Wearegoingtocloseoutourunitonculturebylookingatfolkculture,whichencouragesdiversityandpopularculture,whichencouragesuniformity.Today,theemphasiswillbeondefiningandiden=fyingelementsofpopularcultureintheUnitedStates.

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Urbaniza=onandindustrializa=onhelpeddestroyAmericanfolkculturebeginninginthelate19thCentury.RecallthatAmericanfolkculturewasruralandin=matelyconnectedtotheenvironmentoftheoriginalfolkculturehearth.Asci=esgrewandruralpopula=onsshrank,sodidtheinfluenceoffolkculture,Cheap,massproducedgoodsalsoreplacedthematerialfolkcultureitemsthatwereusuallyhandmade.

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Industrializa=onresultsinmassproduc=onandmassproduc=onresultsinuniform,homogeneousproducts.Industrializa=onrequireseverythingtobestandardized.Industrializa=onandtransporta=onnetworksallowedformediaoutlets,likenewspaperstomassproduceanddistributetheirproducts.

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Fromthe1930’sun=lthe1980’stherewereonly3or4major,na=onwideTV(orradio)networks.TheirproductswereinstantlytransmiTedintothehomesofmillionsofAmericans.Thiswasahugefactorinbreakingdownthefolkculturetraitscenteredaroundspecificgeographicalhearths.Imagine100millionAmericansseeinganewclothingstyleonTV–andthenbeingabletogoouttothenearestdepartmentstoreandbuythatexactnewstyle.

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Onenega=veassociatedwithpopularcultureisthesenseof“placelessness”thatcomeswitheverycitylookinglikeeveryothercity.Thisissimplynotpossiblewiththefolkculturalhearts.Buthomogenizedpopularculturesmoothsoutregionaldifferences.TheOutbackinDesMoinesisexactlythesameastheOutbackinSeaTle.Whenpeopleloosetheirsenseofconnec=ontotheircultureandtheirenvironment,theyaresubjecttoacondi=onknownas“anomie”–feelingdisconnectedoradri^.Feelingsofanomiecancausepeopletofeeldepressedorevensuicidal.

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Theriseofsportsisfirstconnectedwithanincreaseinleisure=mefortheworkingclassesintheearly20thCenturyandthenwiththeriseofmassmediainthemid-20thCentury.No=cetheimageindicatesanexampleofsyncre=sm–MickeyMouseoverlaidontheMexicanna=onalsoccerteam.

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TheSearsstoryisthefirstchainstoresuccess.Searsusedtherailroadsbothtotransporttheirmass-producedcatalogsandthendelivertheirmass-producedgoods.TheSearscatalogwasasteampunkversionofAmazon.NowIthe21stCentury,Amazonmayusetheinternettoinstantlytransmitordersthatarenearlyinstantlydeliveredbydrones!

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Thearrowofcausalityhereisinteres=ng.Doespopularculturedrivethemedia?Ordoesthemediashapepopularculture?Theever-increasingacceptanceofhomosexuallifestylesmaybeanexampleofmediadrivingculturalnorms.The1990’ssawadrama=cincreaseinTVandmoviesthatdealtrealis=callywithgaycharacters.Thisculminatedin1997withcomedianEllencomingoutonherTVsitcom.Andin1998,thefirstnetworkTVshowwithopenlygaycharacters,WillandGrace,premieredtora=ngssuccess.

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Regionaldis=nc=onsexist,embeddedwithinthematrixofpopularculture.IceteaissweetbydefaultintheSouthandunsweetbydefaultintheNorth.GritsareamenustapleintheSouthandvirtuallyunknownintheNorthorWest.Somecommuni=esgooutoftheirwaytodis=nguishthemselvesfromtheuniform,popularculture.ThecityofAshevilleinNorthCarolinaisagoodexampleofthis“neolocal”phenomenoninwhichci=esconsciouslytrytodis=nguishthemselvesfromthenorm,o^enincorpora=ngolder,folkcultureelementsintotheirneolocalefforts.

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TheseperceptualregionsdemonstratetheregionaldifferencesintheotherwiseuniformAmericanpopularculture.Mostoftheregionaldifferencesinvolvefoodandlanguage(andmusic,toalesserextent).Notethatsomeoftheoriginalfolkculturehearthss=llpersist,includingtheCajunhearthofAcadiainLouisiana.

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Massmediaandnetworksofdistribu=onallownewculturetraitstospreadrapidlyandpenetratedeeply.Wedis=nguishfadswhicharetemporary,whimsicalandemo=onalfromtrendswhicharelong-las=ngandreflectdeepermovementswithintheculture.“SillyBandz”areanexcellentexampleofafadwhilethetrendofmengoinghatless,beginningintheearly60’sandcon=nuingontodayisagoodexampleofatrend.

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WeremenpersuadedtogohatlessbecauseoftheexamplesetforJFKor…wasJFKjustreflec=ngageneralhatlesstrendamongmen?

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Aquicklistoffamousfadsfromthelast90years,designedtoshowhowtheolderthefad,thesillieritseems.Andtoemphasizehowoncethesefadsfadeaway,theynevercomeback.

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Differencesintechnologyinthe80’skeptvideotapesofanimefrommakingitswaytotheUS.Oncethetapedifferencewasresolved,increasingpopularityofanimeledUSpublisherstoseekoutJapanesemanga=tles.Oncethemassdistribu=onnetworkswereinplace,animeandmangawereabletodiffuseandbecomepartofAmericanpopularculture.

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