OC Culture Or Cult?

Does The OC Really Impact Society?

By
Relationship Advice Expert April Masini

Q: Dear April Masini,

My daughter is completely obsessed with The OC television show. April, I need you to clue me in! Why are all these girls going nuts for this show?

Sincerely,

Tuned Out Mom

A:

Dear Tuned Out Mom,

Shows like The OC might seem silly at first, but they are really a barometer of young culture. For instance, the term Chrismakkuh is a word on the street for celebrating both Chanukah and Christmas with equal respect and fervor. This slang didn’t come from the Pope, or the Grand Rabbi or some politician hoping to mend societal strife. It came from Fox TV! A show for teens recognized what was happening — before the community leaders did — and pronounced it so by using it as a new word in dialogue on The OC! And that's not all you can learn about youth culture from watching this particular show. 

TV Instead of Academic Studies

When a FOX teen show starts shaping our language and recognizing trends that haven’t been studied out the wazoo or researched by social scientists from America’s top universities who received large grant monies to do so, we’ve all got to start watching our televisions a little more closely! The show also reminds us what our children and teens go through on a daily basis.

Learn While You Tivo!

The OC is not just entertainment. It is the pulse of American teens in one part of the world and it lends insight into their world and their concerns. And that part of the world travels — by internet and all the internet technologies available — faster that you can click your remote control to change the channel. The show is canceled now but if parents and other adults want to know what’s really happening out there, they might catch the inevitable rebroadcasts or rental videos of the show. 

April Masini -- nicknamed "the new millennium's Dear Abby" by the media, is author of the best-selling books Date Out Of Your League and Think & Date Like A Man, the two (just released) step-by-step dating and relationship manuals, Ideas for a Fun Date and Romantic Date Ideas, and the critically acclaimed dating and relationship online magazine www.AskApril.com.

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