Pop Culture Only Serves to Destroy Society Values and Morals - Research Paper Example

Corse number Position Argument on ‘Pop Culture Only Serves To Destroy Society Values and Morals’ Introduction Pop culture is the culture of people’s everyday lives. It is a combination of expression, performance and symbolism that both reflects and influences human culture. It has symbols or artifacts such as graphic novels, drums and whistles, vampire movies, baseball cards, banana skirts, patchwork quilts, children’s dolls, car hood memorabilia, and torn blue jeans. All these symbols hold some meaning and provide messages about people and their way of life. People share experiences through popular culture and achieve social solidarity. Every cultural group has its own popular culture. It plays an important role in expression of social wellbeing and cultural identity of human groups. Folk culture in America, for example, is considered part of everyone’s life. It is public as a parade and intimate as a lullaby. It is also changeable as fashion trends and constant as a ballad. It, therefore, expresses the social wellbeing and cultural identity of Americans (Fedorak, p, 3). There are so many popular culture elements that are common among cultural groups, but these groups have their own unique customs influenced by factors such as ethnic divisions, gender, and class. Different communities, for example, have different weddings, but they are all meant to symbolize the socio economic importance of joining two families and two people (Fedorak, p, 3). There are several claims about popular culture. Some of these come from ideas about the role of popular culture in the society. There are various areas that can be considered when it comes to the position in the society. These include; education, morality, social efficacy, Christianity and so on. Some people wonder if popular culture has a role in the education process of the young people. Some wonder if there is a connection between social efficacy and popular culture. Popular culture is at the center of societal debate and controversy. Some argue against it in different areas while others argue in support of it. Examples include: Popular culture desensitizes the way people view the society, and popular culture does not desensitize the way people view the society. Popular culture only serves to destroy American values and morals, and popular culture promotes American values and morals. Popular culture is the leading cause of peer pressure on teenagers, and popular culture is not the leading cause of peer pressure. Popular culture is a setting for the morals of a society, and popular culture is not a setting for the morals of the society. Popular culture is becoming more complex, and popular culture is still similar to older forms of popular culture (White & Walker, p, 1). This paper will discuss one of the claims about popular culture; popular culture only serves to destroy society values and morals. The position paper is against this claim and will give clear and logical reasons in support of; popular culture does not serve to destroy society values and morals. A Central Claim Related To Pop Culture Popular culture only serves to destroy society values and morals. Reasons In Support of the Central Claim Popular culture is that which dominates the society at a point in time and is recognized as people’s culture. It involves social life features that are most actively involved in by the public. It is determined by interactions produced by everyday activities that people involve in. These are activities such as styles of dressing, foods that people eat, greeting rituals and the use of slang. Popular culture covers the current and most immediate features of people’s lives. The features are always affected by different changes such as in technology. It is through popular culture that certain commonly held beliefs and standards are reflected. It, therefore, influences and reflects people’s everyday life. From these fundamental ideas, popular culture is described as the forms and products of identity and expression that are commonly approved or liked, normally widely accepted or encountered, and typical of a particular society at a given time (Delaney). One may ask the question; how do products and forms of identity and expression in a society destroy morals and value of the society. The products and forms of expression and identity are accepted in the society and form the norm of the society. How do they destroy the morals of the society? On the contrary, these products and forms of expression mould the morals and principles of the society. It is the role of the people in the society to recognize these forms of identity and expression and use them for the good of the society. Popular culture consists of behaviors, attitudes, tastes, beliefs, and customs that define the people of any society. These features can be used to promote societal values and morals. Currently, most countries are developing civil societies to help fight for the rights of the citizens. Civil societies can be used in different ways, for example, in promoting political accountability (Zharkevich). Television advertisements, programs and entertainment are used to communicate moral values of the society to the society. They are used to teach and guide the society towards the right direction. Television stations of today interview prominent people that inform the public of their views, qualities and abilities. This makes the public make informed choices. Improved technology has changed, and improved communication means. People communicate through phones, internet, and video conferencing and so on. The use of these communication features are regulated by their developers and owners. This shows responsible use of resources as they emerge. Current use of Facebook can be considered a popular culture of this time of today’s world community. Those who consider popular culture as a source of immorality and destruction of social values may consider Facebook as a perfect example. This they do without considering the benefits of this feature to development of good morals, good societal values, and its benefits to the users. Facebook is a source of social inclusion just like other popular cultures. The choice of use for moral behavior and promotion of good values is individual based. This is why it is indicated that popular culture influences and reflects people’s lives and identity. The choice of being immoral is dependent on an individual and his choice of identity. It depends on an individual’s selection of how to express himself (Delaney). Popular culture should be acknowledged as part of people’s lives and very important to the society, the children and the citizens. It provides a forum for common dialog, understanding and communication. The society needs to integrate popular culture in the education process to increase popular advocacy. Most education that matter today takes place in the spheres and spaces of popular culture. It is through teenage programs, music and movies, for example, through which teenagers are educated about important matters in life. An example is the use of movies with educational information about maintaining good relationships with parent and people in the society, advocacy against bullying and violent behavior, and general respect and moral behavior in the society. Popular culture is a setting where social justice attitudes and social efficacy among children can be promoted (White & Walker, p, 1-2). Summaries of Opposing Views and Summaries of Responses to Opposing Views Those who argue that popular culture only serves to destroy society values and morals consider it as a source of peer pressure, as a meaningless sub culture and that which communicates immorality through some media forms. It is considered meaningless in the sense that it has no long term effect on the culture or society as a whole. Stephanie indicates that pop culture portrays values that if adopted and accepted by Americans, will cause reduced modesty, values of the society and integrity. What is considered pop culture is Lady Gaga and Rihana television (Stephanie). Responses: There are so many sources of peer pressure and these can be handled by use of professional solutions. Popular culture is only a form of collective identification. It promotes social inclusion through its activities that some people refer to as influencing. The inclusionary role in the society can solve a lot of problems that popular culture is claimed to cause. The problem of adoption of immoral behavior can be solved by certain cornerstones of social inclusion such as involvement and engagement, human development, and valued recognition. These can help develop good societal values and eliminate immoral behaviors. Additionally, there are other pop culture activities that promote moral values and societal values. An example is the Batman’s movie (Donnelly & Coakley, p, 3-4). Pop culture cannot be meaningless when it brings people from different diversities together, and unites them based on principles that are acceptable as good behavior in the society. Pop culture also forges a sense of identity and increases individual’s prestige in a peer group. Popular culture appeals to people because it provides the opportunity for communal bonding and individual happiness (Delaney). Conclusion Different people may have different perceptions on what pop culture is. As an example, pop culture is considered Rihanna and Lady Gaga television shows. Pop culture is more than entertainment. As defined in this paper, it encompasses products and forms of identity and expression that are commonly approved or liked, normally widely accepted or encountered and typical of a particular society at a given time. These have a very important role in the society. One assumption by those against it is that it promotes immorality. Considering its social inclusion role, immorality can be considered an individual’s choice. Immorality can also be eliminated in case some forms of media promote it. This can be done through pop culture. The perception of the role of pop culture matters a lot in the development of a moral society with accepted values. Positive use of what pop culture is in the society should be used to promote social efficacy and social justice attitudes. Works Cited Delaney, T. “Pop Culture: An Overview”. Philosophy Now. Nov/Dec. 2012. Retrieved on 27th November 2012 from: http://philosophynow.org/issues/64/Pop_Culture_An_Overview. Donnelly, P.& Coakley, J. Role of Recreation in Promoting Social Inclusion. Working Paper Series. 2002. Retrieved on 27th November 2012 from: http://www.offordcentre.com/VoicesWebsite/library/reports/documents/laidlaw/donnelly.pdf. Fedorak, S. A. Pop Culture: The Culture of Everyday Life. Ontario, Canada: University of Toronto Press, 2009. Print. Stephanie, S. “Are Americans Getting Comfortable With Immorality?” The Christian Post U.S. May. 2011. Retrieved on 27th November 2012 from: http://www.christianpost.com/news/are-americans-getting-comfortable-with-immorality-50591/ White, C &Walker, T. Tooning In: Essays on Popular Culture and Education. Plymouth, UK: Rowman & Littlefield, 2008. Print. Zharkevich, Ina. “The Role of Civil Society in Promoting Political Accountability in Fragile States: the case of Tajikistan”. International NGO Training and Research Center Report. 2010. Retrieved on 27th November 2012 from: http://www.intrac.org/data/files/resources/682/The-Role-of-Civil-Society-in-Promoting-Political-Accountability-in-Fragile-States.pdf Read More