Critical Thinking Blog #3

Although I am still very young at the age of twenty, I can still see major differences in popular culture from when I was a child. When I was a child, I didn't really care about what was going on in the world, let alone even down my street, if it didn't have anything to directly affect me. My popular culture was to play outside, collect Pokemon cards, get the newest toys, and enjoy the simple things in life.

Now that I am older and have become more concerned about the world and how it affects everyone, directly and indirectly, my popular culture has completely changed. Education seems to have rebounded in its important, which I think has a lot to do with the current economic situation, along with technology's rapid advancements. Before President Barack Obama became a viable candidate for the Oval Office, many Americans (especially the youth), were deemed apathetic to politics. Now, however, we can see a new, seemingly rejuvenated youth involvement in politics. However, this makes me wonder if the youth is truly interested or merely excited for an "apparent" change in the looks of the White House, per se.

Proposition 8 is, I think, the biggest reminder of how popular culture has changed in the past decade. Who would have thought California's would be voting on whether or not homosexuals could marry or not? Especially when, even just a few years ago, being openly gay was still a taboo in some areas. Right down the street from my house, I saw protests for and against Proposition 8. I have never seen protests like that before and it definitely made me think of how much, even my little area of Fair Oaks, has changed. I never stood on the street corners of Greenback Lane and Sunrise Boulevard, but I openly spoke out against Proposition 8 and made it personal, even though I am not a homosexual. Popular culture is defined by how it influences everyone involved, whether it be directly or indirectly.