Don't Lose Your Head To Popular Culture!
05/18/11 Filed in: News & Views
Pop Culture permeates society or it wouldn’t be popular. And yet, while it is fashionable, it is not very thoughtful. In fact, it promotes mindlessness! We see this in advertising all the time. A certain product becomes “cool,” and then it becomes all the rage. A stampede to the stores leads to the gadget or gizmo flying off the shelves. Many of these shoppers can’t really defend their purchases intellectually. They just fell for the herd mentality of popular culture.
The mindlessness of Pop Culture is seen with the revelation that former California Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger fathered a child with a house staffer ten years ago. Now that his political career is over, he goes public with the news. This shows more political calculation than moral sensitivity. And yet many Americans are shocked at his reported behavior. Mr. Schwarzenegger never really reinvented himself from a shallow pop icon to a strong political leader. He could dress and act the part for a while, but the pressures of high office in tough times revealed the strong man’s moral unfitness. Most Hollywood celebrities are products of popular culture. A morally-clueless Hollywood is not a very good crucible for forging leaders.
What do we learn from Popular Culture? Never trade substance for style. What this country needs is moral and spiritual substance, not the thin veneer of style that promotes a celebrity mindset. Cool is a fad; character is a force. So, don’t lose your head to Popular Culture! Keep it by thinking on God’s Word—it’s not as trendy, perhaps, but timeless truth never is. Follow the example of one of history’s greatest substantive leaders, King David, who said long ago: “I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto the testimonies” (Psalm 119:59).
