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This post might offend some people. If it does, just try to hear me out before you get angry and vow to never read my blog again. I have this theory that there are a lot of things that are popular in this culture simply because we think we’re supposed to like those things. For instance, when I was in high school, some friends and I made up a fake band and started raving about them to some of our other friends. Within a short time, some of our oblivious friends were raving about how awesome that band was. They even claimed to have all their albums and songs. Unfortunately, that band was made up. They simply liked them because some of their friends did.

Just because something makes this list does not mean that you’re a poser and only like it because your friends do. In fact, most things in life are “liked” because of a chain reaction. I truly believe that there are genuine fans of these shows, movies, products, etc. The following list (in no particular order) contains things that I think our society has overrated, simply because people think they’re supposed to like those things.

1. Coldplay
And here come the hateful comments. I do think a lot of people like Coldplay for their music. However, I think a lot of people buy into Coldplay because “everyone” thinks Coldplay is “cool” and let’s face it, we all want to be cool.

2. Dane Cook
He’s not funny! But somewhere along the way, someone really popular said he liked Dane Cook. And the snowball effect has taken place.

3. Lost
Too soon? I will admit that I’m a fan of Lost. However, sometimes I think Lost gets overhyped because people think they are supposed to be obsessed with it. It’s a great show…but some go just a little bit overboard with it.

4. The New York Yankees
You either love them or hate them…and a lot of people that love them came to love them by jumping on the bandwagon. They’ve almost become more of a fashion accessory than a baseball team. If you see someone wearing a flat-billed cap turned sideways, chances are it’s a Yankees hat.

5. Avatar
It was in 3D. It featured blue people. But is it really a “great” movie? Is it Golden Globe worthy? Academy Award worthy? I think the media made a lot of us buy into this one.

6. Lady Gaga
People call her a freak, yet her music sells. Someone must be buying it. I guess she could be the very opposite of this last and everyone buying her music is a closet fan afraid to admit it.

7. The North Carolina Tar Heels
This one is tough to put on here because I’d like to think of myself as one of the biggest Tar Heel fans on the planet. (I even came home from the hospital wrapped in a Tar Heel blanket when I was born.) However, much like the Yankees, the Heels have become a bandwagon-ridden team. This is mostly in part to Michael Jordan. Nonetheless, there’s a lot of Heels fans out there who are Heels fans simply because they want to fit in with their peers and culture.

8. Kim Kardashian
I’m pretty sure she’s only popular for being popular. Yet Kim, as well as any other “reality-TV” celeb on the E! channel have become overnight sensations. Their shows and stories are pitiful, materialistic, and vain, yet their popular keeps growing. Do we really like this people, or do we simply like them because our friends like them?

9. Hot Wings
This probably applies to guys more than anyone. Wings are a “guy’s” food. And to be honest, they’re good. But there’s a level of pride in guys that says they have to eat the hottest wings possible to keep their standing as “one of the guys.” Anything mild makes them a wuss. So even though they’re mouth is on fire, they’ll swallow their pride (literally) and pretend like everything is fine.

10. Rap music
A lot of people truly enjoy rap music. But a lot of people only listen to it because their friends are listening to it. You know who I’m talking about too. They’re very easy to spot.

11. Alcohol
If none of your friends drank alcohol, would you? Even more, if all of your friends thought alcohol was disgusting and detestable, would you touch it? Probably not. You’d have no need to.

12. The Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is much more than a game these days. It’s 2 weeks of media coverage, and a 3 hour social gathering for most people. There’s nothing wrong with that. In fact, it’s fun for people to get together for the game, even if they care nothing about the game. But since a lot of people show interest in it just to blend in with the crowd, it makes this list.

13. MMA
UFC has a huge following, as well as the rest of MMA. It’s a sport that’s on the rise. But in a sport that’s becoming so popular, you know there has to be a large chunk of the audience that only watch because it’s the “cool” and “manly” thing to do. Also, wearing Tapout and Affliction t-shirts fits in here too.

14. Abercrombie & Fitch
Why do people buy overpriced clothing? Because they’re friends are buying overpriced clothing and because the media says that is what we need to wear to be cool.

15. Dave Matthews Band
See Coldplay

16. American Idol
For many of us, we watch because our friends and co-workers watch. After all, we don’t want to be left without a word during the talk around the water cooler.

17. Political Activism
Whether it’s a fight for social justice or politics, a lot of people take a side they know nothing about and march, protest, complain, etc because that’s what everyone else is doing. This really seems to spring up around election time. If you really want to see it in action, wait until October 2012. Whether people love Obama or hate Obama, they will be out in full force…with absolute ignorance as their guide. Any guesses on how many of those people actually read the newspaper or watch Fox News and/or CNN regularly?

18. President Barack Obama
I’m not bashing or endorsing the president here. However, in many circles, it’s fairly obvious that people make up their opinions about the president based on the opinions of their friends or others in their “social group.” Very few people actually know how to think politically for themselves. Instead, they either hate or love the president based on what they think they are supposed to do to be accepted in certain circles.

19. Twilight
Need I say more?

20. Michael Jackson
It’s sad that Michael Jackson died at an early age. It’s amazing how many people became fans after he died. Some people just couldn’t stand to fall behind a trend.

Thanks for those that contributed. I want to give you credit, but I don’t want to put your name down if you wished to remain anonymous. So, feel free to claim your submission. If there’s anything to add, feel free. If you disagree, I would love to hear about it.

The Bachelor makes me feel insecure. As a bachelor myself, it seems like it shouldn’t or wouldn’t, but it does. Is it crazy that some reality-TV show could make me feel this way? Maybe. But I think the power that lies behind it is deeper than we actually think.

Although I’m not a fan of The Bachelor and do not watch it regularly, I’ve seen and read enough about it to know the premise, the controversies, the proposals, the fighting, the breakups, etc. And no matter how ridiculous I think the show can be, it still makes me feel insecure.

You see, the guys they get for The Bachelor aren’t anything like me. In fact, the guys they find aren’t like most of us. Through their ultra-selective profiling and filtering, ABC finds the most attractive, charming, and financially secure (aka rich) men to headline the show.

While the the “bachelors” not only have looks and money, they’re also given an inexhaustible budget for their dates. If they want to fly a girl to an exotic island for the weekend, they can do it. If they want to take a girl hiking in the Grand Canyon, they can do it. If they want to sent up a romantic dinner on the beach with champagne and expensive food, they can do it. Why? Because when the cameras are off, ABC sets it all up for them. In fact, I doubt the people on the show have to do much thinking at all. Everything is already laid out for them.

So maybe you can start to see where my insecurities come in. This picture that we paint as “reality,” features a rich GQ model who can make any girl’s dream come true, simply because he has a budget that has been given to him by a network. Sadly, we look at this and call it “romance.”

Some women may read this and argue that their love for the show has nothing to do with the good looks of the bachelor, his charm (how much of a factor is ABC’s editing in this factor?), or his money. Maybe. But I’ve heard men put up similar arguments and say they only go to Hooters because of the wings, or only watch Baywatch because they love David Hasselhoff’s acting.

Do you remember the show Average Joe? Probably not because it was canceled after a short time on TV. It was a show much like The Bachelor, only it featured one beautiful person to be “won,” and all of the “competitors” were average people. Like I said, it didn’t last. Even so, at the end of the first 2 seasons, the “beautiful” person had their choice of an “average joe” or a model…and the shallow models won out both times.

Still, some might argue that romance is the key factor. However, how real is the romance? After all, most of the men on the show kiss several women within hours of each other. And then you have the hot tub visits, the overnight stays, and yada yada yada. If you want a taste of reality, consider this: Out of the 13 seasons, only 1 couple from the show is still together…and they even broke up for about a year.

So maybe now you can see my insecurity. I’m not good looking like the guys on the show. I don’t have a successful career and lots of money. I don’t have a network paying for exotic expensive dates or paying for roses that I can give out each week. Unfortunately, I have a feeling that that is what so many women are craving. They’re craving that false sense of romance they see on TV for 1 hour a week. They’re craving a good-looking guy who has charm and lots of money. They’re craving romance that seems perfected and utopian through the screen of their TV. They’re craving something that really isn’t reality at all.

Let me offer this apology to women on behalf of men. I’m sorry if we’ve ever made you feel inadequate when we see a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition on the shelves. I’m sorry if we’ve lied and spent time at restaurants simply because of the waitresses and not the food. I’m sorry if we’ve stared at the opposite sex in a way that has made you feel uncomfortable or insecure. We’re guilty of this too. And we’re without excuse.

Now I seem to know how you feel. And maybe that’s why The Bachelor makes me feel so insecure.

Like many guys, I enjoy sitting in front of the TV and watching Sportscenter. It’s great seeing highlights of your favorite team win and keeping track of your fantasy football players without having to change the channel.

But lately I’ve been getting pretty sick of Sportscenter, ESPN, and most sports coverage. It’s seems as though the Worldwide Leader in Sports has turned into TMZ rather than a highlight real.

Case in point: Tiger Woods

Since Friday, all of sports coverage has been dedicated to Tiger Woods. If he just won a major, a Grand Slam, broke a record, etc I could understand. But no. Coverage has been dedicated to him because of his minor car accident that has resulted in information about an affair or affairs.

Sadly, our media can’t get enough of it probably because we can’t get enough of it. We love the coverage. We love the rumors. We love the allegations. We love seeing a falling star. Gossip feels great because it’s fueled by speculation and up-to-the-minute updates.

But let’s be honest: IT’S NONE OF OUR BUSINESS!

Are extramarital affairs wrong? Yes. There’s no doubt about it. But would you want your dirty laundry aired on cable TV 24/7, discussed by radio hosts across the country, written about in every paper and online site, and a trending topic on Twitter. No way. We need to get out of it. It’s not our battle. It’s not our fight. This is between Tiger Woods and his wife.

The solution to stop the nonsense is easy: Quit talking about it. But that doesn’t happen in our society. Some may even argue that I’m fueling the fire by writing this. But my point is simple: this is none of our business. It doesn’t need to be talked about on TV, radio, the newspaper, etc.

Let’s pray for these people; not broadcast their personal lives across the wire.

It’s time for ESPN to get back to what it does best: Sports. For some reason, the network seems to think we all deeply care about are Tiger Woods, Derek Jeter, the Lakers, and Tom Brady. Sadly they may be right.

But when it comes to tabloid mania, it still remains none of our business.

Today I turned 25 years old. Yep, I’m 1/4 of the way to the century mark. Today made me think of what some of my “favorites” have been in my life–my favorite songs, video games, TV shows, friends, subjects in school, etc. When I was a little kid (I use the term “little” loosely), my favorite show was Sesame Street. My earliest memory of Sesame Street is still one of my favorites. It was James Taylor singing “Jelly Man Kelly.” That happened in 1980…4 years before I was even born. 29 years later, I’m still a fan of James Taylor (and Sesame Street). It’s amazing how some things never change. Since today is my 25th birthday, and this year is Sesame Street’s 40th anniversary, I thought I’d share a little bit of my favorite moment:

Ask any fan of CBS’ popular show The Big Bang Theory who their favorite character is, and 99% of people will tell you it’s Sheldon (played by Jim Parsons).

Likewise, ask fans of NBC’s show Community the same question and it’s likely a majority will tell you their favorite character is Abed (played by Danny Pudi).

What’s interesting is that both characters seem to have some type of disorder that many have labeled as Aspergers. In fact, in one of the first episodes of Community, Jeff (played by Joel McHale) directly tells Abed that he has Aspergers.

According to Wikipedia, Asperger syndrome is “an autism spectrum disorder, and people with it therefore show significant difficulties in social interaction, along with restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior and interests.”

Symptoms of this are very evident in Sheldon. He is socially awkward and often gets on his friends’ nerves because of his repetitive behavior that seems OCD. He has trouble with social interaction, often being clueless as to when someone is using sarcasm. Although he’s a genius, he’s often the butt of all the jokes and just doesn’t have a clue.

Abed shows many of these symptoms but in different ways. Though socially awkward, he is also very culturally aware. Typically, Abed is the one making the jokes instead of getting made fun of. However, he seems to having a problem taking social or emotional clues from other cast members, often living outside the norm and doing his own thing and being his own person.

When interviewed about the possibility of Sheldon having Aspergers, Jim Parsons had this to say:

When I asked the writers if Sheldon had Asperger’s, they said, “No, he does not. That’s not what we’re doing.” Okay. But it made me curious. And I don’t know why, but Johnny read that book Look Me In The Eye by Augusten Burroughs’ brother [John Elder Robison], who wrote about his life with Asperger’s. I think Johnny purchased it and took it with him on a trip, and when he came back he said, “You’ve got to read this. You’re gonna die. The Sheldon comparisons.” And I immediately went and I got it. And that was as much “research” as I’ve done on it. Which was very fun research, because it was very applicable human stories about living with Asperger’s. And the comparisons were undeniable. (Thanks to The A.V. Club for the article)

So far, I have not heard any comments from NBC about Abed possibly having the disorder.

By scanning through some message boards, blogs, articles, etc. I have noticed several reactions to the idea the characters have Aspergers. Some are extremely upset and refuse to watch the shows because of the portrayals. Some of the people, which include parents of children with Aspergers, say they are extremely offended by people making jokes at a very real disorder. However, others, including parents of children with Aspergers, love the idea that there are characters on TV that have this disorder. One father said his child with Aspergers has always longed to see TV incorporate characters with these real disorders to make people see that they are real. Other people have said that it has opened up their eyes to a disorder that they didn’t know is real.

I’m not here to argue if it’s right or wrong, but I do find it extremely interesting that two of the most popular and likable characters on television seem to have this disorder. Maybe this is because we’ve exploited the quirks of the disorder, but I’m not so sure. During the current season of The Amazing Race, one of the most popular teams was Zev and Justin. Zev was the first contestant on the show with Aspergers. Before their elimination, they became one of the most popular teams on the show as many came to love Zev’s unique personality and unique sense of humor.

While Sheldon and Abed aren’t exactly representatives of “reality,” I do think that along with their senses of humor (thanks to well-written shows), people have come to love their differences and quirks. Maybe it’s exploitation. Maybe it’s people acknowledging these disorders are real and coming to accept and love the people that have them nonetheless. I guess that’s not for me to decide…

Earlier today, I was doing some research on Seth MacFarlane (Family Guy) for an article I’m writing. Without a doubt, MacFarlane has a huge influence over teenagers and young adults. They got me thinking: Who are the most influential celebrities? In other words, what celebrities have the most input/influence over the development and shaping of our culture?

One publication named Zac Efron as the most influential celebrity. I tend to disagree.

Here are some people who I think make that list (in no particular order):

Seth MacFarlane
Beyonce
Lorne Michaels (SNL)
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie
Ashton Kutcher
J.J. Abrams
Stephenie Meyer
Barack Obama
Bono
Oprah
Simon Cowell
Jack Dorsey and Biz Stone (Twitter)
Tiger Woods
Miley Cyrus
Michael Jordan
Steve Jobs
Judd Apatow
Kanye West
Michael Jackson

If you think of more, please feel free to comment and add your own list. I’m very curious to see the results. I’m not instituting a “Vote for your Favorite Celebrity.” Instead, I want to see what factors make someone so influential. Is it talent, skill, ability, being in the right place at the right time, being born into wealth, etc?

If you didn’t see last night’s episode of The Late Show With David Letterman or haven’t turned on your local news this morning, you may have missed a story that seems so twisted that it seems like it should be part of a Letterman monologue.

Last night on his show, Letterman admitted that he had sexual relationships with female employees on the show. Letterman was married back in March to his longtime girlfriend. They have been together since 1986 and she is the mother of his son, who was born in 2003. It was not said when the affairs took place. However, someone tried to extort $2 million from Letterman over the affairs. They threatened to go public with the information if he did not give them the money. Letterman came forward with the facts and that person was arrested.

I could sit here and slam Letterman for his affairs. I could sit here and slam Letterman for having a child with his girlfriend prior to getting married. I’m not going to do that.

The thing that confuses me is the hypocrisy in media. Letterman has made his living making jokes off of high profile people who have done stupid things. Lately, he’s attacked Senator Joe Wilson for speaking out in Congress, and has bashed every political figure (especially Republicans) who have had extramarital affairs. He also found plenty of material when Senator John Edwards admitted to having an affair and fathering the child with a woman that was not his wife.

It’s interesting that Letterman has been able to make these jokes while participating in the same actions. It’s almost as if he’s held to a lower standard or gets a free pass because he’s an entertainer. Even last night, Letterman was making jokes about the matter.

It seems like the media has fun at pointing the finger at whoever they want to, yet they never even think about pointing that finger back at themselves. They have no problem with pointing out the hypocrisy in others, yet meanwhile they’re prime examples of hypocrites themselves.

Just my thoughts…

Yesterday I looked over the nominees for the Teen Choice Awards (August 10). Some thoughts came to my mind that I thought I’d share with you. You can agree or disagree…I’m cool with whatever. But I think from just looking at the nominees, we can learn something about today’s teens:

- When it comes to media/art, teens are more concerned with who’s involved, how this applies to my life, what emotions does this bring, and what’s this based on over quality. In the category for Best Drama, the nominees are: Angels & Demons,
Obsessed,
Slumdog Millionaire,
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and Twilight. While Slumdog Millionaire won the Oscar for Best Picture, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was nominated, I predict neither of these films will win. Instead, the nod will go to Twilight, a movie that was ripped by critics. Why? It’s based on a bestselling teen novel, features teen heartthrobs, and proves…

- The world/culture of a teenager is very different from other demographics. Twilight is leading the way with 12 Teen Choice nominations. Second place a tie with High School Musical 3, Miley Cyrus, and Gossip Girl all having 10 nominations. All of these nominations provide examples of fads that are “hot right now” but probably won’t be in 5 years. Vampires are in. The HSM phenomenon is still big. Miley/Hanna Montana still appeals to tweens. Gossip Girl is a recycled teen drama that was popular 10 years ago but probably won’t be popular 5 years from now. 10 years from now…maybe. Teen culture is all about what’s hot right now. These trends fade very fast! Teens catch em for a short time, and then wave goodbye to them as yesterday’s news. The rest of life doesn’t seem to move quite as fast as the world of teens.

- Teens are drawn into things that appear old than they are. In the movie category of Best Bromantic Comedy (yes, that’s a category), the nominees are: I Love You Man, Role Models, Marley & Me, Pineapple Express, and Tropic Thunder. If you look carefully, 4 out of the 5 movies are rated R. Technically, teenagers are supposed to be 17+ to see R-rated movies in the theater. However, 80% of the nominees for the Teen Choice Awards are R-rated. Cute and fun comedies don’t appeal to teens as much as the raunchy stuff that college students are seeing. Let’s face it: the average teenage guy would rather see a movie like The Hangover (featuring nudity, sex, drug references, etc.) than Paul Blart (a cheesy/clean comedy with Kevin James).

- Teens are caught in a match of tug-of-war between being a kid and being an adult. This is definitely seen in the nominees for Best TV Show Comedy (Hannah Montana, How I Met Your Mother, iCarly, The Office, and Ugly Betty) and Best TV Animated Show (Family Guy, American Dad, South Park, The Simpsons, and SpongeBob SquarePants). Take a look at that contrast. When it comes to comedies, Hannah Montana is lined up right next to How I Met Your Mother. Are a Disney show comedy and a CBS comedy anything alike? Not at all. Look at the choices for TV Animated Show. You’ve got SpongeBob Squarepants thrown in with Family Guy and South Park. While these awards obviously deal with teens from 13-18, it still shows the battle teens face between being a kid and being an adult (and possible the differences between a 13 year old and 18 year old). Teens are in a weird stage in life. They don’t quite know where they fit in with school, church, life, relationships, friendships, etc.

Here’s something a little different.

Today, Jacob Riggs and I recorded a podcast for The Brink. The Brink podcast is the audio arm of The Brink devotional magazine and small group studies for twentysomethings.

Today’s topics included The Bachelorette, steroids in baseball, a Christian’s view of torture, and your mom on Facebook.

If you’d like to listen, visit thebrinkonline.com or visit the direct link to the podcast by clicking here.

Also, you can subscribe to the podcast through iTunes. We’d really love you if you did that!

Enjoy!

A few days ago I posted about the semi-reality TV show Jon & Kate Plus 8. I questioned if by watching the show, people are contributing to the downward spiral of the marriage between Jon and Kate. At the end of the post, I asked if there was an ethical dilemma with watching the show.

Tonight I came across a post by Walt Mueller, founder of Center for Parent/Youth Understanding (CPYU) concerning this same topic. Mueller is one of the best Christian leaders in understanding today’s culture, and understanding how it’s affecting today’s youth. He’s also great at sorting through the mess of today’s culture and giving us a biblical response. If you’re ever looking for a great example of being in the world but not of the world…while still remaining relevant to today’s culture, Mueller is your man.

While Mueller already has a step up on most in dissecting culture, he was able to bring unique perspective into the Jon & Kate Plus 8 fiasco. Why? Mueller lives in Elizabethtown, PA, the town where the show first took place. Mueller has actually had some interactions with the family. 

If you get the opportunity, check out his website. His unique perspective brings so much to the table:

Click Here to Read Walt Mueller’s Post

Or paste this URL in your browser: http://learningmylines.blogspot.com/2009/06/jon-kate-too-late.html