Young Writers Society

31) Somebody once stated that, "Good artists copy; great artists steal". However, if this really was the case, then why are the pop-culturalists- the most toxic of plagiarists- the worst sorts of artists and the worst of the socially accepted among us? Their mannerisms are plagued by inserting references to current events and current products, though more often than not popular films, television programs, books and music. I might add that these things will become obsolete and forgotten a year from conception. This is why they are socially accepted.

32) They prey on the works of others like vultures, destroying them, sucking the original joy out of the works. They do this through reinvention- unwanted, unneeded reinvention. Do not interpret that comment as reflecting a conservative attitude- I am far from conservatism- because I do not strictly uphold the idea of keeping ideals, even the boring and wasteful ones (especially the boring and wasteful ones). However, to change through the act of bastardization the source material, having Romeo & Juliet text message each other, or having Napoleon in Animal Farm take a "selfie", or forcing a duet between two historically opposed figures such as Joseph Stalin and Adolf Hitler, is not a process I support. This is not post-modernism, a movement I support. This is intellectual tourism.

33) Why are the pop-culturalists so popular to the citizens of our pseudo-society? Why are they entertained by the ruling darlings? Why do they make others laugh? Why do they inspire new movements? You may ask those questions, and I ask them all too often in my own private time! Well, for a start, they don't actually do anything; they recycle what is already there- not an issue, I might add- in a new way that reflects, in fact, an absence of creativity. Imagine viewing Picasso's famous painting Guernica drawn by a child. Imagine listening to Shostakovich's Waltz No. 2 remixed to conform to the wishes of corporate music labels, distributing their over-produced horseshit. Imagine reading Lolita where the characters interact through Amazon reviews. The pop-culturalists are popular because they re-enforce what already is pop-culture. They force this all beneath the skin of works segregated from these references.

34) At the least the dregs and the darlings attempt to come up with (somewhat) original achievements and witty observations, even if it isn't to my taste, because they put their own minds into it. The pop-culturalists have virtually no ideas, but fragmented re-imaginings of pre-existing ideas that they will never fathom. They are the ones who should be the dregs, but no- pop culture goes hand in hand with the pop-culturalists, buttering up their source material when they never actually know anything about the true nature of it.

35) They usually unveil their monstrosities as the punchline to a joke with an excellent set-up, but with a terrible punchline. The punchline is usually where the pop-culture reference enters the fray. The problem with this method can be summed up in one word: tedious. It must be so boring to be a pop-culturalist, always scouting for any trend like an impoverished heroin addict looking for any fix, deciding it as if by their own accord. These social gnats are the ones who oust the darlings who no longer follow these trends, in which it is their responsibility afterwards.

36) Surprisingly, the pop-culturalists react the worst from a passing comment of a dreg- worse than the darling! Either references mentioned in social gatherings or posts on social media are not fully appreciated, or- more aptly- they are called out on their absence of originality. An absence of originality unveiled to rapturous, herd-like applause except for one black sheep. What does the pop-culturalist do in response? They only see black sheep, thus enacting an almost Plutocratic, borderline Stalinist or Maoist clear out of anything that breathes.

37) But why the aggression? Because the pop-culturalists have incredibly short lifespans, and thus have the most to lose, because they have the least in the beginning. A darling and a dreg will lose respect, but will not go down totally because it takes so much to totally destroy them. The ideas will keep them save. The pop-culturalist lacks this security blanket, and will only be ejected once their chosen trend dies, or popularity shifts so suddenly onto another fad that they cannot keep up with the pace.

38) But do not fear their show of strength, reader. They have the subtlety of a honey badger. They may seem impressive standing up to a lion, with a loud bark, but compared to the lion, they have a pathetic bite. Fear not their temper! Even with their status to decide trends, they are not the true masters of the pseudo-society. They have no spine to hit back, no territory of worth to defend- they only have ad hominem. Perhaps, in a moment of panic, another round of pop culture occurs to inaccurately label the situation at hand.

39) The pop-culturalists do not seek any pleasure from engaging in anything; they only seek what they wish to bastardize everything.

40) Overlap, as with any member of the pseudo-society, is possible. Darlings are often pop-culturalists, who- when threatened with extinction- actually employed their own ideas to save themselves, even destroying their contemporaries in the process. However, many darlings lack the bravery to tell others of their influences. Dregs of the crusader type are pop-culturalists, in the sense that they want to show us the "dangers" of varying ideas they know little about. Other darlings tend to only use pop-culture as a last ditch effort to regain their lost audience, because pop-culture only changes in content, and will only die when we all die. Something tells me that the only infinity is that of wanting to hold onto power.

41) Pop-culture itself is not a problem. I believe pop-culture in moderation is good for society and with engaging with others. Even if elements of it are emphasised in an excessive manner, I have no right to wish for its abolition. It was what others do to said-culture that is truly the most testing issue.

42) The pop-culturalist's humour is contrived beyond measure. Their methods are bogged down in witty observations and the ill-advised punchline I mentioned earlier. Additionally, this humour seems to please the easily-pleased, i.e. the comfort women who give fellatio to soldiers who never fight wars, like those who adore Che Guevara for equality when he achieved the opposite.

43) These re-assertions of what will only be known for a short time period gain laughter from the mouths of the hypnotised and the gullible. This is why the pop-culturalists love conformity and uniformity, because- like their audience- they kiss up to the darlings but kick down the others who disagree with them, such as any dreg. But worst of all, they hate the neutralists. The neutralists have the open mind. Perhaps more so, contrarians are the pop-culturalists' enemies.

44) In moderation, the pop-culturalists are inoffensive. Yet, the mass authority they currently possess prevents the pseudo-society from transitioning into an actual one. More so than any darling with bourgeois aspirations, they exploit the doings of others.