Popular culture is one of the means by which we negotiate our way through everyday life. By negotiate, I mean we come to understand the world and our place in it by processing the content of pop culture. Take for example Jon and Kate Plus 8, the reality TV program. It’s not just a simple short-lived television program as it has taken on a life of its own through the extended coverage the family has received in newspapers, magazines, Blogsites, websites, and other media that has become part of the public discourse regarding marriage, child-rearing, economics of the family, among other topics. We can also see this show as the site of a cultural and now a legal struggle; the latter refers to the question as to whether or not the appearance of the eight kids on the program is against Pennsylvania’s child employment laws. Beyond this legal issue are the cultural issues regarding what is right and wrong, what is moral or immoral in the context of contemporary family relationships. First, there are the “signals” that the family sends us. In the case of Jon, he was spotted leaving a bar at 2 a.m. with a woman other than his wife. That’s a clear signal of infidelity. But what are we, the consumers of this pop culture pablum, to do with that? In other words, how do we process this information both internally, through the thoughts we have, and through the social interaction we have with others in which we talk about the program and share our thoughts in order to reach or not reach consensus. It is in this way that Jon and Kate Plus Eight helps us make sense of the world in which we live. Yes, popular culture is a sense making mechanism that has replaced other means by which we would have in the past made sense of our lives. But because we live disparate lives that have fewer institutional connections, and because we consumer an awful lot of media, pop culture has become a replacement for traditional venues of public discourse. I’m not suggesting this is either a good or bad phenomenon; I merely want to point out a role that pop culture plays in our lives about which you may not have been fully aware – pop culture is a way that we make sense of the world.
1 comment:
I have been closely following the scandals that has arised from Jon and Kate Plus Eight. And honestly I am really upset. I have recently read an article by Jon in PEOPLE and he did not say anything that cleared up my confusion. I do not understand why neither one of them are responding. I just need a YES he cheated or NO he did not cheat. I do know that Kate has enjoyed and even taken advantage of the publicity. Well Jon simply wants a private and regular life, away from the camera. Plus, Kate has now taken over the role of a career, while Jon stays at home taking care of the children. Jon decided a few years ago to quit his job so that he could spend more time with the kids. At the same time Kate began writing her books and touring for book signings and public speaking. So he has been having trouble with his emotions. Mostly, I feel bad for the children, especially when they get older.
I have also been following the new allegations about the child labor problems around children on the show. But I remember Kate saying that "if the children do not want to be in a scene or do not want to be filmed can ask to be out, and there are no problem with that." So the kids are not having to work every day that the show is being taped. I think that the media is trying to find anything to write about. There has even been talk that the family abuses their animals.
I would really like if the couple could privately figure out their problems and come out in the open to clear things up. But this is problem with reality tv, people let the cameras into their lives and most of the time things will change, and it changes for the worst. Look at how many couples have had problems after taping a reality show (The Hogans, Jessica S and Nick L, Travis Barker and Shanna M, Carmen E and David N). People need to think about this statistic before they decide to protray their lives to the public eye.
~Megan Joines
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