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• The hidden power of pop culture

I love Marvel comics, especially the X-Men series by Stan Lee. Putting some of the more recent cinematic adventures aside, I find myself obsessed with most everything dealing with the X-Men. With Comic-Con having come and gone, I turn to my own comic book collection to fill the void that is my seemingly constant obsession.

For me, the X-Men have always stood for a greater good through a number of points throughout history. Even though the characters are obviously fictional they have been there to fight the good fight in storylines involving the Civil Rights Movement and AIDS. They too have been targets of hatred, fear and confusion, and continued in many of the stories to be who they were regardless of the obstacles they faced.

There are undoubtedly a number of pop culture references besides X-Men that could in fact be more obvious and have more of an impact on members of the LGBT community. Some might point to popular network television shows like Will and Grace, arguing that while it brought the idea of being homosexual into the public eye it did so in a stereotypical fashion to break the tension with laughter. Others may point to the popular show Heros and the topic of the "Shanti Virus," comparing it to the AIDS epidemic.

We have a deep knowledge of pop culture as a country sometimes more so than the subjects we learn inn school or stories we read in the paper and hear on the news. Now while I can’t speak for the authors, actors or directors there are reasons why certain parodies or fictions are created. People are more intelligent than we give them credit for. When jokes or parallels are made in one show, people understand what is truly being said. The reason popular culture is so effective is that it is popular to a large mass of people. A pretty simple concept, but at the office the next day, people have that shared experience to talk about whatever it may be. Jokes and parodies can be fine, but at some point there is a need to speak frankly and come to the real issue at hand.

The real hidden power of popular culture is it is trend setting and can be constantly changing. We just need to work to ensure that more people are included into cultural aspects of American life to truly reflect the entire population as we can. Otherwise it is tension that will prevail in a room full of strangers.