essential questions
How does the pop culture of an era inform us about the country and the people of the time?
The pop culture of a certain time period reflects the interests and pastimes of the country's people. For
example, certain popular leisure time activities, such as board games and television, represent a common American enjoyment of relaxation. The multitude of popular culture icons that flourished in the 1970s illustrate that Americans had time and an ability to pursue leisure, which informs us of its relatively stable economic state. While pop culture does reflect these lighter topics in society, popular culture can also inform us about a country's technological capacity or its ability to advance. The plethora of inventions created in the 1970s demonstrate both a high ability to advance in technology and a demanding consumer market. The emergence of the cell phone, for example, begins to show an increasing desire for mobility.
How does pop culture reflect history?
Pop culture often feeds off of history and trends in the past. Movies and television shows, for example, frequently depict past eras and highlight important historical events with which people are familiar. The aforementioned show Bonanza took place during the 1860s and referred to the happenings of the Civil War. Furthermore, popular culture builds over time and tailors certain aspects to fit the present generation. Popular culture, in and of itself, represents all of the popular culture choices or trends made previously as it was built to its present state. This is true with fashion, especially, as people build upon styles and even revert back to fads popular in a certain time period to evoke that period in history.
How does popular culture drive historical change?
Popular culture drives historical change by pushing people to look into the future and push forward in change. Occasionally, this happens literally: movies depicting future scenes or alien worlds, especially the science fiction that captivated American viewers, make people peer into their future and push toward technological change. Furthermore, one science fiction story our class read, "The Pedestrian", foretells a future in which individuality is stifled to the point that the essence of humanity is nearly gone. While this is not necessarily related to the 1970s, this story forces people to think of their future and consider ways to improve the country and the world that lies ahead. Popular culture provides a platform for people to speak their mind in a creative way that will reach the people, and such messages often encourage people to think forward, not to dwell in the past.
The pop culture of a certain time period reflects the interests and pastimes of the country's people. For
example, certain popular leisure time activities, such as board games and television, represent a common American enjoyment of relaxation. The multitude of popular culture icons that flourished in the 1970s illustrate that Americans had time and an ability to pursue leisure, which informs us of its relatively stable economic state. While pop culture does reflect these lighter topics in society, popular culture can also inform us about a country's technological capacity or its ability to advance. The plethora of inventions created in the 1970s demonstrate both a high ability to advance in technology and a demanding consumer market. The emergence of the cell phone, for example, begins to show an increasing desire for mobility.
How does pop culture reflect history?
Pop culture often feeds off of history and trends in the past. Movies and television shows, for example, frequently depict past eras and highlight important historical events with which people are familiar. The aforementioned show Bonanza took place during the 1860s and referred to the happenings of the Civil War. Furthermore, popular culture builds over time and tailors certain aspects to fit the present generation. Popular culture, in and of itself, represents all of the popular culture choices or trends made previously as it was built to its present state. This is true with fashion, especially, as people build upon styles and even revert back to fads popular in a certain time period to evoke that period in history.
How does popular culture drive historical change?
Popular culture drives historical change by pushing people to look into the future and push forward in change. Occasionally, this happens literally: movies depicting future scenes or alien worlds, especially the science fiction that captivated American viewers, make people peer into their future and push toward technological change. Furthermore, one science fiction story our class read, "The Pedestrian", foretells a future in which individuality is stifled to the point that the essence of humanity is nearly gone. While this is not necessarily related to the 1970s, this story forces people to think of their future and consider ways to improve the country and the world that lies ahead. Popular culture provides a platform for people to speak their mind in a creative way that will reach the people, and such messages often encourage people to think forward, not to dwell in the past.