Entertainment: How Did “The OC” Shape Pop Culture?

The term Chrismakkuh, recognizes that word on the street is that celebrating Chanukah and Christmas with equal respect and fervor is not just okay — it’s hip. But this message didn’t come from the Pope, or the Grand Rabbi or some politician hoping to mend societal strife. It came from Fox TV show for teens that recognized what was happening — before the “elder” leaders did — and pronounced it so by using it as a new word on The O.C.

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 O.C. was not just entertainment. It was the pulse of American teens in one part of the world. 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 change. So if parents and other adults want to know what’s really happening out there, they might catch the season finale of the O.C. or the inevitable rebroadcasts or rental videos of the show.