I was listening to an old “This American Life” the other night. The topic was the influence of television, and while I was listening to Ira Glass describe his unabashed love for The O.C. (which he shamefully calls “trashy”, shortly before admitting that he cried when it went off the air) it occurred to me that there really is no point in trying to hold yourself above it all. Even when a show is universally acknowledged by people to be complete trash, you often find those same people are the first ones breathlessly discussing plot points or recounting the crisis of the latest episode. (Reality TV is a prime example; I can’t believe the number of closet Project Runway fans.)
My question is this: do we need to openly acknowledge that something is trashy in order to give us license to enjoy it? Or shouldn’t we try to understand and love what it is that makes these “trashy” shows so compelling to watch? I realize that when you think like a critic (as I’m far too prone to do) you’re definitely not embracing that side of it enough.
Truth be told, I have less at stake here than you might imagine. I don’t actually have a TV show that I’d be embarrassed to say I’m a fan of. Then again, what can I say — I do have amazing taste.
My argument: No, you do not need an ironic detachment to enjoy pop culture. I don’t really care for TV, but as far as music goes I only listen to pop stuff. I don’t need some ironic hipster suave to like today’s radio landscape (although I’m more drawn to pop country these days). I don’t believe that music is a soul-altering experience that can only be enjoyed through the use of black-framed glasses and a fucking shaggy tweed sport coat. I read the Onion AV Club all the time and it’s filled with the stumblefuck motherfuckers that bash anything that isn’t hip, and as soon as it becomes mainstream they race to say that, “I liked that before, but now its played out.” Fuck. You. Assholes. How about you enjoy a song because it leaves you with a nice tune in your head, or you watch a show because it makes you clap like a toy monkey for 30 minutes of your life, or you read a comic book because it’s a way to while away the hours. I hate the vast majority of art produced by our society but that’s on me. I won’t pass judgment on other people; if it entertains them then fine. That’s cool, everyone has their likes and dislikes. The hipsters, however, want to enjoy the smug satisfaction of being better than you. They like to snicker about you reading People magazine, because it makes them better. Fuck hipsters.
“I don’t actually have a TV show that I’d be embarrassed to say I’m a fan of. Then again, what can I say — I do have amazing taste.”
And what, pray tell, are the TV shows that you are a fan of?
Nice! Thanks for the comments, guys. My responses:
@whazzmaster: Totally agree with you about the indie music scene, that’s kinda why I’ve given up on trying to stay hip to the latest bands. I think people should be more honest and unashamed about their real reactions to something, regardless of whether it’s actually popular or not. For the most part when I’m critiquing things I try to stay true to this, but I can’t say I always succeed. I love reading the Onion AV Club but I agree they seem to be building an ivory tower of pop culture coolness that few will be able to gain entry to.
@Jordan: I hope that line came across as facetious as I wanted it to. The unspoken footnote would have been “*because I barely have time to watch anything these days, other than perhaps football.” Honestly, the only show I’ve been keeping up with this season is “30 Rock” (thank you, NBC online). I’m excited about the Battlestar Razor movie but much like you BSG has kinda fallen off the radar for me due to this un-Godly hiatus. I’ve taken to trying out a few shows on DVD, which I’ll write about later. The top shows right now that seem to be critically bullet-proof are “The Wire”, “Friday Night Lights”, “30 Rock” and “Battlestar Galactica”. I regret not having kept up with “Heroes” this season, but that’s about it for current shows. Is there anything you think I need to be watching?