Out of curiosity, I've been reading some Thomas Pynchon.

I won't comment on his writing other than that he strikes me as a person who, in his isolation, has consumed every possible movie and television show.

He uses copious pop culture references, which I personally detest.

Which led to asking myself why I hate the practice so much.

I suppose the reason pop culture references, especially celebrity references, nauseate me so much is that with them comes the implicit presumption that it is common knowledge and, a priori, that I have a duty to be aware of them.

Setting aside the dubious ‘social glue’ pop culture supposedly provides to our society, I find it strange how the average person looks to these people and pieces of media, marketed to the public by a corporate apparatus, as cultural bedrock.

Forrest Gump, Friends, The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Dallas Cowboys, even Carl Sagan are simply commodities served to us by their respective cultural moments.