Want to know an embarrassing secret? I’ve never seen The Lion King. The Circle of Life? The one that moves us all? Nope. Didn’t catch that one. When it was released in 1994, I was too busy listening to Nirvana and poo-pooing anything mainstream (because Nirvana wasn’t, in retrospect, ironically mainstream?). I only wanted to read the most obscure books and watch movies like the bizarre, black and white Johnny Depp film, Dead Man. I had no interest in associating with anyone who was into hokey-pokey, soft cartoons about baby lion kings. What I wanted, desperately, was to be unique.
Ahh, youth. Except, as much as I’d like to claim that I’ve outgrown my foolish ways, I haven’t. Not really.
I avoided reading the Harry Potter series for fourteen years for the sheer fact that it was popular. When I finally devoured those books, one after the other, I realized I had been engaging in a stupid, self-defeating exercise in mainstream deprivation. Millions of people loved Harry. Why should I be any different? Contrary to popular belief, none of us is terribly unique. But us pop-culture snobs like to believe we are. Oh yes. Instead of focusing solely on that which we enjoy and find entertaining, we place a lot of emphasis on the media we don’t consume: the books and movies and cultural events we deem beneath us.
Is it possible, that by avoiding everything that everyone else is doing, we end up, sheerly by default, unique?
I guess it depends on how you define that word. Different? Apart? What about deprived? I’m all about letting your freak flag fly, knowing what you love and paying no mind to the genres you’ve ruled out over years of careful consideration. But avoiding something simply because it’s popular is, well, sort of stupid.
Yes, I’m calling myself stupid.
And I’m not alone. I’ve noticed an epidemic of snobbery in Facebook statuses and conversations with friends. Everyone wants to be the guy who liked the popular thing before it was popular: “Oh, I was totally into mustaches before they made a comeback.” “I read that book before anyone had even heard of it.” It’s a ridiculous rash of one-upmanship based solely on our unquenchable urge to be different, unique, better than.
But here’s the thing, fellow snobs: not reading a stupid book that everyone else is reading doesn’t make you more interesting than someone else. In fact, it takes you out of the conversation completely. How can you weigh in on something you know nothing about? It doesn’t matter how many highbrow, obscure books you’ve got in your back pocket. You will never be smart enough or well-read enough, you won’t always (or ever) hit that perfect, off-the-cuff humor bullseye that so many are vying to land. Someone will always know more than you do about pretty much everything. You wanna know the great thing about that? Someone will always be more full of shit than you are. The only way to win this silly little race to “interesting” is to be yourself: warts, mediocre interests and all.
I recently read one page of a friend’s copy of The Hunger Games and declared, without hestitation, “The writing sucks!” But I’m on a mission to reform my snobbish ways. It’s unfair to judge a book by its cover (or first page). You can’t actually know about something until you know. Which is why, in the future, if I choose not to read or watch something, I’m going to do my best to withhold judgment.
My new mantra is: “Give mainstream a chance.” I may not love that book about children hunting children. But it’s sort of like having bad hair in the 80’s: what’s the point of missing out on all of the tacky fun? I suppose it’s time to bite the bullet and pick up my copy of Fifty Shades of Grey. Oh, and does anyone have an old VHS tape of The Lion King I can borrow? I’m about eighteen years behind on that one.
What about you, dear reader? Are you a pop culture snob? Or do you revel in the mainstream, embracing every guilty pleasure that comes your way?
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I have no many friends who are “above” mainstream. My own taste is very diverse. Because of them, I have a lot of exposure to the more “obscure” and pick and choose what I like from there, while also obsessively following my favorite mainstream artists, actors, etc. I love Johnny Depp and French films with subtitles (btw, watch The Intouchables – French & lovely) but I also adore big name pop artists like Maroon 5, Rihanna, and good old Mission Impossible movies.
You’ve just gotta go after what you enjoy and let all the pieces fall together to define who you are. Trying to create an image won’t do anyone any good.
oops! I meant *so, not ‘no’ in the first sentence!
You’re absolutely right, Zainab. We can partake in all of the obscure books and movies we like and still indulge in a bit of fluff. Thank you for the movie recommendation. I will definitely check it out :)
Hope you liked it!
I confess. I didn’t read The Da Vinci Code for the exact same reason. I tend to just like what I like in all other areas but books are different. I’m a massive book snob. And I will not ever, ever read Dan Brown. Ever. I’ve accepted this part of myself now and I’m ok with it. I have seen The Lion King though. And the stage show. It’s ace.
In your defense, I did read The Da Vinci Code and it was very very bad. You missed nothing.
Phew! I’m glad I stuck to my guns on that one.
I just had a negative visceral reaction to the words “The Da Vinci Code.” I never considered the idea that embracing mainstream meant reading those books. I have zero interest. Zero. But maybe I’m off the hook since they’re not culturally relevant anymore? Kind of like the literary equivalent of Paula Abdul?
well, I think I am bit of a book snob too and unfortunately I read The Da Vinci Code. I wish I didn’t but it is done, so to see the silver lightning I adapted my view. In my life before The Code, I knew when book was bad, now after The Code, I can put the bad books in a perspective of The Code. Which represents almost the bottom notch on Renny’s scale of bad books :D
I rarely watched “Seinfeld” when it aired from 1989-1998. Now, I watch it every night. Brilliant show.
I missed the Lady Gaga train. Now I’m on board. What a talent.
“The Hunger Games,” from what I’ve read about it, was written with the young adult in mind. A short story, large fonts, and quick chapters. The majority of us don’t have the time to read. Some say this is the future of writing.
Your blog is one of the longer ones I take time to read.
In regards to books, I think you would enjoy this one. It was never a best seller. Though I think the writing is marvy.
http://www.janemendelsohn.com/novels/i-was-amelia-earheart/
“Seinfeld” is a great show :) I avoided “Friends” because of its overwhelming popularity and, to this day, I don’t get the hype. Thank you for the book recommendation, and for taking the time to read my “long” posts! ;)
I got in on the Friends train late because I was five years old when the show started and it ended when I was in high school. I only watched it two years ago and I realized that some shows are meant to be watched over and over. I’m a big fan even though it wasn’t exactly in my era so I was glad my friends recommended it to me. I didn’t even know it was such a hit backl then until I googled it. ;)
I’m snobbish about some stuff – book fads I try to disdainfully overlook. Perhaps being British I don’t like to admit I’m enjoying myself too much. Music on the other hand…I’ll listen to any old cheesy, 80s pop, mainstream-as-anything songs I can get my hand on. I guess for me music is about pleasure, books are about cultural enrichment.
(Confession: I didn’t read the final Harry Potter book, but instead read a synopsis online that got me up to speed without having to resort to lowering my literary standards…)
Ooh, I love cheesy 80′s pop music. Interesting distinction you make between books and music. I guess I feel that some books are for enrichment and some more for pleasure. In that spirit, I really should give more “lowbrow” books a shot. At least they’re usually quick reads! I can’t believe you read the first six “Harry Potter” books and then cheated at the end! ;)
I did exactly the same as you with Harry Potter, and boy was I proven wrong! I think the main thing, as Zainab says, is to seek out what you enjoy, but also to be open to new ideas. I often think the reason certain books/films/artists etc. are surrounded by such hype is because they’re associated with some kind of trend that I won’t get or be interested in, but most things like this are often bigged up so much because many people are interested in them, and even like them, hence the attention. So far, Fifty Shades of Grey is my massive don’t-go-there, but I know that I will eventually — maybe once I have a Kindle and I can avoid feeling embarrassed on the bus…
Bingo–openness is the key. A lot of trends are stupid. But, just as “Harry Potter” was a good read, so are many other trendy books. I haven’t read “Twilight,” (surprise, surprise) but didn’t that sort of reignite the vampire genre rather than being born out of it? I’m also pretty embarassed to be seen reading “Fifty Shades of Grey” in public. I think I’m going to create a book cover for it that just says, “Porn.” What do you think? ;)
Ha haa! Amazing idea! That would make such an awesome photo ;) I think you’re right about ‘Twilight’ — one of my favourite books is ‘Dracula’ and it sucks (sorry…) to see the genre become something almost entirely different. The sad thing is most kids reading it won’t appreciate the idea it’s based on (it’s not like hearing a cover song on the radio and your mum saying, “oh, the original of that song is so much better…”) — ach well, I suppose it’s a good thing that good ideas can come back around again in case you missed them the first time :)
An E-reader solves this problem nicely. Although I would say you should revel in the looks you get while reading this one! :-)
Hahaha! That made me laugh. There is just no power to persuade me to read the 50 Shades. Unfortunately I was kind of pushed into reading all three books of the Twilight but would never admit it on my blog :D Some bad choices are better not to be acknowledged ;)
Great Post.
Let’s see: Didn’t care for Lion King; watched Little Mermaid over 80 times; and Hunger Games was great, but I just watched the film.
PS: “The Girl Who”… series was excellent, too!
Scott
The only reason I saw the movie “The Hunger Games” was because of their media blitz. They were everywhere. They made me curious.
Glad I went. Loved it! Can’t wait to see the next one in the trilogy.
I agree.
I have seen The Lion King (I am married to a Leo) and enjoyed it. I have been resisting all-things-Harry-Potter because of the hype, and hyper fans.
I think that I am more of a choosy Pop Culturist than a snob, but perhaps that is justification and rationalization entering the fray.
This is a good topic, thank you for the nudge to examine my behavior,
Allan
Hi Allan, I think “Harry Potter” gets a pass. Some people go overboard with their fandom, which is off-putting to those of us who don’t usually hang out in the fantasy genre. But the books are actually quite good. I would recommend reading the first book just to get a taste for what it’s all about, although the third one is my favorite.
Not to sound like a completely different kind of snob, but I tend to go for things based on whether or not they seem interesting to me…not based on popularity. Sometimes popularity may influence my decision (Harry Potter sounded mildly interesting to me, so it was the hype that pushed me over the edge to try it), but it’s rarely ever my first consideration. I went to see The Avengers in theaters because I loved the characters as a child and the trailers looked amazing. I didn’t go see The Notebook because it looked immensely boring to me.
I have, however, found myself falling victim to the “this writing is terrible!” way of thinking. I love vampires, so I’ve read a lot of the books that seemed to come in a tsunami of sexy-vampire literature. I’ve liked many of them, to be honest, but even amongst the ones I liked there was a plethora of ones that made me wonder if the writers had graduated from basic high school language class.
I’ve come to the unseemly conclusion that sometimes poorly-written books can be just as enjoyable as brilliant pieces of literature, in the same way that a cheesy, chintzy B-movie can be just as enjoyable as an Academy Award-winning film.
Great post! I think that the only answer that matters is to keep an open mind and give something a chance unless you get to a point where you honestly say: Uh, no, not for me.
Ha! You’re like the human equivalent of that hipster kitty meme.
I’ve never done this with books or movies. (I read everything and I watch anything that isn’t horror. I’m at the theatres once or twice per week.) The Hunger Games is pretty good. You should give it a go. It’s also a ridiculously easy read that you can bang through in a weekend and then know what everyone’s talking about. The Lion King is also worthy, particularly the first five minutes.
I did used to do this with pop music, (I was the hold out who though New Kids on the Block were super lame) but really I was covering for the fact that I knew nothing about pop music.
Things are generally popular for a reason. Being good is, admitedly, only one of the possible reasons. The other two main ones I think are an excellent hook and/or being easily digestible by the masses. I think that last one is what catches in the throat of the pop culture snob, since it means consuming these things isn’t a challenge and doesn’t make you impressive.
You can console yourself with the knowledge that it’ll come in handy 20 years from know when you’re playing Trivial Pursuit version 57.
Ha! I just googled that meme. “I liked the book before the movie poster became the cover.” “Music? No, I listen to art.” :) You’re right that a great hook and easy consumption play a major role in popularity. Those aren’t necessarily bad things. Sometimes you just want a song you can sing along with. You’ve really intrigued me with that “first five minutes” of The Lion King comment. Now I have to watch.
Good for you Rian. When I close my mind to anything I lose. I coordinated a book club and encouraged them to not just focus on the writing (pick it apart) but to SEE the story. What is it trying to say? A good story poorly written is still a good story.
I remember that experience with “Two In the Far North”, I loved it, some didn’t simply because of the style it was written in .I thought it a mesmerizing, true-life rendering of Margaret Murie’s life with her biologist husband in the early Alaskan Yukon.
Focusing on only certain parts of a story is like flying to another country and only acknowledging the plane ride. My son thought “Hunger Games” was poorly written too but millions loved the story. Fifty shades of Grey? Same thing… but I wouldn’t mind writing a mega hit like it.
You’re right, Marsella. I actually think “good” writers can learn something from these “poorly written” success stories. How many times have I picked up a book where the sentences were exquisite but there was absolutely no plot? A lot of people are drawn to the fantasy genre with good reason: it allows them to escape into an entirely different world. If I look back at the authors I enjoyed as a child–Roald Dahl, for example–they were such beautifully crafted fantasies. But then we grow up and we’re suddenly too good for fairytales. Maybe we can take a cue from children on this one: they like what they like without hesitation or embarassment.
Lol, I have a blog saved talking about my love of Roald Dahl {The BFG a fave} and Kidlit :)
Does that mean I should read Harry Potter? I haven’t avoided it I was in grad school at the time and didn’t have much extra time. Now that I have a little girl, when she’s old enough I’ll read it with her. One of the reasons it’s difficult for me to write the story I’m writing {GLOW} is it’s a young adult urban fantasy. Now, I don’t mind reading YAUF, but for some reason I am too snobby to be one writing it, or so I think. I feel there are different purposes to expression; some get you to think, some to feel, some pure enjoyment and some are life changing. I drink wine that I like, watch shows I enjoy, watch documentaries that inspire, go to any movie that strikes my fancy; I have an equally deep and fluffy side that make the whole of me and once I embraced it, life was infinitely easier. I have The Lion King on DVD, just sayin’, as well as I have read Fifty Shades of Grey and that book, to me, is quite interesting for the mere fact the author takes you through the understanding one attains when looking for the self-awareness of “why am I the way I am” and then works to change that self, heal and move on with life, however, most just see the erotica.
I think reading “Harry Potter” with your daughter is a great idea. I really enjoyed them, and though it’s a bit intimidating to dive into a seven book series, they are super quick reads. You’re right that we each have several sides to our personalities. Indulging in a bit of mainstream entertainment gives our fun, non-judgmental side more room to breathe.
Congrats on being freshly pressed again! I have to admit taking time to respond to our comments is very thoughtful but I like the interaction you have with your readers :)
I’m not big on the mystical which made Harry Potter disinteresting for me. (I couldn’t even get through “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe”.) However, the first two books of the Hunger Games series are good, especially if you like science fiction. The third, well, that depends on whether or not you like literary love triangles…
Some of it might be snobbishness, but a lot of it just comes down to taste. We’re all different, sure, but we’re also all human, and often have more in common than we care to admit. That’s why some things resonate so strongly and become HUGE. Adele comes to mind. That’s not to say you won’t meet people who shrug her off just to be avant-garde.
And “The Lion King” is probably the apex of Disney movies… Most of the other stories have romance at the heart of it whereas “The Lion King” has a family at the heart of it, which just makes it different than all of the other fairytales.
Great Post and I just take in what I can on a daily basis:) Happy Monday!
I try to keep an open mind. However, I too have made an effort, in the past, to define myself, at least partially, by abstaining from what the majority does and engaging in what the majority does not. Initially, it was to be different, or as you said, “unique.” After pondering the assertion that, in China, a one-in-a-million quality is still present in 15 people, I came to my senses…but still remained pretty much the same. Now, I stand out from the majority because the majority does not care about its health, the majority believes in god, the majority has an over-sized smart phone because it’s the popular thing, when just a few years ago, the smaller phone was what the shepherds were ‘pushing’. The Majority was all set, a few months ago, to descend upon Kony with the power of social-media-organized retaliation…then March Madness happened. How many people would insist on a different hotel room, if the original was on the 13th floor of the building? How many players, since Michael Jordan, were going to be, “the next Michael Jordan?” Close the gym on a holiday, and it is completely accepted. Try closing the grocery store on the 4th of July, and see what happens. According to a 2010 Gallup poll, 40% of Americans believe god created humans, in their present state, 10,000 years ago, and therefore, do not believe in evolution.
Unfortunately, I have not exhausted the reservoir of examples for why it is good to stand out from the majority, but these are at least some of the examples within a pop culture I am glad I am not a part of.
Rian, you are no snob! Although you were a pretty cool 12-year-old, listening to Nirvana and shunning Disney! We had this weird trend when I was in middle school where everyone was listening to Green Day, but wearing Disney-logo shirts. I still don’t get it.
And you can borrow not only my Lion King (it’s totally VHS, LOL), but my Fifty Shades books, too. Actually, I borrowed them from someone, and I’m having trouble making it through the last one. Which you know for me, the I-liked-mustaches-only-once-they-made-a-comeback/guilty pleasure queen, is saying something.
I’m so glad you’re getting into all of the awesomeness that is Harry Potter and the like. Even some of the worst crap is the best entertainment, and I will go to the grave saying there’s merit in that! I think it’s big of you to be so open-minded about it – we need people like you on our ‘stache-sporting side. ;)
I knew exactly how you’d weight in on this one, Jules ;) I blame your stellar, guilty-pleasure promoting posts for my sudden shift in attitude. A girl can only look at those hilarious pictures so many times before she feels like she’s missing out on a heck of a lot of fun. I actually think the very first post I ever read of yours was about guilty pleasure books. You brought up “The Babysitters Club” and I knew we had to be friends :)
Love this post! Also love how honest you are about being a “snob.” I don’t think I’m a snob. I’ll check something out, if I like it sweet! If not, why judge others for finding enjoyment in it?
I love Harry Potter and The Hunger Games, heck I even enjoyed the Twilight books when I first read them. I liked them not because the writing was great, but because the stories entertained me. No shame in being entertained!
Glad you finally gave in and read Harry Potter. Excellent characters and story, I could read those books any day of the week!
Hear! Hear! :)
I’m a little of both. I like a guilty pleasure occasionally, but I recognoze it as just that. And am a snob about people who don’t recognize it as a guilty pleasure. Hard to explain but loved the post! If you missed them, the dragon tatoo series of books are one of the greatest guilty pleasures ever!
Hope that didn’t sound like I am super-judgemental. That’s not really how I meant it. I love my guilty pleasures better than anything! I know Moulin Rouge by heart!! :-)
Not at all. I can relate. I’m not sure I’d have much in common with someone who only read and watched popular things and didn’t step out of the mainstream box every now and then.
Reblogged this on creativefind and commented:
Could never be so true
That was really funny reading your post. As a kiddo and now too I can’t give up and become a pop snob. I am trying but all fameous movies and books just doesn’t make a good click with me. I tried to watch Braking down and its other parts and even I finished them I was feelingless – not drawn into it. Maybe it was a wrong pick ;). Liked the post
I think watching anything and everything just because it’s popular is a waste of time. But it’s like anything–some movies/books resonate and some don’t. Twilight did not resonate with me (I watched the movies). The lead female came across as weak and helpless, which didn’t sit well with me. But some people can get past that and just enjoy the fantasy of it all. I think it just depends on who you are. There may be some other popular series out there that you’ll like a bit better. It’s worth a shot! :)
Yes as you said, main female character was too drama :)
Aren’t hipsters mainstream now because there are so many of them? and in their constant struggle to be unique and obscure, they ironically become ubiquitous. Anyhow, it happens to me at times too when I choose to avoid certain things that the majority like but I make sure I only form opinions if I’ve read/seen/listened tried such hypes. As in music, it is meant to be shared, so hipsters who hoard obscure and underground artists are completely missing the point. I’m a book fiend, so I try not to be a snob even on chick lits, and young adult novels. There is always, always an anvenue for learning even if it’s Twilight. What did Iearn from that book? To never be clingy and needy like Bella. LOL. Great post. :)
In my previous life (back in the 90s) I made a career out of being different and eschewing anything mainstream. Thank goodness I’m okay now with the occasional mainstream read – I woke up one day and discovered I have nothing to prove. And! Having read Twilight and The Hunger Games (books One only, take note) did not compromise my freak flag-bearing rights. It’s one thing to be unique and use those powers for good; but it’s nice to be part of the conversation once in a while. Great post!
The best of Twilight are books 2 and 3! I resisted for years on feminist principle, but finally caved and have now read the series twice.
LOVE this post!!!!
So true. In fact, I was this way about music. When I got out of college, I realized that I wasn’t in the stream of obscure music anymore and just “sucked it up” and tried some of what everyone else is having. I went from scotch and water to margaritas. So freaking what??
Doesn’t the anti-establishment make its own establishment–eventually?
Also, I avoided Titanic for years because “it’s gonna sink!” I’ve avoided things I deem depressing upfront and miss out on critical acclaim (Armageddon, Philadelphia).
Love reading your blog.
“I went from scotch and water to margaritas. So freaking what??” Love it! The good thing about margaritas is that you can add a bit of salt whenever you like :)
I absolutely loved this! Officially one of my favorites . I have to say you really nailed this one, I too suffer from being a cultural snob and constantly try not to do the mainstream thing just because everyone is doing it [yes very 10 things I hate about you, which consecuently is a mainstream movie…go figure]. But I am trying [thanks to my hubby] to not be prejudiced into not doing something just ‘cause everybody else does it [whoa that’s a double negative, almost confused myself there for a second]. So thank you for this one.
Glad you enjoyed it! I think it’s great to have a partner who can function as the yin to your yang. My husband and I are always chipping away at each other’s stubborness. I’m thankful for it!
I think the only difference between pop culture and the rest is publicity. I have read well crafted and poorly written books on both sides of the hipster divide.
I’ve never avoided something because it was popular, but am vocal about the pop culture items I don’t watch/read. I’ve never seen a single episode of idol, dancing with the stars, etc. and am proud of it! Or, you know, get bored watching other people sing and dance.
Awesome post. It’s a dual-edged sword. In the 80s and 90s, I was a college radio obsessive, so I had underground bands like The Ramones and Husker Du to myself, and I loved that exclusivity. At the same time, I championed those bands relentlessly, and nobody was “getting” it, so I felt like a total outsider, until the bands that were influenced by those bands started going mainstream and citing the influences. And now I’m glad that people are catching up and digging back. Bottom line: like what you like, and who cares who else is on board with you.
I love this for so many reasons. Being authentically unique should come naturally…If you have to work hard at being different, you’re just like eveyone else! Great blog/Great insight.
I am a total snob! I was a self proclaimed “self expressionist” (just like everyone else) when i was younger and soooo many times, even these days as I’m a mini driving, star bucks loving corporate american peon, find myself still being snooty. I would wear jnco’s though if i still had some :)
Great post! I’m definitely a mainstream whore, letting my freak flag fly by reading the “Fifty Shades” trilogy twice (!) while queuing up Hunger Games on the ol’ Kindle. But, can I borrow that Lion King tape when you’re done? I seem to have missed that one. . .
Love this post! I find that I am usually resisitant to anything super popular until the hype dies down. I guess that’s what makes me a pop culture snob… it’s not cool for me to enjoy until every one else has already chewed it up, spit it out, and made a crappy movie.
Ah. Now I know the term used to describe my I-will-not-do-what-everyone-else-does thing. Thanks!
I have to say, I have often found myself taking the opposite stance – reading or watching something simply because it IS mainstream. I feel it’s important to take part in something that has become part of the mass culture so that when it comes up in conversation I not only have something to offer, but I have a valid opinion based on my own experience and not just a perceived reaction. I have read things I strongly disliked (50 Shades of Grey being the most recent, but the DaVinci Code is in the mix too) but enjoy being able to talk about why I disliked it and hearing the opinions of people that did enjoy it. I have also found myself really enjoying some things I thought I might not have given a chance otherwise. I guess the snobby part of it is, when I dislike something I read because it was mainstream I do tend to become a little smug about it. :)
Popular media often seems to me to be so easy to inhale and not engage with. I do like this sometime like comfort food or silly pop songs from my childhood. But most of time, I like to come away from a movie or book with more questions than answers, or a glimpse of the complex connections between events and individuals and ideas that we tend to take for granted while going through daily life. Popular culture tends to be more of an escape than an exploration. I don’t know if I am a snob, but often I come away from mass marketed media feeling manipulated and bored if not offended by the use of stereotypes and the glorification of simplistic ideas that do not fit into my world. I almost always like something that makes me laugh. Too much thinking can be hazardous to your ability to engage with people, but too often popular culture supports the use of violence, uses racist and sexist stereotypes, and devalues individual creativity and imagination. I don’t think these things automatically happen when something becomes popular. I think too much of what is popular was made to be popular instead of produced from genuine inspiration and passion.
I had a lil’ baby girl to entertain when The Lion King came out – all the kids loved it (and I enjoyed the day out watching all the kids loving it). For me, the kind of wonderment and charm of that brand of entertainment dies in adulthood when the harsh realities and injustices of the world kick in (there are seldom happy endings and justice for the great and good).
My growing child forced the first 3 Harry Potters on me, but as a film lover (and sometime filmmaker) I didn’t think much of it. ‘His Dark Materials’ ['The Golden Compass' movie] is apparently a much better book series than Harry Potter, which is essentially the story of a twee little English boy in a twee little medieval world of witches, warlocks and all the cliched monsters and beasties of a dozen children’s stories – kinda retro really. I grew up on the tales of Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis and I believe in the saying ‘they don’t make em like them like they used to – they just copy’ (I added that last bit).
I’ve only just started hearing the hype about ’50 Shades of Grey’, but I can’t help but think it’ll be a poor mans ‘The Story of O’. I read Paulo Coelho’s ’11 Minutes’ which is all about women’s sexuality; an amazing read. Personally, my nailed on book recommendations would be ‘The Fermata’ (Nicholson Baker) and ‘The Roaches Have No King’ (Ewan Weiss) – laugh out loud funny, highly imaginative and genuinely incisive examinations of people and their sexual proclivities! As for ‘The Da Vinci Code’, it never really interested me, but on the same theme I would recommend ‘The Discovery of Heaven’ by Harry Mulisch; if you consider yourself a book snob, get through that if you can.
Is ‘The Hunger Games’ any better than ‘Battle Royale’? I doubt it. Was ‘Let Me In’ better than ‘Let The Right One In’? No. Was the recent version of ‘The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo’ better than the original version of… erm… ‘The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo’ – definately not. ‘The Departed’ won Scorcese an Oscar, but was it better than the original Japanese film ‘Internal Affairs’ from which it was copied… it actually was, but we’re talking Scorcese here! But it’s all subjective
Hyped stuff is usually disappointing because it’s like a ripple from something that was truly original but happened a long time ago or somewhere that is culturally very far away from our media and thus was not picked up by the mainstream until it reached a saturation point of hype. As for stuff that is revered by the intellectual ‘culturatti’ – it’s usually dull as hell (The Piano…. yaaaawwwn). Music is totally subjective and largely dependent on your mood at the time (I love jungle/drum&bass/house music – but only right time, right place, right sound system).
Generally speaking, you like what you like – end of. You shouldn’t have to apologise to anyone. If you live a life of rich experience the you find that pop culture tends to be the flatline of what was a great idea a long time ago. However this means unless you were on it back then, it probably is pretty good to you if you’re only arriving their now.
Getting trapped into mainstream sensationalism (for movies or books) is ever so easy, so much so you don’t even realize you are in its grasps until it’s too late. I admit to jumping on the bang-wagon with The Secret by Rhonda Byrne, and hide my lust for The Twilight Saga (movies and books) by Stephenie Meyer; in fear of being lynched mobbed by my peers, I have to say you just have to seek out what really interests you, and be dammed what is “in” or “hot” flavour of the month. One thing, my co-workers are raving about Fifty Shades of Grey by E. L. James so I am tempted to read it, mostly because I enjoy sexy shocking books, but I really need to know for myself if it’s really worth all the hype. In the end, discover what is mainstream in your eyes! Great post!
Hey Rian! I’ve been absent in the blogsphere for the past couple of weeks but I finally got a chance to dive in and catch up (well…only on my favourite blogs, of course). I’m glad that I got a chance to sit down and read this! I love everything that you wrote here. I can totally relate to it. Sometimes, I catch myself judging the “culture snobs” who stubbornly refuse to even give something I’m into a chance. But I’ve come to realize that I am being a huge hypocrite. I am a major culture snob when it comes to music. I have been known to fully abandon my love of certain bands because they become so popular and (*shiver*) mainstream. You speak so much truth though. I think our culture snobbiness is a result of us striving to be unique. It’s almost a subliminal resistance. It’s kind of interesting to be made aware of the way we, as humans, react to certain things in our societies. We are weird creatures, I’d say. Anyways, sorry for the rambles. I appreciate your words and thoughts! Oh, and for the record….you seriously are missing out on “The Lion King”. You need to watch it! :)
I’m a bit of a pop culture snob. I am not a Disney fan though I did see The Lion King (at my friend’s request). I read Harry Potter but resisted The Hunger Games until a few months ago (and I agree, the writing isn’t great but the plot is). Now I’m trying to get over feeling like I’ve let down my inner snob by reading 50 Shades. I feel so…common :-( But that’s ok because even though I’m a bit of a snob, I try to know a little bit about everything so I can participate in a variety of conversations including those on mainstream items.
I love that people are admitting their snobbery here. Most people are pop culture snobs it sounds like and I think that’s pretty true of everyone at some level. I, myself, admit to being a pop culture hypocrite. I’ll indulge and then denounce my own indulgences. Twilight? I hated the mayhem and act the perfect snob about it. Afterall, I’m no silly teenager, and completely above vampires by now (except vamp Eric Northman, of course) but I read the books and even named my cat after one of the characters – but I did that before they got so popular, I swear to it! And there you have the perfect pop culture cliche. I’ve used Twilight, vampire, and idolized my cat in the same paragraph.
I think it’s important to read what’s popular just for the sake of being able to engage in the dialogue about it… Or at least reading the synopsis on Wikipedia, and hoping that synopsis is accurate. That’s what I did with the Twilight series. I read the first book, thought it was mediocre and without much liveliness. Read a page or two of the second book, and then read the rest of the plot on Wikipedia. As a person with a degree and teaching credential in English, I probably shouldn’t engage in such cheating… but… I also didn’t suffer through three books I wouldn’t like.
A brief note on The Hunger Games: I really enjoyed the short and clipped writing style, because it fits the main character’s lifestyle and education, as well as the tenseness of the story. I did not enjoy the last two books in the trilogy because they lead to a dragged out third book and a disappointing climax that left me depressed for about three days.
Harry Potter, however, is amazing.
Here’s my blog post on Mockingjay being made into two films with a link back to here:
http://goodwholesomefun.wordpress.com
I don’t dig a lot of mainstream stuff because I genuinely don’t like its content. Granted, it is a little unfair to generalize. Still, I won’t pass judgements, I just pass them by because my lifetime is limited and I can only read a limited amount of books and listen to a limited number of albums, unfortunately. If I had all the time in the world, I would try every book and album, mainstream or not.
My experience in the mainstream has proved that I don’t enjoy it’s content as much as I do with the “less mainstream”. Hence, with a limited lifetime, I have to consume selectively. I’m not a snob. I just consume what I like – it just happens to not be in the mainstream :)
Perhaps you are just anti-marketing? There is a difference between not doing something because you are a snob, and not doing something because you are quietly protecting your dignity within the marketing machine that innundates us daily. I am not a snob about hardly anything (I tend to fall on the more self depricating side), but I did go through a phase in college where I avoided anything Viacom or Walmart on the principle of not yielding to agressive marketing. I didn’t watch TV, only listened to NPR. I strove to rise above or avoid any poignant ads targeted at me. Shoot, I even changed my major from graphic design to sociology because I didn’t want to join the ranks of marketing in any way, whatsoever.
And then I graduated, got a job with a corporation…and lost my passionate edge to take a stand…realized not all ads are “evil” and (10 years later) have come to appreciate the ads that do address my EXACT needs (how do they know?). In sum, I feel like I have made a similar evolution in my mindset, which is why I’m commenting. You described it all perfectly!
Haha I recall telling people not too long ago that I was a vegetarian and had become one “before it became popular”. Is it taboo to be mainstream if you are an artist of some sort? Do we separate ourselves or become more authentic if we are unique by disassociation of the norm? Fascinating. I think I’ll ponder this for awhile. Kudos!
Hahaha the whole time I was reading your post I was thinking to myself “hmmm, perhaps I should get over myself and get on the ’50 Shades Of Grey’ bandwagon” and then I read the end of your post : )
I admit to picking up the Twilight books after seeing the movie. Why? A student who said she had never read a whole book in her life before told me that she couldn’t put the books down. If a book can get a non-reader that excited, it deserves at least a cursory reading, no?
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