In the past 40 years, popular culture has introduced us to blue suede shoes and the moonwalk and now rap and hip hop music. Popular culture surrounds our everyday life through music, literature, film, advertising, fashion, historical movements, crazes and hobbies.

In a recent speech at San Antonio College, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said that Americans are the most entertained and least informed people on the planet.

Norman “Louie” Armstrong, History professor, agrees. He said that students are too apathetic.

“Students today are like students in the McCarthy days,” he said. “They just sit there and stare at the wall, with that see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil attitude."

If we rewind to the 1960s, it was a time of protesting the Vietnam War, civil rights, women’s rights, sit-ins and political discussions.

In 2006, pop culture is about keeping up with the hectic world of technology. With the click of your fingers, you can be in China or Rome or have 40 cyber-based friends together discussing problems and contemplating solutions. You can show off your talent by playing your favorite game of battleship online with a new friend from Lebanon or your best friend sitting beside you in a mega computer lab.

Richard Arcos, adjunct Government professor, keeps up with today’s popular culture. His class conversations include recent concert events and issues both younger and older students can discuss together.

Anthony Pierulla, assistant professor of Counseling, is aware of today’s popular culture, but he thinks the younger generation understands it best, with iPods, myspace.com, text messaging and access to the Internet.

One thing students and professors seem to have in common is the amount of time they spend surfing the Internet. On average, students and professors spend at least 2-3 hours each day.

“Any professor born before 1969 may have a problem relating to the youth and their culture,” said Marlene Fricke, a sophomore Psychology major. “They were born in a different generation of a different work ethic, a different level of work responsibility and financial accountability.”

During interviews, students seemed more in tune to who won the Academy Awards, but they were clueless on who the mayor of the city is. With professors, the result was vice versa.

Despite the differences, students and professors are quite similar when it comes down to their listening and viewing habits. KISS (99.5 FM) and Jack (102.7 FM) are the main radio stations they both enjoy. “Lord of the Rings” and “Ice Age 2” seem to be the movies they both have watched, and “Harry Potter” seems to be the most popular book series.