This essay should get you thinking more deeply about the ways we are impacted by popular culture, from advertising to popular movies, music, television shows, to video games, social media, and spectator sports. Narrow in on one or two aspects of popular trends or media, do some scholarly research (more on this to come under “Essay Requirements” below) to incorporate into your essay, and write 4-5 pages with a Works Cited. Your thesis will be an argument that a certain trend in our culture is either helpful or harmful, or as the prompt title suggests, cool or questionable. For example, you could look at a popular musical genre like hip-hop or rap and argue that this form of music has the power to inspire political action. This claim would need evidence of someone who uses his music to create awareness and positive change. Known for his politically-charged music that rails against racial and social injustice, Kendrick Lamar won the Pulitzer Prize for music in 2018, the first time in the award’s 90 year history that it didn’t go to classical or jazz music. That would be cool, right? On the other hand, you might see something troubling in the gender and racial stereotyping and sexually-exploitative music of other artists, such as Nicki Minaj, whose song and music video “Anaconda” pushes boundaries and shocks some viewers–I overheard two African American mothers lamenting the impact of the song on their 14 year old daughters, so of course I immediately watched it on YouTube and my jaw dropped. To me, this was a questionable example of hip hop music because it rather demeans women and girls and normalizes the idea that woman are objects to be leered at instead of subjects to communicate with. So in this essay, you want to find examples of pop culture and evaluate their impact, positive or negative.
Possible Approaches: You may find your own topic, or you may choose from one of the following prompts from readings in The Bedford Reader:
1. In “What Makes Things Cool,” Derek Thompson writes, “A common complaint about modern pop culture is that it has devolved into an orgy of familiarity,” which explains why movie producers “relied heavily on films with characters and plots that audiences already know,” such as the Star Wars franchise and the Marvel comic universe. Do you agree with Thompson’s claim? Brainstorm a list of your favorite songs, movies, and TV shows and ask how they are derivative, or built on previous versions of the same productions. What do they have in common? What makes them distinct? What makes them special to you?
From your journal or brainstorming list, write an essay response to Thompson’s article. Do you agree that “what makes things cool” is a mixture of newness and familiarity, or can you think of a better explanation? How well do Thompson’s claims hold up against your own experiences? What advice would you offer to artists and producers who wish to appeal to as wide an audience as possible? What Makes Things Cool-1.ris
2. This is not a Bedford reading, but is available on the web. In Killing Us Softly: The Dangerous Ways Ads See Women, and in a TedTalk by the same title, Jean Killbourne claims that the impact of advertising featuring girls and women normalizes violence against women and can lead to depression, low self-esteem, and eating disorders, and can negatively-influence how boys and men view girls and women, among other harmful impacts. Using your Library databases, find articles that discuss the impact of advertising. Do you agree with Killbourne that some advertising can send negative or harmful messages? Or could you argue that there are progressive and positive trends in advertising? For example, many ads today now feature diverse representation of all body types, races, ethnicities, ages, sexual orientation, and ability (have you seen the laundry detergent commercial featuring a man doing laundry–wow!– who uses a wheelchair? It’s nice to see disability normalized this way). In addition to your library research (also called secondary, or opinion-based sources), you will want to provide primary examples of print ads and commercials to support your claims.
3. You may choose your own topic, as long as you are examining some aspect of our current culture, such as the impact of social media (youtube, tiktok, Instagram, Facebook, etc.), or television, popular films, pop music and videos, video games, advertising, or more. Just make sure to have primary examples (if you’re writing about pop music, for example, you would want to discuss some specific song and artists), and make sure to have scholarly secondary sources from your Sierra College Library databases. There are excellent articles on rap and hip hop music, for example, in a database called Opposing Viewpoints. Explore the library for ideas and build your essay from your research.
Additional Requirements:
The essay must be 4 pages minimum to 6 pages maximum.
You must have at least 4 Library sources (scholarly journal articles, other periodical articles such as newspapers and magazines, ebooks, documentaries).
You must have a proper MLA style Works Cited page listing all sources discussed in the paper.
