21 pop culture moments from 2018 we’re celebrating
By Amy Woolsey
In a year marked by exhaustion, entertainment was not only welcome but necessary. Culturess compiled moments from 2018 pop culture that brought us joy.
This year, it seems, has spanned the lifetime of a large star. Whereas 2017 went by in a blur of anxiety, 2018 unfolded in slow motion, reducing those in its gravitational field to the petrified bystanders (or victims) of a catastrophic crash comprised of a series of mini crashes – mass shootings and mass layoffs, natural disasters and political scandals.
No wonder escapism was all the rage. In retrospect, The Shape of Water winning Best Picture at the Oscars might have been a portent, heralding a year in which popular entertainment would, by and large, distance itself from the present moment. Musicals, horror flicks, and one romantic comedy joined the typical action-fantasy blockbusters at the top of the American box office, and series about rich dudes and sexy ladies became television’s breakout successes. Sometimes this distance between the world onscreen and the world around us created an uncomfortable sense of dissonance, like Nero fiddling while Rome burns around him.
At its most effective, though, escapism offers more than distraction. In his Village Voice essay “Apocalypse Numb,” film critic Bilge Ebiri discussed the seductive and sedative effect images of destruction have on the public imagination. Delivered in too high doses, he noted, apocalyptic stories cease to shock or energize and instead become “merely part of the landscape.” Pleasure in art, then, is just as vital to people’s ability to confront real-life issues as misery. It provides relief, and reminds us that life is more than the sum total of its darkest hours. It gives us permission to hope. There’s a reason musicals and rom-coms thrived during the Great Depression.
So, in the spirit of optimism, Culturess has decided to bid farewell to the year by focusing on its highlights. We assure you, they did exist. Here are 21 moments from 2018 pop culture worthy of celebration.