Everyone says I’m way too analytical about pop culture. People say I obsess over basic or trivial stuff, and that mindless fluff does not need to be overthought. I can’t really deny it. I love pop culture, and even more than that, I love talking about pop culture. I’m just as likely to start a conversation about Orson Welles’ films as a chat wondering what Mischa Barton is up to these days, and I’ll devote the same amount of fervor to each.
During my time at Duke, many of my classes and activities have imparted me with several cultural theories through which I assess movies, TV, music and more. Now, I can talk about culture in ways I was previously unable to do. Serving as an editor, writer and reviewer for the Chronicle for the past four years has also helped me parse out the style through which I critique pop culture. In short, college has made me more learned and articulate about things that interest me than I was before, and I’m forever thankful for it.
Yet people accuse me of pretension, which, to an extent, I cannot justifiably deny. Whose right is it to tell the masses what is good or bad for cultural consumption? We, as critics, take it upon ourselves to “educate the masses” about the cream of the current culture and attempt to assert ourselves as tastemakers. This has been a practice as long as print media has existed, but what relevance does it have in today’s society?
Pop culture itself deserves to be talked about. It is one of the few things that link every person on the planet, as even though every society retains unique customs and traditions, they are blended in to the mélange that is global pop culture. It can serve as a unifying force for people of various backgrounds—just look how many “Black Beatles” tribute videos there are on YouTube! People across the world want to do the Mannequin Challenge! Think about how many international musicians or actors are popular in the United States. We wouldn’t know famous artists such as Lorde or Javier Bardem as household names if we just limited ourselves to American culture without exposing ourselves to the cultures of other nations.
Pop culture transcends boundaries because everyone enjoys it, whether it is music or theater, film or television. To say it is not worth talking about is to overlook its importance on a global scale. At the least, we are all passively participating in consuming or contributing to the culture.
Then there are those of us who truly have a passion for pop culture. The role of a critic is, at its essence, an occupation for someone who loves culture and, more importantly, loves talking about culture. One could argue that people do not need cultural critics—what good is telling someone what to listen to or what to watch? Let people form their own opinions! They would be wrong, though.
A critic is important as a guide for the way we think about pop culture. Any good critic never just says, “This movie is good,” or “This song hurts my ears and is terrible.” A good critic rationalizes his or her opinion by providing a solid set of reasons for why an item of culture is lacking and tries to influence his or her audience into understanding the reasoning behind his or her opinion. Some of our greatest philosophical theories have emerged from cultural criticism as responses to other theorists and dramatists. This is a storied tradition that any person can be a part of.
What many critics need to remember in order to remain relevant and maintain their respectability is never to forget to speak like a real person. The late, great film critic Roger Ebert once wrote, “I was instructed long ago by a wise editor, ‘If you understand something, you can explain it so that almost anyone can understand it. If you don't, you won't be able to understand your own explanation.’ That is why 90% of academic film theory is b******t. Jargon is the last refuge of the scoundrel.”
The critic easily ensnares himself or herself in the trap of pretension when he or she forgets who the audience is. An audience reads a review as a piece of entertainment in and of itself, and to alienate it with jargon would undermine the critic’s point. Critics must also remember never to be overtly malicious to the cultural subject in question, as excessively nasty reviews put down creators rather than incentivize them to improve themselves and, by extension, pop culture at large.
A good critic explains his or her rationale in a way that makes the audience think along the same lines. A good critic provides a lens through which to view a film. A good critic aims to build up pop culture rather than break it down. With all of these things in mind, a critic can help improve culture as a whole and remain integral to the creative process.
I firmly believe that cultural criticism is as important today as it ever was, and that it, as a concept, is a worthwhile endeavor. Culture is an integral part of the global fabric of society, and to ignore it or stop talking about it would limit our worldview and make us lose perspective of our fellow man.
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