Pop Culture - Essay Example

Order#167271 Popular Culture aka Pop culture has been a centre of attention for many critics and psychiatrists for many reasons and most of these reasons present the negative side of this Pop culture. It is rightly said that pop culture is affecting our life styles more in a negative way than in any positive aspect. Excess exposure of youth to pop culture is distracting them from their right path in every sense as in their character building, their attitude towards academics and their social behavior. The content or elements they are exposed to these days through television programs, movies, theatres, or music, is posing serious threat to their personal as well as nation’s future.
It is rightly said that a person learns and tries to adopt what he is exposed to. Taking an example of Movies which are mostly filled with violence and/or vulgarity, they have the most detrimental effects on an innocent mind. Many movies present disturbing behaviors and abnormal happening which distort the usual thinking pattern of a human mind, especially youth which are much more receptive to new things around them. Movies and TV programs, these days, present unusual and unique ways of committing crime, heroes doing impossible things, and movie characters surpassing the limits of normal behaviors and still standing successful. These things compel minds to believe that weird things stand out and are socially acceptable. Proponents of such programs say that these programs and movies are present with rating but who can stop youth from watching such programs when their parents sleep or at some friends place gathering for a combined study.
The way of dressing is the reflection of one’s culture. A major change in life style in this regard has been noticed recently. Youth idealize their heroes who are a pop star, a movie character, or a sports entertainment personality and try to follow him in everything walk of their lives. And these things then come up with strange sights of youth dressing up themselves in most unusual and absurd ways. And this is not only limited to their it also affects their styling like the way they do their hairs, their walks and the kind of language they use in their daily lives. There are studies to prove a point that ones who initially copy their heroes, later on they get themselves molded in that character and lose their personalities. This is a major concern for the parents as this will have a negative effect on children’s career and their productivity in their social life.
Interest of youth in the type of music has changed considerably as it is evident by the popularity of pop music, especially rock music, and the surge in interest of attending concerts. Calm music has a soothing effect on soul. Contrary to that loud and rash music will have violent effect on mind. “Dr. Bacchiocchi quotes two authorities: "What this means is that music attacks the nervous system directly,* bypassing the master brain. Some researchers are of the opinion that the sense of hearing, more than the other senses, makes the greatest impact on the autonomous nervous system through its auditory pathways. ** Though conclusions of various studies differ, the common denominator is that auditory stimuli directly effect the nervous system....Critics of rock music generally appeal to the harmful physical effects of its rhythm which overshadows the melody and lyrics.... The high caused by the irregular rock rhyme increases the heart rate, weakens a subjects strength, and has addictive power” (SPP, 2007). This also provokes aggressive aspect of your personality to dominate and suppresses more mature and responsible faces of one’s nature.
As the life styles are changing, the type of food we consume also has changed. More and more inclination towards fast foods like burger cold drinks and lesser stress on meals that include fruits, wheat and cooked meat have caused serious health issues even among youth. Inclusion of processed meat over cooked and grilled meat has brought ailments to youth in very early ages which were previously supposed to be the gifts of old age. It has also lead youth to ignore the healthy nutritious food which is a main requirement of a growing body to provide strong foundations for a healthy and strong future life in a person’s middle age. Addiction of different things like alcohol, opium and other injectables has also become common these days. This is a major reason of accidental deaths recently. Who can forget the death of a famous vocalist of Nirvana who commits suicide due to cocaine over dose? Government should contrive measures to control these unhealthy activities as they are harmful not only for one’s own self but for others as well.
These and many others can easily lead us to the conclusion that the Pop culture is causing serious effects to a person’s normal healthy life and affecting a person’s productivity and true potential.
Bibliography
SPP (successful parenting postscripts) ,(2007). “Rock rhythm and teens” Retrieved on April 29, 2007: http://www.lovetakestime.com/psvol07num06.html Read More