Multiculturalism and pop culture essay sample

The modern globalized world is a kaleidoscope of cultures. Travel, migration, cross-national social networks and other means of globalization underline that our planet is a home to a great variety of people with skin color, language, and traditions that differ from ours. The notion of multiculturalism appeared in the late twentieth century when it became common for more people to travel or search for a better place to live somewhere abroad. As these processes moved on, the need to understand and accept different cultures arose. And this is how we define multiculturalism – appreciation of tendencies from various spheres of human life that have a different background but form a single collective identity.

As people develop a better tolerance towards non-native cultures, foreign traditions leak into the popular culture. Take a cuisine, for example. American popular food culture does not concern merely burgers anymore while many people prefer Chinese food, pizza or other delicious specialties originating from different continents. Similar examples can be found just in any other sphere under the umbrella term of popular culture –  entertainment, fashion, technology.

Popular culture is different from numerous subcultures existing within the society. Some people oppose high culture and pop culture, implying that the latter is not enough intellectual or tolerant. This statement is only partially correct. Pop culture is not a high culture of people attending the ballet and collecting artwork but it neither refers to a trash culture of the uneducated and unconcerned people. Popular culture is always in-between as it is fancied by the mainstream population.