Breaking Bad's Cultural Politics

     When I watched "Breaking Bad", I completed all five seasons in less than three weeks. Essentially, I binged on all episodes of this fantastically written television show because I was so taken by the depiction of the characters throughout each season. The storyline of a sick man creating a drug empire in order to achieve something beyond money, which is revealed in the end to be that of selfish desire, gave me a sense of connection to my own life and what risks I am willing to take if it means sacrificing those things which mean the most to me. I began to question what constitutes an action as being moral or immoral. Exploitation and corruption became more visible to me throughout the many parts of society, especially businesses and whatever requires power or domination in order to thrive.

     In class, Professor Wexler asked us what we defined as Popular Culture. In my response, I considered popular culture to be that which is enjoyed by the masses as relevant to the time period, media, trends, and things that are in demand. In other words, entertainment that reflects interests of society in relevance to the time period. "Breaking Bad" reflects the culture we live in today that is filled with people who abuse drugs and are greedy when it comes to making money. In America, there is a strong selfish mentality because so many are forced to be independent and succeed on their own. Children are expected to move out at 18 and getting ahead means gaining as much money and power for yourself as possible. The main character Walter White is constantly faced with opportunities to do the "right" thing or quit cooking meth in order to sell it and secure his family financially. In society, we are constantly bombarded with what we should do, like, think, and say. A lot of times people get fed up and often, aspects of our society's culture is reflected in media and in turn influences how we behave, including decisions we make. In the essay, "'The Politics of Culture'", Julie Rivkin and Michael Ryan discuss the cultural studies and the observation of how media effects society. According to the essay, "The social system…tends to reproduce itself through culture and through schooling"(1027). The corruptness of our social system in relation to drug use and unethical means of earning money are greatly reflected in America's popular culture through the television show "Breaking Bad".