Bean. No, no. I mean the Masters like Michelangelo & Degas. Basically your fine artists that they have been told are great, and which have passed the tests of time. Which really just means they have been pop-ular for centuries... Doh! Ok, so you get my point. But do they? Bah. Probably not. But if enough of you read this, make it really popular, and it gets passed around the world via email, which leads to a mention on CNN, I will be believable. I will be so pop-ular that my words, my tastes will become the 'it' they all crave. And as my pop-ularity grows, I will be asked to endorse Crest, Sure & even L. L Bean. (I cannot do the latter, but they will ask...) From there, my words will dictate not just pop culture, but Culture with a capital 'C.' Paintings on velvet will hang in museums, lattes (yuck) will give way to diet pop always consumed directly from the recyclable can, & yes, folks will admit that not only do they watch tv once a week - but that they enjoy it! They will spout my message, tossing my name out casually in conversation like yesterday's Degas.
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