Someone needs to say something. This hidden and truly menacing epidemic needs to emerge from the darkness, and into the blinding light of truth. I can't keep it to myself any longer. That wouldn't be right. If I keep it secret one moment more, my conscience will surely be crushed. Someone needs to say something, and that someone must be me. I am here to break the silence. What silence, you ask?
The silence surrounding the lack of Pop Culture education for certain disadvantaged children - it’s an education that needs to begin at home. There, I said it!
I wholeheartedly advocate active play, outdoor adventures, the reading of books (like, to the max) and other such healthy activities for young children and big kids alike. I even appreciate the Steiner philosophy. Still, there's a worrying aspect to all of this when the absence of movies and TV threatens to create a Pop Culture Knowledge-Deficient Individual (PCKDI).
At worst, it's an insidious form of child abuse/neglect. It seems innocuous enough at first, but it creeps up on a vulnerable young person, making them susceptible to social awkwardness and embarrassing silences. The victim seems, at times, clueless, humourless and difficult for his or her peers to comprehend.
For example: you’re in another country, let’s say Ireland. You’re at an Irish (by default) pub, having a few Malibu’s and Cokes (‘cause Guiness is gross). You peer over your alcoholic beverage to see your ex, (who is meant to be out of sight, back home in Australia) enter the room. Naturally, you say, ‘Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, he walks into mine.’ How would you and your posse react if one you responded with: ‘Uh... this isn’t a gin joint, though. It’s a pub. And it’s not yours. It belongs to us all, really, when you think about it’?
I care not whether you have or haven’t seen Casablanca. All one needs to know is that it’s a famous quote from a famous movie, that’s all. It’s not a lot to ask.*
Just had a thought... imagine how the awkwardness would mount if someone else quipped, ‘I see Dead People’. The Pop Culture Dunce would flip!
Anyway, I digress. All I’m trying to say is that a youngster needs strong foundations in life. Research shows that the first seven years are the formative ones. That gives you seven years to get your child/niece/nephew/neighbour off to a good start. Now and then, simply snuggle up on the couch with said rug rat to view any of the following classic shows: Scooby Doo (and let's leave that irritating Scrappy Doo out of it), Care Bears or The Muppet Show. When they're a bit older, with a longer attention span, be sure to move on to movie greats such as Back to the Future, Adventures in Babysitting (aka A Night on the Town) or Star Wars. (Star Wars isn't one of my faves, but it just seems wrong for impressionable youth to struggle through life not knowing who Yoda, R2-D2 and C-3PO are.)
Think about your offspring's future. How awkward will said sprog feel when he or she partakes in some kind of Uni drinking game and unwittingly halts conversation when they ask, 'Who's Seth Rogen?' during a retro showing of Knocked Up? (Not that my kids will ever play drinking games, unless they consist of nothing more lethal than red cordial). It's even worse if their peers are reminiscing over the old days of being sat in front of Yo Gabba Gabba and Lazy Town as littl’uns, and all your ignorant darling can say is 'Uh... I partook in active play as a kid...'
I don't know of many kids who don't get enough screen time, but they are out there. The proper research hasn’t been conducted as yet, but there are those who desperately need to be rescued. I've heard Mums say 'We don't watch much TV', but I've gradually learned that that simply translates as 'We watch a whole shipload of DVD's and downloads'! The children of these Mums are not in any danger.
Still, who knows how many will be affected in future?
I enjoyed a reasonably healthy combination of playing outside in bare feet and memorising the scripts of one Punky Brewster as a child, while some others of my generation were unwittingly subjected to a debilitating pop culture deficiency. Get this: I know a woman who's never heard of Weird Al Yankovic. I'm aware of a bloke who possesses no knowledge of Castle Greyskull, let alone White Castle. There are rumours of an individual who has never seen an episode of Family Ties. A good friend of mine still hasn't seen Grease! It seems criminal. I wonder how she feels when the Grease Megamix fires up at a wedding and everyone except her goes ape shit. The loneliness must be palpable.
These PCKDI’s tend to ask ridiculous questions, like, ‘What’s a flux capacitor?’ and ‘Who’s Jem, and why is she truly outrageous?’ They squirm and try to change topic when flummoxed peers stare blankly at them, obviously feeling pity. It’s heartbreaking to witness.
So, if you are a parent, step-parent, teacher, aunt, uncle, friend-of-the family, carer or concerned onlooker, make sure to check in on a child or children, who you suspect may be at risk of becoming a casualty/casualties of Pop Culture Ignorance. Do it now, before it’s too late.
Before you laugh this warning off, just consider the potential future repercussions - I will share a sad story with you: I know of one woman who only saw Dirty Dancing for the first time last year. She watched Patrick Swayze (rest his soul) sway, Jennifer Grey leap into said hunk’s arms, heard all the wonderful music, and probably consumed some good popcorn too. Still, she concluded that it was merely ‘okay’. Sadly, it was too late for her to appreciate the brilliance of the movie. Even now, whenever someone says, ‘Nobody puts Baby in the corner’, this poor woman utters something about leaving infants in inconspicuous areas, and everybody leaves the room, pretending they didn’t hear her.
This woman is a friend of mine. Imagine how hard that is for me to think about, let alone share with you.
There is hope, however. You can break the chain of ignorance – show a shorty an episode of Shera: Princess of Power and go from there. It’s the first step...
*Just for the record, I have seen Casablanca. It’s a great movie. You should see it. Then you can quote it with authority. Just sayin’.
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