In the cartoon ,“The Evolution of Pop Culture Scapegoats”, it talked about the ideas in Chapter 8 about how popular culture is often misunderstood and unfairly blamed for societal issues. Within the comic’s depiction, it highlights how society has shifted from blaming rock musicians like Marilyn Manson for tragedies like the Columbine shooting, a school-shooting incident, while also blaming internet creations like Slender Man for violent behavior. This reflects chapter 8’s idea that popular culture doesn’t need to be consumed by everyone to be influential—it’s embedded enough in society that people are familiar with it and often react strongly, especially when tragedy strikes. The cartoon also shows how politicians and media figures sometimes simplify complex social issues by pointing fingers at pop culture rather than addressing root causes like mental health or social isolation.

I remember growing up that I always enjoyed playing Grand Theft Auto (GTA).In that video game, you act as a criminal and are allowed to do illegal stuff. A few years ago, GTA was blamed for promoting violence among teens and several school shootings as well. As someone who grew up playing video games with friends, I found it frustrating that the media never talked about the benefits of playing video games and never pointed out the hypocrisy in their argument. For us gamers, video games was just a way to connect and unwind. This made me realize how easily misunderstood pop culture can be by those who aren’t part of it, and how dangerous that misunderstanding can become when it shapes public opinion or policy.

This entry is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license.