One of the most important components in forming a more just, utopian-like society is an account of how its inhabitants express themselves. As anyone who has read any of my past writings will be aware-using Fredric Jameson, Herbert Marcuse and the notion of a historical, thus malleable interpretation of human nature as a launching pad-I have spoken of a "reconstruction of subjectivity." My focus has been, mainly, on our freedom to defy etiquette and the importance of being able to discern when, in a truly egalitarian society, it is appropriate to argue in favor of oneself and when it is not. I do not wish to discount my previous ideas as a whole, I do still believe these are noble aspirations; I do, however, believe that my talk of a "reconstructed" person was too ambiguous, more dramatic than comprehensive. So I now hearken back and hopefully build on my previous thoughts by discussing a specific facet of human beings within a society, namely our forms of expression and the ensuing culture this creates. My paper's overarching inquiry is whether or not popular culture, viz. the fluctuation of socially acceptable trends and styles, has any place in utopia.
The ambience of an ever-changing society can be measured at a given time by its popular culture-it is a representation of the characteristics of people within their community. For pop culture to exist at all it is necessary that a thing, whatever that is, be widely exposed to create the publicity that is vital in making it admissible within a given social context. Given the massive availability, whether we're speaking of music, literature, clothing, film etc., of these “bits” of culture, it seems unlikely such a bell curve should exist. I do not wish to make any overbearing claims regarding the severity of the coercion we are subjected to, but it is no secret that popular culture is cast at us by various forms of media-often with commercialized ends. We become overtaken by a whirlwind of “nudges” that assist us, rather impolitely, in our search for what it is we are interested in: I cannot get on the internet without a swarm of pop-up windows informing me of what I want to purchase. I cannot watch a sitcom without a laugh track letting me know what is funny, persuading me to join in on the fun. It is easy to be lured in. If we look at music, the number of budding musicians-some legitimate, some not-is exponential, yet a wholly unique musical preference requires some serious digging, because even when our interests cross genres, we are all essentially exposed to the same music. Should this discourage us? We pride ourselves on our musical tastes; it is often times one of the first topics discussed when we begin a personal relationship with another person-yet it seems that this badge with which we identify ourselves with is no more a product of us than of powers that are beyond our control. While we may be tempted to state that popular culture is an entity that stems from the pulse of a people, it seems more apt that it is the pulse of the people-their style, personalities and interests-which stem from the outside force that is pop culture.
Even more problematic is that popular culture gives off an illusion of being progressive. It shifts rapidly from one phase to another, and as a result there is competition amongst those trying to “stay ahead” in this evolution. No one wants to be a duplication of their peers, yet those adhering to the rules of popular culture do not want to be outdated either. In clothing and style our standards are often initiated by celebrities on red carpets, along with the ensuing gossip shows featuring a flamboyant fashion guru (because in our culture, it is socially reasonable that a flamboyant male, presumably homosexual, is naturally disposed to critique fashion) informing us whether what we are looking at is a success or failure. I think it would be interesting to weigh the reactions if I were to somehow have the foresight to exhibit styles and taste that are 30 years ahead of schedule-would anyone experience a sense of progress when looking at me?
When I was in elementary school, my buddies and I all thought that getting our left ear pierced was the end-all way of expressing ourselves. Some of us got the piercing while others didn't because of parental restrictions. There was then a distinct line drawn between those with pierced ears and those without in which those having their ear pierced were undoubtedly viewed as being more respectable. This, in a very devolved way, shows where problems are created when we express ourselves in these ways. Then in middle school every last person in my school was classified as a “scrub” or ”prep.” Although both terms could be thought of as derogatory, it was my understanding that everyone wished to be a “prep.” This distinction was made soley by the wealth of a student's family and the way it was reflected in their appearance. And in this system nothing else mattered; the tragic case being a “scrub” who had the ability to make everyone laugh but remained unwelcome amongst the higher classes. There was no revolt, none of us seemed to find injustice in the fact that these lines were drawn by factors that had nothing to do with us as individuals, we merely accepted that some of us were privileged and deserved to be treated as so while others of us were not and did not.
