The Oppression Of Popular Culture

When examining popular culture in society, it’s safe to say that it pervades a person’s life in different manners with different effects. In America, popular culture can be used as an outlet for assimilation and integration into society, especially by immigrants who are just arriving to this country. This is evident through my parents, who arrived from both Colombia and Peru in the 1980s, having no knowledge of what American culture nor American popular culture was. Throughout the last 20 years, my family has used popular culture to either assimilate or integrate into society, as seen through our interests in sport and television. One way in which my family experiences popular culture is through watching sports. My father has become the …show more content…
Despite the fact that my parents have been living in America for so many years, they still enjoy watching television from Colombia. My mother is into telenovelas, especially Colombian, Turkish or Korean novelas that have been dubbed into Spanish. Her favorite novelas are Ronca De Oro, Kara Para Ask (Turkish) and Stairway to Heaven (Korean). The Turkish and Japanese novelas allow her to be exposed to different cultures and different styles of television that she might not be familiar with. Ronca de Oro provides my mother with an outlet to reminisce over her youth in Colombia. Set in Colombia during the 1950s, it follows the life of Colombian ranchera singer Helenita Vargas. Vargas wanted to be a rising star in a time where sexism, machismo and heteronormativity was highly prevalent in Colombian society. Despite dealing with domestic violence, public backlash by her family and poverty, Vargas went on to be one of Colombia’s most famous singers. I also think my mother enjoys watching this show because it demonstrates the strength and resilience of women during that time period, possibly reflecting on the struggles that her own mother went through. My sister and I, however, are more interested in watching American television. I enjoy watching psychological thrillers such as Mr. Robot, while my sister is into crime shows such as Law and Order: Special Victims Unit or Making A Murderer. While these shows may promote different values than Ronca de Oro, they hold a different meaning for the both of us. Mr. Robot may allow me to view mental illness in a different light, while Law and Order may teach viewers what it’s like to deal with crimes and what the consequences may be for that person. This is probably mostly due to a generational difference and lack of interest in our