OPINION COLUMN: What I learned about life chasing the batmobile
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A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, I was obsessed with getting my hands on the Batmobile.
Back around the time that Joel Schumacher was destroying the “Batman” franchise, Taco Bell was running a promotion, a game involving pull tabs on food products. One of the prizes was a replica of the Batmobile from one of the movies, and, man, did I ever want it. I was determined to win that car. It became my purpose in life.
Winning a Batmobile would not be an easy task. Playing the game involved a 35-mile journey to the nearest Taco Bell. For an entire summer, my best friend and I made said journey multiple times every week, hoping that we’d win a serious automotive upgrade, both of us knowing the deck was stacked against us, hardcore.
My dad couldn’t appreciate what I was trying to do. Movies, music, and T.V. were a waste of time and money in his eyes. While I can see what he was trying to say now, at the time, my attitude was “It’s my money, and I’ll spend it on whatever I like.” I wish I would’ve listened better, because I think eating so much Taco Bell scarred me for life. And I never won a Batmobile.
Why tell this little yarn? Because while I now see wisdom in my dad’s advice on my spending, I have an issue with his dismissal of the importance of entertainment. Movies, music, and other pop culture by-products aren’t just a way to kill time and make corporate big wigs wealthy. They actually serve a number of essential functions.
First, it has to be acknowledged that pop culture does have value as a means of escape. And with life becoming more and more demanding and stressful, having an escape becomes more and more important. Something has to help us mellow out, before the ticking time bombs in each of us go off. And not everybody digs fishing or golf.
Pop culture connects us with one another. How many times have you heard of couples falling in love while watching a romantic movie or while hoofing it up on the dance floor? How many of your friendships were facilitated by common interest in favorite bands or T.V. shows? Gathering with like-minded people to experience something you all love puts everyone in attendance on the same level.
Pop culture also helps us express our deepest wants and dreams. John Lennon painted a picture of a perfect, peaceful world, capturing ideals for which many of us yearn. Movies and television visualize what filmmakers see in their heads, firing the imaginations of everyone watching. Comic books make many want to create their own universes, filled with fascinating character doing amazing deeds.
Pop culture serves many other purposes, from giving voice to our displeasure and concerns, to helping prolong our cultural mythology. All these things get inside of us and become part of our identities. I wouldn’t be who I am now without the Batmobile, the Millenium Falcon or the Fantasticar. We are who we are, to some extent, because of pop culture. So, the next time someone tells you something is just a movie, go ahead and tell them they’re crazy. Pop culture is much more than that.