Trash culture
Encyclopedia
Trash culture is a term for some aspects of modern culture
in the UK and USA that peaked in the 1990s
and 2000s. The term is used for labeling the cultural by-products of modernism with barbarism
and injustice
.
, fast-food, mass media
, popular music
, teenage culture, movies, talk shows, tabloids, comic books, cartoons, social media
and other forums of media. Many shows, films, music and other forms of art that are often associated with Trash culture are branded as having little educational and artistic value. However, many argue that many shows that fall under this category are often taking risks by bringing to light controversial topics. Some also say that these shows have entertainment value, sometimes unintentionally.
Shows, movies and music that have been branded as trash culture, are sometimes found to have been influenced by classical work, such as the show Friends
being based on William Shakespeare
's Much Ado about Nothing
. These works that have elements of trash culture often end up being heralded for taking risks, pushing boundaries, and being ahead of their time.
, violence, homophobia
, racism
and xenophobia
.
Popular culture
Popular culture is the totality of ideas, perspectives, attitudes, memes, images and other phenomena that are deemed preferred per an informal consensus within the mainstream of a given culture, especially Western culture of the early to mid 20th century and the emerging global mainstream of the...
in the UK and USA that peaked in the 1990s
1990s
File:1990s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: The Hubble Space Telescope floats in space after it was taken up in 1990; American F-16s and F-15s fly over burning oil fields and the USA Lexie in Operation Desert Storm, also known as the 1991 Gulf War; The signing of the Oslo Accords on...
and 2000s. The term is used for labeling the cultural by-products of modernism with barbarism
Barbarian
Barbarian and savage are terms used to refer to a person who is perceived to be uncivilized. The word is often used either in a general reference to a member of a nation or ethnos, typically a tribal society as seen by an urban civilization either viewed as inferior, or admired as a noble savage...
and injustice
Injustice
Injustice is the lack of or opposition to justice, either in reference to a particular event or act, or as a larger status quo. The term generally refers to misuse, abuse, neglect, or malfeasance that is uncorrected or else sanctioned by a legal system. Misuse and abuse with regard to a particular...
.
Overview
The term was coined originally by Richard K. Simon, who paraphrased skeptics who connotated modern culture with the downfall of society's standards and morals. Trash culture is associated with televisionTelevision
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
, fast-food, mass media
Mass media
Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...
, popular music
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
, teenage culture, movies, talk shows, tabloids, comic books, cartoons, social media
Social media
The term Social Media refers to the use of web-based and mobile technologies to turn communication into an interactive dialogue. Andreas Kaplan and Michael Haenlein define social media as "a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0,...
and other forums of media. Many shows, films, music and other forms of art that are often associated with Trash culture are branded as having little educational and artistic value. However, many argue that many shows that fall under this category are often taking risks by bringing to light controversial topics. Some also say that these shows have entertainment value, sometimes unintentionally.
Shows, movies and music that have been branded as trash culture, are sometimes found to have been influenced by classical work, such as the show Friends
Friends
Friends is an American sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994 to May 6, 2004. The series revolves around a group of friends in Manhattan. The series was produced by Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
being based on William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
's Much Ado about Nothing
Much Ado About Nothing
Much Ado About Nothing is a comedy written by William Shakespeare about two pairs of lovers, Benedick and Beatrice, and Claudio and Hero....
. These works that have elements of trash culture often end up being heralded for taking risks, pushing boundaries, and being ahead of their time.
Characteristics
Trash culture is generally embodied by the lower classes. It is largely reactionary towards the status quo and upper classes, being characterized by binge drinking, smoking, anti-intellectualism, irresponsible behavior, fashion-conscious youths, ignorant uneducated adults, misbehavior at school, petty crime, organized crimeOrganized crime
Organized crime or criminal organizations are transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals for the purpose of engaging in illegal activity, most commonly for monetary profit. Some criminal organizations, such as terrorist organizations, are...
, violence, homophobia
Homophobia
Homophobia is a term used to refer to a range of negative attitudes and feelings towards lesbian, gay and in some cases bisexual, transgender people and behavior, although these are usually covered under other terms such as biphobia and transphobia. Definitions refer to irrational fear, with the...
, racism
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
and xenophobia
Xenophobia
Xenophobia is defined as "an unreasonable fear of foreigners or strangers or of that which is foreign or strange". It comes from the Greek words ξένος , meaning "stranger," "foreigner" and φόβος , meaning "fear."...
.
See also
- Lower class
- Low cultureLow cultureLow culture is a term for some forms of popular culture. Its opposite is high culture. It has been said by culture theorists that both high culture and low culture are subcultures....
- High cultureHigh cultureHigh culture is a term, now used in a number of different ways in academic discourse, whose most common meaning is the set of cultural products, mainly in the arts, held in the highest esteem by a culture...
- Middle America
- Politically correctPolitically CorrectPolitically Correct may refer to:*Political correctness, language, ideas, policies, or behaviour seeking to minimize offence to groups of people-See also:*Politically Correct Bedtime Stories, book by James Finn Garner, published in 1994...
- Politically incorrectPolitically incorrectThe phrase "politically incorrect" may refer to:* Someone or something which does not meet a standard of political correctness* Politically Incorrect, a late-night U.S. political talk show* Politically Incorrect, a German political blog...
- Toilet humour
- Tongue-in-CheekTongue-in-cheekTongue-in-cheek is a phrase used as a figure of speech to imply that a statement or other production is humorously intended and it should not be taken at face value. The facial expression typically indicates that one is joking or making a mental effort. In the past, it may also have indicated...
- Popular culturePopular culturePopular culture is the totality of ideas, perspectives, attitudes, memes, images and other phenomena that are deemed preferred per an informal consensus within the mainstream of a given culture, especially Western culture of the early to mid 20th century and the emerging global mainstream of the...
- Black ComedyBlack ComedyBlack Comedy is a one-act farce by Peter Shaffer, first performed in 1965.The play is written to be staged under a reversed lighting scheme: the play opens on a darkened stage...
- Mad Magazine
- ProfanityProfanityProfanity is a show of disrespect, or a desecration or debasement of someone or something. Profanity can take the form of words, expressions, gestures, or other social behaviors that are socially constructed or interpreted as insulting, rude, vulgar, obscene, desecrating, or other forms.The...
Further reading
- Simon, Richard Keller. Trash Culture: Popular Culture and the Great Tradition. 1999. University of California Press.