Popular culture is that vapid wasteland of entertainment that does very little to challenge its consumers. On the surface, it may appear to push limits and boundaries but what it really does if force the consumer, be it watching, reading, listening or simply pondering, to decide whether he or she is either ‘with us or against us’.

            The power of popular culture lies in its ability to appear to the consumer as a new way of being. The reflection that it casts upon its consumer shows who they may possibly become. Power is the ability to exert will and influence. Such and such a product will change you for the better. In the end, the consumer ‘needs’ that product in order to feel good about himself as though he has a place within pop culture.

            One of the ways this power is exerted is through the gaze. Look at any image of someone who has risen to a level of success in popular culture. Sure many images will show the person looking directly in to the camera but often times you will see that person look off in to some magical distance that only they can see as a result of his or her success.

            “I know you’re right there next to me but I don’t see you because I am awesome and you are not. You are just regular people while I am special.”

            This is all accomplished by hegemonic forces that set the bar. Whether it is cultural or political, hegemony is the practice of enforcing the will of the ruling class upon the proletariat, or ‘common folk.’ Essentially it reinforces the division between the haves and the have-nots.

            Sexism is rampant in popular culture. Women are akin to objects, something to take, possess and discard when a new model hits the market. Sex sells and everyone is buying.

            Even legitimate art can fall in to the trap of pop culture. The Doubletake article is a prime example of how our culture may influence us. Lippard describes the picture of the Beaver family. The Indian family that poses for the photo is simply that, a family.

But our Anglo-Saxon eyes will most likely see the noble savage. Because everyone has their own way of looking at things based on their societal teachings, they will project on to the photo the contrast of the actual image versus the stereotypical notion of the subject. The viewer’s background, experiences in society and overall environment reinforces the pedagogy which is our cultural education.

            All of this is the part of the spectacle. The spectacle is the product of the machine; the result of all of our conscious and subconscious desires and wants. The machine is the ‘institution’ of society. Think about high school. It happens naturally. In that collective, somewhere along the way, good and bad, hip and lame are defined. An image is created and the people fall in to place behind that image, finding their own alleged identity.