# Aspects of pop culture people seem to misunderstand **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 16, 2013, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspects-of-pop-culture-people-seem-to-misunderstand/647417 "2013-01-16T20:56:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![BlinkingDuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eada6e/32.png) [@BlinkingDuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlinkingDuck)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2013, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspects-of-pop-culture-people-seem-to-misunderstand/647417/141 "2013-01-29T16:42:30Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > Rocky loses in the original Rocky. That was the whole point. No one expected him to be able to last more than a couple of rounds with the champ but he went the whole 15 rounds and lost only to a fairly close decision. …and he knew for the first time in his life that he was NOT a chump. ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2013, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspects-of-pop-culture-people-seem-to-misunderstand/647417/142 "2013-01-29T16:51:20Z")
Something which seems to be missed by many artists: You can’t parody pop culture. If it’s not good enough, it’ll have no impact. If it’s good, it’ll become part of the pop culture you hate so much and strengthen it. The latest example is Gangnam style but before that there was Aqua’s Barbie Girl (which was eventually reused by Mattel to sell Barbie dolls) or Chumbawamba’s Tubthumping. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2013, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspects-of-pop-culture-people-seem-to-misunderstand/647417/143 "2013-01-29T16:55:24Z")
> [@MichaelEmouse](#): > > You can’t parody pop culture. If it’s not good enough, it’ll have no impact. If it’s good, it’ll become part of the pop culture you hate so much and strengthen it. > > The latest example is Gangnam style but before that there was Aqua’s Barbie Girl (which was eventually reused by Mattel to sell Barbie dolls) or Chumbawamba’s Tubthumping. Huh? ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2013, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspects-of-pop-culture-people-seem-to-misunderstand/647417/144 "2013-01-29T17:05:08Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > Huh? I think he’s saying that any parody of pop culture will either be completely ignored or eventually co-opted unironically. Which I disagree with, somewhat. Very few of Weird Al’s parodies or Mad Magazine’s parodies were ever used to shill for the things they parodied. ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2013, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspects-of-pop-culture-people-seem-to-misunderstand/647417/145 "2013-01-29T17:05:33Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > Huh? Some people think they can undermine pop culture by making fun of it and making caricatures of it by having some kind of ironic message that’s meant to be a parody of whatever part of pop culture they dislike. It never undermines pop culture; either it has no effect or pop culture eats it and spits it back at you. JayJay makes a good point though. Perhaps there is something which differentiates Weird Al Yankovic and Mad Magazine from Psy, Aqua and Chumbawamba. So far the only thing I can come up with is that WAY and Mad are mainly visual and openly dedicated to parodies. ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2013, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspects-of-pop-culture-people-seem-to-misunderstand/647417/146 "2013-01-29T17:06:13Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > The bafflement is completely mutual. I recall that he _couldn’t_ beam out any time he wanted (“So you can’t even beam us back?”). Your interpretation, as best I can tell, completely destroys any drama the scene has and, to my knowledge, has never been advanced by Shatner, Meyer, Sowards or Bennett, so however you came to your interpretation, I don’t see the creative intent in that direction. I agree with the interpretation that the affect is entirely genuine. It may be related to the fact that they couldn’t beam out (likely for two to six hours) but I think it’s more about the fact that Khan just acquired the Genesis device, and Kirk is desperate to keep Khan from leaving with it. I don’t recall at this point how much Kirk knew about Reliant’s capabilities/damage at that point, but he certainly didn’t want Khan to have a two hour head start. He tries to goad Khan into staying by manipulating his pride, and when that fails, he spits out Khan! in impotent rage. My example of a misunderstood romantic song is one that I suspect isn’t very common. When my wife and I were still in high school (and dating but not married) a friend of hers told us that the song _Landslide_ by Fleetwood Mac should be our song. At first I was kind of irritated, since I thought she was making some kind of negative comment about us, but then it occurred to me that she was probably just utterly ignorant of the meaning of the lyrics. Kind of like interpreting Rush’s _Closer to the Heart_ as a song about romantic love. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2013, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspects-of-pop-culture-people-seem-to-misunderstand/647417/147 "2013-01-29T17:14:19Z")
> [@MichaelEmouse](#): > > JayJay makes a good point though. Perhaps there is something which differentiates Weird Al Yankovic and Mad Magazine from Psy, Aqua and Chumbawamba. So far the only thing I can come up with is that WAY and Mad are mainly visual and openly dedicated to parodies. I wouldn’t call Weird Al “mainly visual”, though. I can’t really think of any WA videos that stick with me, at all. “Gangnam” is more visual than most of WA’s stuff, since it actually has an associated dance. ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2013, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspects-of-pop-culture-people-seem-to-misunderstand/647417/148 "2013-01-29T17:16:57Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > I wouldn’t call Weird Al “mainly visual”, though. I can’t really think of any WA videos that stick with me, at all. “Gangnam” is more visual than most of WA’s stuff, since it actually has an associated dance. Do people commonly listen to WAY without the video? Perhaps it’s just me but I’ve pretty much only been exposed to it through his videos and they seem to have a lot to do with the parodying aspect. Gangnam does have a dance and the video has a lot to do with its popularity but I got the impression that it got plenty of radio play. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2013, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspects-of-pop-culture-people-seem-to-misunderstand/647417/149 "2013-01-29T17:46:27Z")
> [@MichaelEmouse](#): > > Do people commonly listen to WAY without the video? Perhaps it’s just me but I’ve pretty much only been exposed to it through his videos and they seem to have a lot to do with the parodying aspect. Maybe NOW…back in the 80s he got a lot of MTV play, but except for “Fat” and “Eat It”, I can’t remember any that particularly stood out. Most of my experience with WA is audible rather than visual. Now, I have a LOT of mental imagery that goes with his music, but that’s all from inside my head, not from commercial videos. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2013, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspects-of-pop-culture-people-seem-to-misunderstand/647417/150 "2013-01-29T17:57:01Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > The most obvious one in popular music is probably “Born in the USA” > [@WordMan](#): > > Or playing **Every Breath You Take** at your wedding. > [@Reeses\_Monkey](#): > > Or **Wonderful Tonight** > [@PoorYorick](#): > > Or **That’s the Way I’ve Always Heard It Should Be**. Or **Aqualung**. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2013, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspects-of-pop-culture-people-seem-to-misunderstand/647417/151 "2013-01-29T18:01:25Z")
Or _Psycho Killer_. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2013, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspects-of-pop-culture-people-seem-to-misunderstand/647417/152 "2013-01-29T18:08:14Z")
> [@gonzoron](#): > > Not sure if I’m being whooshed, but I’m pretty sure those flashes are from the weapons of the men trying to subdue the dinosaur. Partly. More than one commentator has observed the ludicrousness of the scene of dinosaurs lighting up. The electrically-charged stunners may give some rationale for the image, but they’re ridiculously inappropriate – if the scene were lit by their discharges, we’d have lightning-like brief flashes of light, instead of the sustained light beams moving around that we do have. The point, of course, is to add drama to the scene, which would be pretty tame without it (even with a man being eaten by unseen velociraptors). They did the same thing in the scene in _Goldfinger_ where the “Hood’s Convention” gets gassed. While they are, lights flash in the background for no good reason at all. At least in _Jurassic Park_ they make a token effort to explain howcum their dinosaurs seem to be giving off dramatic lighting, even if it really mAkes no sense. ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2013, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspects-of-pop-culture-people-seem-to-misunderstand/647417/153 "2013-01-29T18:10:44Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > Or _Psycho Killer_. Psycho Killer? What is that? ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2013, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspects-of-pop-culture-people-seem-to-misunderstand/647417/154 "2013-01-29T18:14:57Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Or **Aqualung**. > [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > Or _Psycho Killer_. What’s precisely misunderstood about either of these? ---
**Author:** ![smaje1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47774/32.png) [@smaje1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smaje1)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2013, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspects-of-pop-culture-people-seem-to-misunderstand/647417/155 "2013-01-29T18:24:14Z")
To go along with the whole songs-you-shouldn’t-play-at-weddings, Mr. smaje and I had “Only a Woman” from Team America: World Police play at our wedding and only 1 or 2 people even noticed the lyrics! It sounds like your typically romantic ballad, until you get to the part… Only a woman Can brighten up my day Only a woman Can touch me the right way _Only a woman Is allowed to touch me there All I ask is that you’re a woman_ And the rest of the song proceeds with such delicious lyrics as… I like rain, I like hair I like you You’re around, you’re right here So you’ll do I’m gonna tell you how much I love your mind But it simply isn’t true My GRANDMA danced to the song and loved it. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2013, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspects-of-pop-culture-people-seem-to-misunderstand/647417/156 "2013-01-29T18:35:44Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > What’s precisely misunderstood about either of these? Well, perhaps the idea that anyone would _want_ [**Aqualung**](http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/jethrotull/aqualung.html) played at a wedding… ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2013, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspects-of-pop-culture-people-seem-to-misunderstand/647417/157 "2013-01-29T18:50:10Z")
> [@ITR\_champion](#): > > I know a lot of people who think that _The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy_ is only supposed to be a farce without any deeper meaning. It’s an existentialist novel presenting the author’s viewpoint that all of existence is pointless and that not type of endeavor can achieve anything worthwhile. It mocks philosophy, intellectualism, religion, science, technology, business, and government. Do you think all absurdist humor indicates nihilism? Why would an author who believes that existence is pointless [embark on a major project to raise awareness of the plight of endangered species?](http://www.amazon.com/Last-Chance-See-Douglas-Adams/dp/0345371984) I think you might be the one who misunderstands. You can mock something without believing that it is entirely without value. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2013, 8:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspects-of-pop-culture-people-seem-to-misunderstand/647417/158 "2013-01-30T08:18:15Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > Maybe NOW…back in the 80s he got a lot of MTV play, but except for “Fat” and “Eat It”, I can’t remember any that particularly stood out. Most of my experience with WA is audible rather than visual. Now, I have a LOT of mental imagery that goes with his music, but that’s all from inside my head, not from commercial videos. This is what I came in here to say. In many respects, I’ve always thought Weird Al’s music videos seem like an afterthought rather than something that was in mind when he recorded the song. And I say that as a big Weird Al fan. ---
**Author:** ![Hermione](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/cdc98d/32.png) [@Hermione](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermione)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2013, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspects-of-pop-culture-people-seem-to-misunderstand/647417/159 "2013-04-20T04:02:46Z")
Bumping up… I’ve just come from seeing a production of Hair at the same theatre where I saw the aforementioned production of A Chorus Line. It’s occurred to me that the song “Let The Sun Shine In” is often misunderstood. (Note that I’m talking about the stage version of Hair, not the film version, which, as I understand, has quite a twist to the ending.) We’re used to hearing it as this cheerful hippie anthem in a medley with “Aquarius”, as sung by the Fifth Dimension. But in the context of the show, the song is quite different… …it’s actually a DIRGE sung as part of a medley to mourn Claude’s death in Vietnam. It starts off with “The Flesh Failures,” a song about how disconnected we can be from each other even though there is “a rush of greatness” inside us that still can be saved, then goes into a minor-key lament of “Manchester England”, Claude’s anthem, with a counterpoint of “Eyes, Look Your Last/The Rest Is Silence” taken from Shakespeare, then goes back into “The Flesh Failures,” and then finally finishes up on “Let The Sun Shine In,” which, in this context, is a plea to all of us. To paraphrase author and director Scott Miller, the song isn’t saying that the sun’s shining on us and everything’s terrific…it’s saying that we have to LET the sun shine in to keep tragedies like this from happening. ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2013, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspects-of-pop-culture-people-seem-to-misunderstand/647417/160 "2013-04-20T04:35:50Z")
> [@Hermione](#): > > Bumping up… > > I’ve just come from seeing a production of Hair at the same theatre where I saw the aforementioned production of A Chorus Line. It’s occurred to me that the song “Let The Sun Shine In” is often misunderstood. (Note that I’m talking about the stage version of Hair, not the film version, which, as I understand, has quite a twist to the ending.) > > We’re used to hearing it as this cheerful hippie anthem in a medley with “Aquarius”, as sung by the Fifth Dimension. But in the context of the show, the song is quite different… > > …it’s actually a DIRGE sung as part of a medley to mourn Claude’s death in Vietnam. It starts off with “The Flesh Failures,” a song about how disconnected we can be from each other even though there is “a rush of greatness” inside us that still can be saved, then goes into a minor-key lament of “Manchester England”, Claude’s anthem, with a counterpoint of “Eyes, Look Your Last/The Rest Is Silence” taken from Shakespeare, then goes back into “The Flesh Failures,” and then finally finishes up on “Let The Sun Shine In,” which, in this context, is a plea to all of us. To paraphrase author and director Scott Miller, the song isn’t saying that the sun’s shining on us and everything’s terrific…it’s saying that we have to LET the sun shine in to keep tragedies like this from happening. [hijack] Did you see the National Tour? I saw them here in my town last night, and thought it was a spectacular show. [/hijack] [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspects-of-pop-culture-people-seem-to-misunderstand/647417.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aspects-of-pop-culture-people-seem-to-misunderstand/647417.md?page=9)