• Cyburbia is a friendly big tent, where we share our experiences and thoughts about urban planning practice, the built environment, planning adjacent topics, and anything else that comes to mind. No ads, no spam, and it's free. It's easy to join!

TV / movies 📺 Cultural touchstones you're largely ignorant of

Maister

Maister

Chairman of the bored
Staff member
Moderator
Messages
38,643
Points
79
What important cultural touchstones have you had no part in? What culturally significant movies and tv shows that almost everyone has seen but somehow you've never really watched? What popular organizations have you never belonged to? What ubiquitous toy did all your friends have that you either didn't have or couldn't have cared less about? Tell us how profound your cultural ignorance truly is.

1771344843488.png
1771344869946.png
1771344889202.png
1771344923908.png

1771344954593.png
1771344981761.png
1771345029590.png
1771345096495.png
1771345606262.png


1771345134214.png
1771345157343.png
1771345190973.png
1771345250352.png


1771345276355.png
1771345324621.png
1771345354270.png
1771345382507.png

1771345525675.png
1771345542052.png
1771345669704.png
 
I think my problem is that I'm aware of them. I just don't care about many of them. So I forget or just can't connect with people about it. This goes for a lot of movies and music when I was in the Navy. I was deployed so much I missed a lot of the cultural crap going on. Did you see that movie? Nope? How could you not see it?
 
Taylor Swift. If she is on the radio, I would not know it is her.

Never had a video game system growing up. Friends had Atari, Intellivision, or Nintendo NES. Parents would not buy.

Never had Polo shirts, Guess jeans, or Nike Cortez shoes.

Got on the Seinfeld bandwagon four years into the series. Was never interested in Friends.

Could not tell you what Stranger Things is other than a show.
 
DVD said:
I think my problem is that I'm aware of them. I just don't care about many of them. So I forget or just can't connect with people about it. This goes for a lot of movies and music when I was in the Navy. I was deployed so much I missed a lot of the cultural crap going on. Did you see that movie? Nope? How could you not see it?
Click to expand...
This is what I'm talking about. Being AWARE of something isn't the same as functioning as a touchstone - that refers to a shared experience. Like I am aware of the fact that Taylor Swift is a big name in the music business. But I don't think I could name a single song she's done. It's possible I may have heard one and didn't realize it was her, but Taylor Swift would not be a touchstone for me like it would for virtually any millennial. Similarly, people can utter the words 'may the force be with you' and may even know that the line comes from the original Star Wars movie but beyond that have no clue as to its meaning or context.

Movies like: Gremlins, Goonies. or Risky Business were all released while I was in the Marines. It would not have been easy to see these films when/where I was serving. As a result, I didn't see them then, and never bothered to watch them since. They're not touchstones to me. You really can't absorb this culture through osmosis
 
Maister said:
Movies like: Gremlins, Goonies. or Risky Business were all released while I was in the Marines. It would not have been easy to see these films when/where I was serving. As a result, I didn't see them then, and never bothered to watch them since. They're not touchstones to me. You really can't absorb this culture through osmosis
Click to expand...

I think the Soviet's were the bigger fish to fry at that time, so no loss on your part. Risky Business is horrible anyway.
 
I consumed a ton of media until about 40. I would watch most of the big shows, see all of the major movies, and kept up with bands in my preferred genre. Streaming and getting old have largely killed this. I see a kids movie once a year in the theater. I may watch popular shows if we have that app now. I have been to one concert in 3 years and haven't bought an album/cd/download in at least 10 years.
 
Game Time Pokemon GIF

Too old by the time it was introduced in the US (~1996) and when my boys took interest in the IP during the 2010s, I only participated slightly.
 
Definitely Taylor Swift. I wouldn't know one of her songs if I heard it on the radio.

Guitar Hero. I remember when everybody after college was getting together and playing.

Skinny Jeans. I got some pants with a slightly tapered ankle but that was it.
 
I have not watched Game of Thrones or Sopranos so I missed those water cooler conversations on those

I had kids in 93, 99 and 2004 so I got a good gamut of kids programming for a long period of time lol - but anything from 2014 to now, I am clueless on
 
Any & all movies or shows on premium tv or streaming channels.
Electronic games.
Never had a 8 track player in my car.
 
Doohickie said:
I've literally never heard of them.
Click to expand...

Pop-Hardcore band that transcends traditional definitions of Hardcore and Punk. Incorporates elements of dream pop, new wave, hip hop and noisecore into a fairly engaging sonic tapestry. Has very noticeable 90s vibes but in a package that is very "2020s" and topical today. Although they are very hyped by the industry and somewhat overproduced, I am a fan!

Here is their latest LP that just won a best metal album grammy:


Available on Cassette, Vinyl, Streaming and CD!
 
My son was cast in a Harry Potter play for the spring play at his school. I reckon it may be time to watch those. I have also not seen Lord of the Rings (but read the books long ago).

I was late to a lot of TV trends. Only watched The Office and Parks and Rec after they ran their course on TV and were streaming.
 
The Terminator said:
Pop-Hardcore band that transcends traditional definitions of Hardcore and Punk. Incorporates elements of dream pop, new wave, hip hop and noisecore into a fairly engaging sonic tapestry. Has very noticeable 90s vibes but in a package that is very "2020s" and topical today. Although they are very hyped by the industry and somewhat overproduced, I am a fan!

Here is their latest LP that just won a best metal album grammy:


Available on Cassette, Vinyl, Streaming and CD!
Click to expand...
That's actually listenable. Engaging sonic tapestry indeed. 90s vibes... maybe even 80s vibes in some spots. I Care sounds like Flock of Seagulls to me. Their music sounds like they absorbed the essences of all pop rock over the last generation and unified it into a single style. Like I said I hear Flock of Seagulls, The Fixx, Green Day. I don't like modern metal but they include the power chords without getting too dreadfully deep and their vocals are nice and clean. Good ambient passages. Great production quality.

I quite like this.
 
Last edited:
zman said:
My son was cast in a Harry Potter play for the spring play at his school. I reckon it may be time to watch those.
Click to expand...

I would recommend reading the books. The stories get increasingly (and in my opinion unnecessarily) complicated as the series moves on. The first book is.... charming. Nice story. To me the books become unreadable at some point after the Prisoner of Azkaban. The first three books are great but beyond that they're just too exhausting to keep track of all the details and people and stuff.
 
Doohickie said:
I would recommend reading the books. The stories get increasingly (and in my opinion unnecessarily) complicated as the series moves on. The first book is.... charming. Nice story. To me the books become unreadable at some point after the Prisoner of Azkaban. The first three books are great but beyond that they're just too exhausting to keep track of all the details and people and stuff.
Click to expand...
I found the last two movies incomprehensible.
 
jumbach said:
I found the last two movies incomprehensible.
Click to expand...

You made it that far, huh?

There are so many layers of characters, magic, events, details, etc., that just keep piling on top of each other, with each book referring to obscure (to me anyway) details from the previous books, I don't know how people can keep them straight. I read every book to a point, but after the first three they all started to sound the same, just more complicated each time.
 
Back
Top