Responsible Consumption Paper

The easy pleasures available through consumption of popular culture make people docile and content, no matter how difficult their economic circumstances (Pastor, 2007). One can look at the role of individual responsibility and accountability in responding to popular culture from varying angles. Popular culture certainly plays a significant role in the lives of most people, many of which live lives governed by the aforementioned. When faced with fact, the majority of the global populous is influenced rather heavily by the media which in turn heavily influences popular culture.

Due to popular cultures influence on the individual, often times you see a person imitate what they observed in popular culture sometimes unaware of the implications to society or the individual themself. For example, the trend of violence that is viewed within movies, television or heard within music may very well contribute to some of the crime that many cities see today. Also we see the people that influence pop culture the most, like celebrities and the elite displaying behavior that can be deemed as not appropriate but in turn receive little to no reprimand for their actions. As a result we have those that are not as educated on the media as others portraying this same behavior quite possibly thinking that it is ok because said celebrity got away with it.

The fact of the matter is the individual need be held responsible and accountable for their own actions regardless of social, economic, political status, etc. Those in high visibility professions such as celebrities should be aware of the implications their actions can have on the general populous while the normal individual should be aware of their own actions and behaviors and abide by their cultures socially accepted norms. The pushers of media themselves (editors, news announcers, radio personalities) can also take responsibility for the content of the information being put out. For example, Rappers could refrain from...