How Does Pop Culture Influence Politics

To what extent has Pop Culture Become Too Involved In Politics?

Pop culture can mean many different things to many different people. Pop culture is a form of entertainment that is consumed by mass amounts of people. Some forms of pop culture include; television, movies, music, popular tendencies, trendy clothing etc. One way to view pop culture is through a political lense. Pop culture and politics go hand and hand when it comes to one making decisions. Whether that decision is watching the six o’clock news on your favorite news casting network, or who to vote for in the next primary election. Pop culture can influence our identities and the way we perceive ourselves without use even knowing it at times.

Politics and pop culture tend to collide

Pop culture outlets such as film and song can be used to push political agendas onto consumers. Most often we see music artist put in their two cents on global current events. For instance, Michael Jackson produced the song "Heal the World" during the Gulf War. In short, Jackson’s song is about making the world a better place and loving your neighbors, but this must start by loving yourself. This song made individuals appreciate what they had and altered their mindset. Another impactful way to present a message with the intention of impacting the way you perceive yourself is through film. In Yenerall study, he mentions how Walt Disney Productions was approached by the government to produce an animated propaganda short film that was anti-nazi. This film was entitled Education for Death. This was a very impactful title because of its implicit meaning, it made you anticipate what the film is about before watching it. The film more or less perceives the Nazi’s as brainwashed infidels, who have no morals what so ever and are raised to do horrible things. People saw this film and it influenced them in their political standing during this war. This film was created to bring nations together and fight a common enemy. Walt Disney was not only involved in making WWII short films but, also films that would encourage Americans to join the US Army and Navy (Yenerall pg. 98 - 2). Other well know anti-nazi / anti-fascist movies include: Casablanca, Julia and Pan’s Labyrinth. Film is a productive way of getting your political ideas to a wide range of people. All of these films, no matter what the message is, has a significant impact on how people perceive