Why do we need pop-culture?
By: Rohit Bane
Tags: Entertainment, Geek, Humor, Pop Culture, Conversations

Why do we need pop-culture?

Photo by Joni Ludlow on Unsplash

Imagine that this is not a blog.

Instead, think of this as two people having a conversation on pop-culture. Cool? So then, why do you think we need it?

Are you kidding me? Who starts a conversation on pop-culture by announcing that they are talking about it? This does not feel like a conversation at all, rather like a blog post forced on me as a conversation! 🤨

Okay, okay, you got me there! 😅 Let’s pretend that never happened. Why don’t we talk casually, mano a mano! The weather’s quite pleasant in the city these days, especially the sky, right? I’ve never seen as many hues in a single week!

Mano a mano? We aren’t here to settle a personal feud. 🤣 And who talks about the weather? Bengaluru is fine, and the sky is blue 90% of the time! Looks like you’ve not had a proper conversation with anyone in a while, eh?

Phew! You’re a sharp one, aren’t you? That ‘90% comment’ almost reminds me of an episode from F.R.I.E.N.D.S. where Joey, for once, actually offers Ross some sound advice. He points out that Ross’ main problem is that he hasn’t had sex in six months, and getting back onto the wagon could help!

By the way, have you noticed that ‘getting on to the wagon’ and ‘falling off the wagon’ are pretty much the same thing from different viewpoints? Talk about a rigged game, eh!

Anyway, so Joey tells him that, and Ross’ defence is that in the absence of sex, he has more time for other things in life. Such as smelling the flowers, looking at the colour of the sky, and so on. Joey’s response was so similar to yours! He says, “The sky’s blue Ross, and I had sex yesterday!” 😂

Did you just quote F.R.I.E.N.D.S. to me? How can people even tolerate that show! The jokes are crass, the acting is tacky, and the writing is so mediocre. Now How I Met Your Mother, on the other hand, is such a fine piece of story-writing and direction! I acknowledge that the content is a bit unsuitable for all audiences, but it is a far superior show in my opinion!

You’re not serious, are you? How I Met Your Mother totally built atop the foundation that F.R.I.E.N.D.S. set in the 90s.

One on-off-long-term romance — check.

One obnoxious womanizer who LITERALLY does not know the meaning of respecting women — check.

A geek and a romantic who is the butt of most jokes — check.

One customary hot chick who gets her way all the time — check. Dysfunctional romantic triangles within the group — check.

One person with an obsessive-compulsive-disorder — check.

One communal place where the group wastes their entire life — check.

Should I go on? 😄

I hate you. 😐 You just spoilt all the HOURS I’d spent admiring that show. 😒 But I still stand by my point that the show was way more creative than most pre-millennium sitcoms.

Okay, I’ll give you that. But why don’t you spend time on shows like Sherlock if you’re looking for good screenplays and production value? Moffat and Gatiss have pulled off a nice modern spin on the whole thing.

So many people have attempted to recreate the classic that I don’t trust Sherlock Holmes adaptations anymore. But, I’ll give it a try if you say it’s that good. By the way, didn’t Moffat also work on the recent Dr Who screenplays?

I’ve heard, but I cannot stand to watch a series that has been airing since 1963! I’d be still playing catch-up by the time my grandkids go to school. 🤣 And at that point, if you’d ask me, I’d actually go,

“Dr Who? I’ve never heard of this bloke! Some crazy guy steps into a phone booth and travels through time and dimensions? What nonsense! Go and play me some nice Daft Punk, you punk.”

🤣

Daft Punk, really? 🙄 I’d have pegged you for a guy with … umm … more classic tastes! You know, like Fleetwood Mac or Beatles or Eric Clapton?

What! How old do you think I am? 🤨 Not to disagree that Fleetwood Mac is probably one of the finest bands from the 70s! I cannot believe that most of the current generation got introduced to them through Guardians of the Galaxy!

Yeah, man! Ditto. Who would have thought that the most understated superhero movie from the Marvel canon would start a music revolution on Spotify! And yet, that’s not the worst way to discover those songs at all. They were seamlessly woven into the script, unlike the absurd overkill of rock in Thor Ragnarok!

Lol. I know what you mean. But you gotta admit, Taika Waititi did make Thor cool again! Sorry, drop the again, just cool should do.

And speaking of discovering 70’s classics in movies, guess the worst place where you could rediscover them? 😏

Please don’t say it. 😣

TikTok. 😓

😓 May God save us from THAT pandemic. I can live with COVID for another year, but I sincerely hope that this app chokes on its popularity. I understand that several people depend on the app for steady income, but honestly, I don’t want to see how much lower can we drop in the name of pop-culture!

Ha! So you do think there is a limit to pop-culture, then? Care to elaborate?

I mean, of course, we NEED it. Look at this damn conversation that we’ve been having. Clearly, weather alone cannot carry a conversation! But despite the term literally meaning ‘popular culture’, I think we should have a cap on what qualifies as ‘culture’ irrespective of how popular it is! I honestly don’t want another ‘ rasoda mix’ or ‘ coronavirus challenge ‘. Gives me the jeepers! 🥴

🤣🤣🤣 The last one still cracks me up. Why would someone think it’s okay to lick public washrooms, is beyond me, even if we weren’t suffering through the worst global pandemic in decades!

But I gotta tell you — those idiotic things don’t really make up ‘pop-culture’. No one is going to remember those after six months, and you’ll have had your laughs by then.

Yeah, but it’s not the individual videos that worry me. I am worried that TikTok itself will end up being a part of pop-culture! 😱 At this point, I am pretty sure that China set us up to fuel the creation and consumption of these idiocies by creating a pandemic!

Woah, woah, woah! We’re entering into the conspiracy theory zone here! I mean, let’s save that for another post, shall we? 🤫

After all, this isn’t a conversation, right? 😉

True. OR we could simply continue this in the comments section below! 🙄 😬

Yeah, let’s do that!