If a white Brit wishes to make a profound or grandiloquent point, which is by no means rare, they will automatically try to soften its pretentiousness by referencing some form of lowly popular culture, or “prolefeed,” as George Orwell would put it. This can include anything, from toilet humour to Twilight.
It is preferable for there to be a tangible link between the two references, but this is not strictly speaking necessary. It is not uncommon for white Brits to talk of Proust and East 17 in the same sentence. Other good juxtapositions include JM Coetzee and Duran Duran, Dostoyevsky and the Go Compare adverts, or Borges and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. If hip hop is involved, all the better. This formula is also a popular way of creating undergrad essay titles: one could be ‘South Park vs Shakespeare: the portrayal of food-related revenge plots in Scott Tenorman Must Die and Titus Andronicus.’
The more highbrow the discussion, the more lowbrow the qualifying statement should be. But do note that mediumbrow, or book club fodder, is bypassed altogether by white Brits, as it is not considered ironic.
The accuracy of this post has caused me, a helpless WB, a personal crisis of identity.
Comparing the meter and metaphors of 90s hip-hop or ’99 Problems’ to Classical syllabic verse is one too look out for – beloved of WBs who have studied humanities.
Whilst musicals are also usually considered middlebrow, you *can* pull off a comparison of Mamma Mia to Shakespearan comedy.
Sadly my whole blog theme epitomises the smug posturing summarised in this post. You have exposed it and me.
(http://notbiginjapan.blogspot.com)
My favourite smug highbrow/lowbrow comparison is to compare the Sugababes to the Ship of Theseus (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ship_of_Theseus). Other white middle class people like it too.
Marina Hyde is the queen of this. Able to talk about politics and shit Tom Cruise films in the same column. She’s brilliant.