I would love to say that I’m somehow unique because pop culture hasn’t influenced me or that I’ve found some hobby that completely goes against the norm for someone my age, but I can’t. For most of my life I’ve followed what’s been popular among my friends and peers. Whether it’s cartoons, videogames, or music, I’ve rarely strayed from the beaten path of what’s considered cool.
Growing up, I’d say that my childhood relationship with pop culture was typical. My brother and I watched cartoons like G.I. Joe and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on a regular basis. Whenever we had money to spend, we used it on action figures so that we could have massive battles like those seen on the show. After a few years, I had come up with an original storyline for my soldiers, which included but was not limited to: characters deserting their comrades, characters being reincarnated, and characters gaining super powers after accidently falling into my fish tank. I spent countless afternoons after school setting up battles and coming up with stories for my figures to live out, but they were usually cut short whenever dinner was called.
After I had grown out of playing with action figures, I gained a deeper interest in videogames. Games like Street Fighter and Goldeneye became my main source of entertainment, and my friends and I played them constantly. When Halo came out for the Xbox in 2001, my neighbor and I started playing and became obsessed with the game. We’d drive across town to play with some of our friends from school on the weekends, and have a great time hanging out. While at my friend Danny’s house, I heard a band that would change my exposure to music forever. That band was Linkin Park, and after hearing them I immediately went out and bought their album entitled Meteora.
Following my discovery of Linkin Park, I started listening to other bands that my friends suggested, like Nickelback, Staind, and Three Days Grace. However, upon reaching my freshman year of college, I learned that those bands were not considered cool by my new group of friends, who enjoyed classic rock groups like Led Zeppelin and King Crimson and playfully mocked my love of “Stinkin’ Park”. This was perhaps the first time that I went against the music that was suggested for me as I went about finding my own taste. Over time this led me to a variety of artists that I liked, from Angels and Airwaves and Paramore to country artists like Trace Adkins and Taylor Swift.
I may have only recently decided for myself what kind of popular culture to engage in, but I’m glad that I have after so many years. In a society where so much of my life is already chosen for me, it’s nice to know that I still have some say in it.
Word Count: 481
Growing up, I’d say that my childhood relationship with pop culture was typical. My brother and I watched cartoons like G.I. Joe and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on a regular basis. Whenever we had money to spend, we used it on action figures so that we could have massive battles like those seen on the show. After a few years, I had come up with an original storyline for my soldiers, which included but was not limited to: characters deserting their comrades, characters being reincarnated, and characters gaining super powers after accidently falling into my fish tank. I spent countless afternoons after school setting up battles and coming up with stories for my figures to live out, but they were usually cut short whenever dinner was called.
After I had grown out of playing with action figures, I gained a deeper interest in videogames. Games like Street Fighter and Goldeneye became my main source of entertainment, and my friends and I played them constantly. When Halo came out for the Xbox in 2001, my neighbor and I started playing and became obsessed with the game. We’d drive across town to play with some of our friends from school on the weekends, and have a great time hanging out. While at my friend Danny’s house, I heard a band that would change my exposure to music forever. That band was Linkin Park, and after hearing them I immediately went out and bought their album entitled Meteora.
Following my discovery of Linkin Park, I started listening to other bands that my friends suggested, like Nickelback, Staind, and Three Days Grace. However, upon reaching my freshman year of college, I learned that those bands were not considered cool by my new group of friends, who enjoyed classic rock groups like Led Zeppelin and King Crimson and playfully mocked my love of “Stinkin’ Park”. This was perhaps the first time that I went against the music that was suggested for me as I went about finding my own taste. Over time this led me to a variety of artists that I liked, from Angels and Airwaves and Paramore to country artists like Trace Adkins and Taylor Swift.
I may have only recently decided for myself what kind of popular culture to engage in, but I’m glad that I have after so many years. In a society where so much of my life is already chosen for me, it’s nice to know that I still have some say in it.
Word Count: 481
