So long sweet semester

For the past couple of weeks I have been toying with the idea of writing a paper on popular culture’s place in American studies. As a minor in the interdisciplinary subject, I’ve read countless articles on the topic, both for and against the integration of pop culture in the classroom, considered the different elements of media used in each of the syllabuses I’ve followed in other interdisciplinary academic studies at Boston University, and of course spent my share of time reading Entertainment Weekly, the gossip rags at the grocery store check out and my personal favorite: PerezHilton.com (all of which I have convinced myself are crucial to my final paper, rather than a procrastination tool).

My argument, however simplified, is this: pop culture is just as important, if not more, than traditional sources such as literature in American studies.

Now, I know I may be biased as a magazine journalism major whose interests lay primarily in music, entertainment and travel writing, but hear me out. Pop culture is the intersection of ideas, opinions, perspectives and attitudes, among other things ‘-‘- often influenced by mass media ‘-‘- within the general consensus of any mainstream culture. Its place in society is irreplaceable, especially among Americans, to the point that we can no longer deny its permeation throughout our every day lives.

Even if you’ve been living under a rock for the past 20 years, refuse to buy anything from Wal-Mart, have been ‘going green’ before there was a phrase coined for the movement, make all of your own clothing, grow your own vegetables, aspire to not conform with the rest of society and don’t know the words to any of Flo Rida’s songs right now, there’s no denying it: pop culture’s presence is alive and well.

Now, the purpose of this column isn’t about my final paper, nor is it an attempt to try and convince the recluses to come out of the woodwork, the nonconformists that their efforts are useless or the indie kids to admit they know (and love) the American Top 40, but instead to prove a point (or at least make myself feel better about what I do, despite the faltering economy, the rumored slow death of journalism and the idea that someday Internet blogs will replace printed word). Pop culture, my friends, is an all-encompassing force driven by everything from clothing, sports and entertainment to literature and consumption.

And while here at The MUSE, our main focus is entertainment, a sometimes frowned upon section of the paper thought to be beneath the rest of the news, scorned for fueling mainstream trends but also criticized for the outdated reporting of those same trends, I would argue this section is, much like pop culture, an all-encompassing force, one that drives our newspaper, one that should not be overlooked.

There has to be a reason The MUSE’s articles are consistently within the top 5 on our web site. There has to a reason why advertising space on a Thursday (day of the week the MUSE is published) with The Daily Free Press is more coveted than any other day of the week despite higher prices on that day. There has to be a reason why circulation is almost double on Thursdays compared to other publication days.

Call it what you will ‘-‘- whether human interest, obsession or curiosity leads The MUSE to higher readership, whether it be that the Boston University community is more inclined to pick up a paper at the start of their day or because you’re convinced the Sudoku puzzle is the best right before the weekend, understand that we take what we do here very seriously and consider taking the element of entertainment to be a valued asset as both a worthy newspaper section and important part of our lives.

I guess what I’m trying to say, whether inside the pages of this paper or elsewhere: the value of entertainment is a force to be reckoned with. And The MUSE, though sometimes laughable, often cheesy (how great were those themed issues?) and maybe not life changing, is just as important as the rest of the sections in this paper; just like the use of media is just as important as literature in interdisciplinary studies.

With that said, I’d like to say thanks to the FreeP for a wonderful semester. This place has offered me a world of opportunity my peers could only dream of. Sure, what I’m editing here is the entertainment section, not The New York Times, and yes, sometimes when my parents ask about the small number of bylines I have been able to produce this semester I have to remind them that this whole section is my work, my writing, editing, fact checking . . . my baby, but it’s well worth it.

So, say what you want. Twitter that the FreeP is biased, laugh when we have redundant headlines, criticize our sloppy use of proper grammar and be skeptical all you want, just make sure you keep reading, because you can’t be the first to point out our mistakes when you’re the last to grab a copy.

And finally, I’d like to thank all our readers, writers, contributors, fans and yes even the haters ‘-‘- because just like Paris Hilton says, any publicity is good publicity.

I’ll be handing The MUSE back over to former section editor, current ‘pop culture analyst’ and Britney enthusiast Charlie Adelman next semester, and instead be assuming the position of executive editor of the paper. With my focus primarily in taking charge of the paper’s in-limbo feature sections, you can look forward to some changes to these pages. With any luck, major ones for our online web site and an interactive blog, one in which we hope to see you take part. So stay tuned! Because even if you won’t be seeing me, I’ll be seeing you . . . come this fall.

‘-‘- Christine Cassis, MUSE Editor, Spring 2009/Executive Editor Fall 2009