10 Aspects of Current Popular Culture That Need To Die

 

1. Zombies, zombies, and more zombies. C'mon already! The Walking Dead, Pride And Prejudice And Zombies, zombie survival kits, zombie jokes, zombie shirts, zombie printed stuff...Let's be honest here, people, the only reason we try to love zombies is that we are trying to distance ourselves from the vampire/werewolf phenomenon that was born out of Twilight. But the truth is, zombies are gross. Really gross. And I can hardly wait to see what ridiculous obsession people will come up with once zombies fade away. 

2. Exploiting rednecks and southerners. I understand that there is a show for everything now. But considering that being a suburban liberal is mainstream now, it's no surprise that many shows like Duck Dynasty and Here Comes Honey Boo Boo are aired to make those suburbanites go, "Aha! Look at the stupid Walmart people! We're so much better than they are!" And maybe you are better than they are...in a much shallower kind of way. 

3. Trying to be a "cool nerd". Also known as a Hipster. I'm sure I am not the only one who is getting tired of seeing steampunk, My Little Pony, and scads of other "hip" nerdy stuff. Let me put it to you this way: If you are trying to be hip, then you aren't really a nerd. You're just as mainstream as everyone else.

4. Trying to be a cool parent. This is perhaps the most annoying thing on the list. I cringe when I see parents using the words "totes", "adorbs", and "totally". (Not that anyone really says "totally" anymore). Parents are never really going to be cool, because if they are, then their children are born cool and cannot experience the true teenage rebellion that would have made them cool. They are essentially doomed to exist inside of a paradox. This issue was addressed on a recent episode of The Simpsons if you want to look it up. 

5. Dubstep. It makes no sense, and it can hardly be called music when it has the sound of a computer having a seizure. I don't care who calls it "art"; essentially, it's dumb. 

6. Obsessing over Nutella, waffles, bacon, muffins, and cupcakes. I thought we were supposed to be advocating for crazy-healthy bland food? Maybe people just love to fantasize about what they could eat if they wanted to....just eat it, for the love of criminy! I'll admit that Nutella is good. But for crying out loud, people, give it a rest already with the Nutella recipes. (I'm looking at you, Pinterest).

7. Anime. The problem with anime is that it pretty much looks the same no matter who draws it. So really, how could one be able to tell them all apart? Newsflash: you can't! What is the entire fascination with Japanese culture anyway? If you want to know the truth, read this article: 5 Things Nobody Tells You About Living In Japan

8. Chuck Norris jokes. How does Chuck Norris feel about all this? We know that he isn't really a superhuman, though he is a badass, so the jokes should stop. They're getting old. 

9. Merging fandoms together. Horrifying as it is, there are too many people making cartoons that merge Harry Potter with Mean Girls, The Avengers with Twilight, Harry Potter with Twilight....STOP! They should all stay in their respective universes. Merging them together just discredits them and it makes no sense. 

10. Supporting everything! How many people have you met that proudly wear a ribbon of every single color in existence? One for breast cancer awareness, one for gay rights, one for domestic violence, one for autism, one for pancreatic cancer, one for cyberbullying.....MAKE IT STOP! Become a doctor or a medical engineer if you want to fight cancer that badly. Money isn't enough; we need manpower. 

Pinterest Crafting

   Okay, so most of you know by now that I'm a bit of a Pinterest addict. But most of the projects I pin I don't actually end up doing, and I'm sure this is true for a lot of other people. Maybe it's because we feel that our version of the project will never come out as good as the original (see the website Pintrosity). However, you can successfully complete a craft even with a few minor alterations. If it is completely the same as the original, then it isn't really that creative anyway.

For instance, here is the original pinned craft for a beaded pendant:

And here is my version: 

The perfectionist crafter is a gene instilled in most of the Pinterest users, which is why many of our boards are filled with complicated projects we pretend we will eventually do, but in reality we forget all about it. Here are some tips for getting yourself motivated to start crafting again: 

   1. Pick a craft, any craft. You have to start somewhere, and one completed project usually leads to another.

   2. Assess the skills and materials needed. I can understand if you don't want to make an ottoman out of an old tire or hand-paint an entire cabinet right away. But many crafts range from all types of difficulty levels, so you should be able to find one that is easy for you. 

   3. Don't worry about perfection. Realize that many of these projects are formulated by skilled experts. So what if your candy corn cupcakes are a little lopsided or the buttons you made into a necklace aren't all the exact shade of blue? Imperfection is beauty in its own right.