Critically Thinking About Popular Culture

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Rae Manzari Critically Thinking about Popular Culture Sept. 22, 2013 Although it may seem like music, sports, and television today are stuffed with questionable morals and unwarranted violence, there may actually be something to take away from this century’s popular culture. In Steven Johnson’s book “Everything Bad Is Good for You” there is a key point where he argues the new found complexities in TV dramas, and reality shows that he believes to be beneficial to a sophisticated thinker. In another article, “Hidden Intelligence” author Gerald Graff suggests that schools and colleges should introduce more popular culture into the classroom on the grounds that, getting kids to think and write about subjects they’re interested in can be a great starting point for growing minds. I believe when popular culture is looked at through analytical eyes, it can actually help increase your intelligence and better your understanding of human nature. In Johnsons except “Watching TV Makes You Smarter” he looks at the how television narratives have evolved over the past several decades. He compares modern shows to those of twenty years ago, while arguing that the new complexities in plot actually help to stimulate our brains. Meaning shows like the sopranos force their viewer’s to pay close attention to be able to enjoy and follow what’s going on in the series. Johnson concludes by summing up his real intentions, to suggest a change in the way people rate quality television, by looking not at the content but the form. Johnson makes many good points in his essay “Watching TV Makes You Smarter”, but more than that he visually lays his ideas out for you in graphs and concrete examples. Johnson suggests that people ought to view TV’s form instead of content for instance when he says “There may be more (quote) negative messages (unquote) in the
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