What is Popular is Not Always Wrong

Another school year has begun, and across the world, teachers have put up banners and posters reading:

What is right is not always popular, and what is popular is not always right–Albert Einstein

There is a reason this quote is on so many posters and banners. It is pithy, easy to remember, and sparks conversation. It serves as a reminder to students (and teachers) of the importance of standing up for what is right despite possible backlash.

But, of course, there will always be a not-so-small part of the population who will misunderstand the message. They will assume that if their ideas have any pushback whatsoever, it must mean that they are not popular and, therefore, must be right.

On the other side of that same coin, they will assume that if something is popular, it is automatically wrong. Or at least fair game for their outrageous and ridiculous criticism. Many of those so anxious to jump on the anti-popular bandwagon are utterly unaware of what it is they are protesting. They simply repeat what they have heard and stand by that gossip as if it were gospel.

There is an unfortunate lack of critical thinking at play. Those whose knee-jerk reaction is to hate anything culturally significant tend to glom together, taking comfort from each other and finding a weird kind of renown of their own. They create a tight little echo chamber where no one can convince them that they may be wrong in their assessments.

When I was a teacher, I had to grow out of that mindset. It was easier than I could have imagined. I simply read the popular books for myself.

Actually, I did it for my students.

It all started when junior high girls who were devouring 500-page books and talking to each other about characters and plots came to me devastated that their reading material was under attack from other teachers and chapel speakers. I knew for a fact that none of the other teachers had read the books. They were just repeating what they had heard others say about them.

I asked one of my students if I could borrow her copy of the first book. I loved it from the first chapter. The YA novel was clean, witty, and influenced by Pride and Prejudice, with a smattering of Dracula and some world mythology thrown in. The FMC was intelligent and wise beyond her years. The MMC was also an old spirit whose “found family” offered him plenty of opportunity to express his emotions and work through his feelings (including those confusing ones concerning the “new girl” in town). The two characters shared the usual high-school pathos with unusual maturity. They cared deeply for their families and each other.

When I returned the borrowed book to my student, I told her I’d bought my own copy. I went on to purchase the others in the series, waiting with everyone else for the last installment to finally be released.

I gladly talked to the young women on campus about the books–during their lunch hour and between classes. I was the only teacher who would discuss and defend them. My coworkers still sneered at the novels, and I watched a phenomenon develop. The girls continued to read and discuss books, but the boys followed the examples set by their male teachers, mocking and teasing the girls for their reading material.

Except it was not just that one set of books. Another series was released, the girls started reading them, the male teachers and special speakers spoke out against them, and the boys continued their mockery. In the microcosm of my classroom, I watched this anti-popularity wave hit and recede year after year.

It wasn’t just things “of the world” that we were warned against. It was also things of a sacred nature that didn’t align with certain church beliefs, including:

Contemporary musicBible translationsChristian novelsFashion Christian cartoonsEnergy drinks

I am no longer a teacher, but I am still watching the same pattern play out with every new thing that enjoys even a smidgeon of popularity. Most people in the anti-popular crowd will loudly proclaim that they will “Never, ever read that book/watch that movie!” and yet claim that they know what that book/movie is about and demand that everyone boycott it. It is also an unfortunate truth that many who are so vehemently opposed to pop-culture phenomenons on moral grounds have no problem lying about them. They offer dire warnings to their listeners, backing themselves up with fabricated quotes and examples. If someone has read the book/watched the movie for themselves and objects to the lies told, they are automatically dismissed because they “shouldn’t have read/watched it in the first place.” There is no room for critical thinking or debate.

And that’s a shame. It is a fact that not everything that is popular IS right, but if EVERYTHING is labeled as wrong, then we are missing out on some incredible opportunities for intellectual, moral, and spiritual growth.

Hearing a speaker claim that parents should not let their children participate in “pop culture” but instead provide them with classics sounded good on its face, but my students learned that all classics had their beginnings in popular culture. Michaelangelo and DiVinci were well-known for their artistic talents and inventions. Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales was a best seller long before the printing press was even invented. People of every economic class attended Shakespeare’s plays at the Globe Theater. Mozart’s music was wildly popular in his day. Beethoven’s 9th Symphony was received with a standing ovation. Jane Austen, The Bronte Sisters, and Mary Shelley all changed literature as we know it, giving women voices both on and off the page and popularizing the novel.

Today, we consider the words, the music, and the art from these creators to be classics. Despite criticism, boycotts, and warnings, they’ve stood the test of time. The works they left behind prompt us to ask questions about our humanity and our place in the world. They encourage us to seek the answers. They demand critical thinking.

It is okay to skip over something that might not be to your taste, but don’t assume that it’s worthless, evil, or destructive. Don’t demand that everyone follow your example in avoiding it. If you’ve watched or read something you don’t like, a kind critique may be in order. However, if it is something you’ve passed over, an opinion other than “It didn’t look like something I’d be interested in, so I didn’t watch/read it” is inappropriate. There’s no need to embellish with things you’ve learned second, third, or even fourth-hand since it’s likely that the information you’ve received is biased. Either skip it quietly or research it for yourself.

Answer those tough questions, even if those questions are scary. Even if they challenge your way of thinking. Don’t be so afraid that you give someone else the power to think for you.

You may discover that just because something is popular, it doesn’t mean it’s wrong.