My Two-Cents: Pop-Culture

Last week at the bar, I struck up a conversation with a lad about pop culture. Movies. IMBD top 100. Jokes. Comedy. A good old well-executed play on words. Stand up. TV Shows. Yada Yada Yada. The brilliant writing of classic sitcoms. This and that. The impact of a well-versed joke. Comical geniuses and stuff. And the big takeaway was, people should watch more TV. Add famous actors' and actresses' names to your vocabulary. Because here’s a little secret: you don’t actually need to be a funny person, you just need to watch a lot of TV. Because joke fraud isn’t fraud if it’s a good joke. And chances are, some of the funniest people you know are really just whip-smart pop culture gurus. 

I think if everyone in high school was required to take a pop culture ACT, the world be a better place. These top scores would be of their own entirely different league. Fuck the 34s, 35s, and 36s that go on to the dorms of Ivy’s – the pop culture valedictorians would go on to revolutionize media as we know it. The big guys would trailblaze nightly sitcoms, standup, and Tik-Tok comedy monologues; the small guys would crack remarks at the water fountain of your 9-5. Both are different directions, yet equally important. 

Humor has such an important place in our society. It’s fucking good for you to laugh. And if you can’t laugh at yourself, or you are just an un-funny prick (and need to watch a movie), at least you can laugh at the funny guys around you – who are probably funny because they have taken the time to watch TV. And if you are interested in leaving the un-funny prick category and becoming one of those office sly guys at the water fountain, here are some places to start your pop-culture sexual awakening. Even if these things don’t make you funnier, they’ll be sure to give you things to small talk about.

Pop-culture Starter Pack

1. Seinfeld: I could go on and on about the comical geniuses behind this show. The writing is brilliant; the “show about nothing” was a pioneer of its time. But one episode in particular is what everyone should see – The Contest, Season 4 Episode 11
2. The Office and Parks and Rec: Comedies that everyone can like. Uncomfortable humor, hilarious plotlines, and ingeniously written characters.
3. SNL Though the Decades: Peacock has a thing you can watch that is basically just SNL bests from each era -- and it’s TOTALLY worth the watch. Improve your improv literacy.
4. Super Bad: This movie was a cultural reset. “Why the fuck did you pick McLovin?”
5. Marvel Movies: These movies are hilarious with well-thought-out, intertwining plot lines that span a decade, watch them!
6. Any 80s-00s Rom Com: The gilded-age of Rom Coms. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, 10-Things I Hate About You, The Other Woman, Failure to Launch, Wedding Crashers, etc. Peak of love and comedy. 
7. Set It Up: The best rom com of the 10s, by UNANIMOUS account. Everyone should see this, it’s on Netflix. I know I’ve seen it an unhealthy amount of times.
8. The Kardashians: This is America’s royal family. Based out of a murder trial that turned many once-unknowns into household names, followed by a sex tape that blossomed a multi-million dollar family industry. It doesn’t hurt to keep up with the ins, outs, and basics of this family. Not so much for humor, just for kulture.
9. Anything Adam Sandler: Anything Mr. Sandler has touched.
10. Harry Potter: If you are above 20 years old, and you have never seen or read Harry Potter – what are you doing with your life?
11. Despicable me: The Gru accent was a well-known humor staple at my high school. Not sure if this is normal, but it sure was funny.
12. Anything else that you find funny: Everyone has their own little unique sense of humor, so watch a bunch of shit, find out what you find funny, and then invest some time into it. I love hearing about people's personal pop-culture niches.

The first ever blog post I wrote six months ago was about small talk – and how it’s over-rated. However, I think it’s important to recognize it’s a necessary part of life. But your small talk doesn’t have to be like watching paint dry. What I’m trying to get at is, if everyone watched more damn movies, I think we would have more to (small) talk about! So get at it. Find things you find funny, invest in them – and then share them with others. Because all of the things I listed are just things I find funny and cool, and chances are, you have your own set of pop-culture basics. And next time you're at the bar, share them with someone. Because your favorite movie and why is probably cooler than the weather, and I'd love to hear about it.

Yours truly,

Kate Elizabeth Thorstenson.

P.S -- Dad, if you're reading this -- sorry about the profanity. I think it really adds pizazz.