Hip Vs. Popular

While we have been focusing on what hip is this semester, I think it is also important to think about what hip isn't. A deeper understanding can be reached by knowing what it is not.

For the most part, we have decided that hip is the result of separate cultures mixing together, including social change, within the United States that has spread to other parts of globe. Some obvious example stick out to me that have a large market, pull in large chunks of dough, but don't fit into Leland's definition of hip. As there are different members of society that do not, will not admit that they do not want, or will not acknowledge that they benefit from cultural mixing and social change.

One example that comes to mind immediately is Steve McFarland's Family Guy. While the show is very popular, it also makes an effort to alienate any viewer that doesn't happen to be a White man. The writer's seem to have a fondness for "edgy" humor, which usually just means using humor that could possibly be interpreted as racist, sexist (ex clip 1, ex clip 2,),  homophobic (clip), or ableist (clip). He seems to hold an interesting place in culture as most people I have heard from either despise him or completely adore him. This could also be a question of whither or not shows such as South Park and Family Guy could have a category of hip and if hip must always be inclusive. It could also be a situation of the differences between the current and previous generation's understanding of hip as each generation has a different understanding of what exactly each of that entails. However, I think that while edgy humor shows have created a wider allowance of what is and isn't allowed on television, I think they tend to push more towards the popular end of the spectrum as minorities for the most part are often pushed away from humor that directly attacks them. They also seem to make the point that only certain groups of people are allowed to make edgy jokes (clip).

Another example of popularity rather than hip, is the Big Bang Theory. If the laugh tracks are taken out of the show, it's unentertainment value is made obvious (clip). While this show does attempt to try to get at something that could possibly be interpreted as hip through nerds in the tech and science field it does not particularly capture the experience of nerdy individuals very well. At least in my opinion, as someone who has always been kind of nerdy, it more or less creates an impression of what individuals who are not nerdy think nerds are. While I have met younger individuals who watch the Big Bang Theory before, most of the individuals I have met who watch the show loyally tend to be of the previous generation. The impression I come away with is that in part it is an attempt of the older generation to catch a voyeuristic glimpse of the younger generation, particularly those viewers who happen to have nerd children. As hip things are meant to bring about this cultural blending, it's difficult to imagine this show as hip as it seems to draw an audience that has already become more resistant to change.