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Well, you did ask for feedback.

So I'm not an expert on pop culture. Guess I've always been more attuned to subcultures. I came here out of curiosity, see if I could learn something.

You don't have a definition of 'pop culture' but by skimming this blog a couple of patterns do arise. Horny white male yearnings? Stupid consumerism? When you do your research do you got to the nearest search engine and type in 'mainstream smut'? No wonder my kids have already rejected mainstream as somewhat embarrassing and of little worth.

Let's look at your Brittany comeback comments. First, I have to say you are clever. The whole tropical depression thing--you are an amusing and insightful writer to be sure. But please, where is your compassion? She's not quite ready to be consigned to a Dove lotion ad--which is another rant altogether. Of course she's ready cannon fodder for the arm chair army. You can't air brush a live performance. Shame.

Did you know that there is a growing Free Hugs movement in Guilford County? Have you missed or dismissed the DDR craze? I went to a coffee shop in sleepy old Burlington the other night and was delighted to find a group of pierced rainbow haired tween-teen-twenty somethings building a great rapport through an interactive night of acoustic guitar and singing. There was gender-age-race hospitality. There was a lot of laughter and support of a good cause. And there was not one spangled bra to be found.

I'm just an old fogey but I'll take the fringe.

I'm not sure there is a good definition of "pop culture" -- especially these days, when our entertainment options are so many that we seem to be having very few common experiences.

But I think that what I think of as pop culture is that which we all share because we almost can't help it. I don't do "research" so much as I just try to pay attention to the zeitgeist. I don't really care about Britney Spears, for example -- don't own any of her albums and am not personally invested in whether she has a comeback. But I heard the song over and over and knew she was making a VMA performance because it was on CNN, it was all over the blogosphere, people were talking about it at parties and in the office. It was a pop culture moment.

As far as having compassion for Britney Spears -- me? Not so much. Last week I had compassion for Vanessa Hudgens, the High School Musical star whose nude photograph ended up all over the Internet. I hope that her career isn't ruined by it and feel sorry for the negative attention she's receiving for it because it was a private thing some jerk decided to make public. But Britney's embarrassment? That was entirely of her own making. She doesn't have to get up on stage anymore. She could take her millions and go raise her children properly. She could write and produce. She could do television or movies or concentrate on her various other business ventures from fragrances to clothing. But for whatever reason (and I'm not a psychologist, so feel free to have a crack at this yourself) she feels compelled to get up on stage with the sub-par music she's just created, in a physical and emotional state that are not conducive to this kind of performance, and embarrass herself. Doing that in the pursuit of more fame, more millions, more attention ("Gimme More" -- sigh) isn't the sort fo thing that inspires compassion in me.

I agree with you that much of what can be considered pop culture isn't necessarily "important" -- but I think the point of this blog is that it can sometimes be interesting, none the less.

I haven't heard her song at all; at least I don't think I have. No one mentioned to me that she was going to be on an awards show or that she had a new album. I don't recall this being on any of the talk radio stations I listen to or in any of the blogs that read. This kind of thing is just completely off my radar.

Is pop culture no more than a construct of advertising and marketing?