Trash culture

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.

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 television, fast-food, mass media, popular music, teenage culture, movies, talk shows, tabloids, comic books, cartoons, social media and other forums of media.^{[citation needed]} 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.^{[citation needed]} However, many argue that many shows that fall under this category are often taking risks by bringing to light controversial topics.^{[citation needed]} 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.^{[citation needed]} These works that have elements of trash culture often end up being heralded for taking risks, pushing boundaries, and being ahead of their time.^{[citation needed]}

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 crime, violence, homophobia, racism and xenophobia.

See also

• Lower class
• Low culture
• High culture
• Middle America
• Politically correct
• Politically incorrect
• Toilet humour
• Tongue-in-Cheek
• Popular culture
• Black Comedy
• Mad Magazine
• Profanity

Further reading

• Simon, Richard Keller. Trash Culture: Popular Culture and the Great Tradition. 1999. University of California Press.