This thread is sort of all over the place, but the general question seems to be "has pop culture gotten better or worse?" I believe music has gotten objectively worse. That's what I believe, that's all I'll say on the matter. On the other hand, TV is better than it ever has been. Sure, the basic channels still have their usual crappy sitcoms and reality tv shows, but we've also had some of the greatest shows of all time in the last few years, like Breaking Bad, Mad Men, The Wire, Walking Dead, and Game of Thrones. Also, if we're not excluding foreign imports (nobody said we were
) there's the BBC's Sherlock and Doctor Who. I could go on. As for movies, sure, most everything anymore is a remake or a sequel, but that makes it all the sweeter when a truly original film comes out (Cabin in The Woods, Wreck It Ralph), and as noted in another thread, not
all remakes and sequels are bad (Nolan's Batman Trilogy, The new Evil Dead, and let's not forget The Avengers was really a sequel to Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor). And cartoons aren't so bad; while I haven't seen it, the new TMNT seems to be gaining traction, and Earth's Mightiest Heroes had some pretty great episodes. To quote Eric Idle, "always look on the bright side of life (or pop culture)."