Popular culture

Popular culture seems to idolize a certain way of living. As I listened to “Pop That Pussy” by 2 Live Crew, I couldn’t help but notice the themes: open sex, partying hard, doing drugs, and living without limits. The message is clear—freedom means indulgence. In another one of their songs, “Banned in the USA,” the group pushes back against censorship, arguing that their lyrics are misunderstood and not meant to promote violence or disrespect toward women. They claim to be simply expressing pleasure and freedom in a new era, pushing against the morals of those who don’t understand—likely white, conservative America. Hearing those lyrics made me reflect on the current state of popular culture, especially from my perspective as a middle-class white guy in my early twenties. Today, in much of rap, movies, and TikTok, there’s this ever-present sense that to be “free” is to act on every desire. If you want to fuck, you fuck. If you want to do drugs, you do them. If you want to party and lose ...
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July 11

 I have a hard time trusting people. It feels like lots have hidden agendas and little slips or weird-sounding sentences give them away. This could all be in my head but the feelings become even more perpetuated when I start listening to podcasters and online voices. Everyone has a take on the current situation and in the end you have zero clue who to trust. 

All I do know is that there is poverty, homelessness, crime, and unhappiness in the streets of New York. It depresses me to know those things and it feels wrong that I don't live that life. 

It gets me down that we still have so much suffering and it worries me that people don't seem to care. 

I just want to feel like I have a certain understanding of how things work but in reality, I don't. Most people who are happy seem either oblivious to those things or have a mindset that is fixed and allows them to see the world in a certain way. For example, when they see people living in poverty they might think to themselves or express out loud, that that person isn't trying. As if they ever had to grow up in an environment like that. 

It just disgusts me that some people think like that but that type of thinking helps them rationalize their world. 

I've thought about flipping the thinking in a way and just saying that, these people were dealt a bad hand and although mine wasn't great either, I have to be thankful for the life I live. 


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