"Devine, James" wrote: > > alas I missed his speech. I had to work last night. > > (I like to watch the candidates' convention speeches > for the same reason I saw Terminator I and II, i.e., to > keep up with popular culture.) >
That seems a better motive than most have. :-) Maillists tend to tell you everything you need to know (and sometimes a lot more than you want to know) about "popular culture." The main problem is that no one seems to be able to describe what they mean by popular culture. That was partly behind the long list of questions I posted not long ago. (How many watch Fox News, watch CBS, don't watch any, etc.) For example, in addition to the high-rated TV shows there are in fact hundreds of TV shows, presumably watched by _some_ people (who also presumably make up part of popular culture). What percentage of the adult population regularly watches at least one of the top three TV shows in a given year? What do we have to say about those (number unknown to me) who do not watch any of the top three TV shows? What percentage of the population does NOT see at least seven of the 10 most popular movies? What information about popular culture is given us by the existence of the "Western Channel" on cable tv. What is the cultural status (popular or freakish) of those who watch reruns of Gunsmoke or old Autry movies? How many do watch the reruns of Gunsmoke? Carrol P.S. The last president and/or presidential candidate that I heard deliver more than two consecutive sentences by (the time it takes to reach the radio dial) was LBJ in 1964. But I've never had any trouble understanding anything anyone said to me about the current president and/or candidate.
