I’m in love with popular culture.

Professing my love for the things that everybody else likes makes me completely uninteresting, yet also remarkably controversial.

But then again, love is love. It’s a fickle fancy. There are legitimate gripes with popular culture, such as it’s intense corporatization and rampant materialism. Or that it distracts the masses from political concerns, reinforces gender and racial stereotypes, and dilutes the quality of music, literature, and film. And the gripes go on and on …

And on.

But the pop culture’s crappy parts aren’t exclusive to the mainstream: unpopular art can also spread lousy messages. And the good part of pop culture is how it makes people feel. While obscure cultural artefacts are great for the person who discovers them, pop culture represents not just a piece of media, but a collective experience.

Harry Potter is the single greatest piece of literature ever produced because an entire generation of non-readers waited eagerly for a Hogwarts letter on their 11th birthday. Yes, it was an emotional ride – but it was our rollercoaster to ride together.

The Beatles and other major pop bands are the greatest musicians. Not because they have the most talent, or are the best looking, or write the best lyrics, but because they create ties that bind people together. They make people feel happy and connected to the world around them.

Remember the Titans is the single best movie ever made. Enough said. (But to please my editor: Denzel, a racially divided community brought together by their loveable football team, and an Ain’t No Mountain High Enough sing-along? This is the only movie that rips at my heartstrings – except for Angels in the Outfield when Danny Glover says, “you got an angel with you right now” and an entire city flaps their wings and believes more than even Nikki Yanofsky. Okay, now enough has been said.)

And the Olympics, for all their faults, are the greatest sporting event. Because on Sunday night – even as VIA Rail’s Internet faltered and the bullies in first class wouldn’t even let the poor economy class plebeians find out the score in the gold medal men’s hockey game – half the country celebrated together and felt proud to be part of something bigger than themselves. Because when Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir were better looking than all of their competition, every Canadian was. Because even if there are still serious problems that need to be dealt with, far more people are conscious of First Nations and affordable housing issues in Vancouver than before the Olympics. Because the Olympics are like the United Nations without politics – and things without politics aren’t always so terrible. And mostly because we need to accept that sometimes it’s okay for more than some dubiously generalized girls to just want to have fun. (Yes, I just referenced Cyndi Lauper. Deal with it.)

There is more to life than pop culture. The obscure is often good in its own right. And obviously not only the mainstream can remind people of wonderful personal experiences. There’s also a certain pride in liking things that other people aren’t aware of – a sense of cultural ownership and the rough pleasure of going against the grain. I just think it’s silly not to like something because everyone else thinks its great.

But then again, what do I know? I’m just a fool in love.