17 American Pop Culture Debate Topics for Today

Published on December 19, 2017 at 9:36 am by Bojana Petković in Lists, News

You’ll find out what whole America has been raging about in 2017 when you read about 17 American pop culture debate topics for today!

By definition, pop culture are “music, TV, cinema, books, etc., that are popular and enjoyed by ordinary people, rather than experts or very educated people”. Basically, this is the aspect of culture that most of the population is familiar with. Even though some may argue about its impact or its worth, and consider it overvalued and trivial, there’s much more to it than meets the eye. Leonardo da Vinci may have painted Mona Lisa, but it is reproductions of Marilyn Monroe by Andy Warhol that is hanging on walls all over the world. Pop culture’s impact is much stronger than it seems to be. Therefore, if someone is thinking these are just pointless debate topics, he/she couldn’t be more wrong. Actually, pop culture is a fruitful field of greatest debate topics due to one simple reason. Pop culture is exactly what it stands for: popular, so that means that everybody has an opinion on it. Pop culture is life, whether you like it or not. No one could’ve escaped the news on Queen Bey’s pregnancy even if they tried hard. Even if the fact that she gave birth to twins does not affect your life whatsoever, the truth remains that you have found out about it, this way or the other. The world of mass media makes sure we get all the possible (irrelevant) information.

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What is more, it is due to the media that the whole planet has adopted American pop culture as their own. We wouldn’t be much mistaken if we were to say that American pop culture makes a huge part of the global pop culture. Consequently, our article is bound to be enjoyed globally, instead of being interesting only to the American nation.

In order to find interesting and current pop culture topics to write about, we first established some standards. Despite the fact that our article focuses on today’s moment, that doesn’t mean that the debate opportunities appeared only in 2017. There are topics abound which are still stirring some discussion among Americans today, even though the issues originally appeared a few years ago. Certain debates never go out of fashion, and we found a great list of eternal eternal light hearted debate topics E!Online. We checked the how contemporary they are and discovered there are still articles being written on them. For that reason, some of controversial pop culture topics from 2016 continued to exist and earned their place on our list of pop culture debates in 2017. In order to get to the bottom of most controversial pop culture topics, we turned to the press. Our second source was no one else but the USA Today with pop culture highlights for 2017. The next step was checking how much the events and people mentioned were debatable, so we read about some of them at the National Review, the New York Times, Debate, Rolling Stone, Hello Magazine and other press sources. Unfortunately, perhaps we have to disappoint you and admit that if you’re expecting to read only about funny pop culture debates, you couldn’t be more wrong. Popular culture means it’s accessible to everyone. It doesn’t necessarily mean it’s only related to popular music or entertainment sections. Some of the stories mentioned have nothing to do with entertainment or funny debate topics for adults. They are rather serious, pressing issues to be dealt with (such as suicide and women’s rights).

On the other hand, if you’re looking for topics that are always fun to argue about, check out our 15 Good Debate Topics for Kids. Take our word for it: you don’t have to be a kid to have a laugh while arguing on the necessity of grades in schools. Or how about 25 Controversial Debate Topics for College Students to shake things up?

Our 17 American pop culture debate topics for today are listed in random order. We firmly believe you’ll find you have strong opinions on each of them!

17. Best Batman

A simple question: Who’s Batman to you? You will have more than one answer. Just try it. The answers vary greatly, from Lewis G. Wilson and Michael Keaton to Christian Bale. Everyone has their favorite. Interestingly enough, even though there is a wide array of masked superheroes with secret identities, it is only the Dark Knight that sparks a heated discussion. There is something mysterious, powerful and unfortunate in this hero that the American love to love.

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16. Pepsi vs. Cola

We’re not going to gab about the never-ending battle between these two brands which ranks 16th on our list of American pop culture debate topics for today. It’s an undeniable fact that every year the companies are trying to make a bigger impression on the consumers, who, on the other hand, have their hearts set on one beverage and refuse to drink the other because “it couldn’t be more different.”

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15. Is Beyoncé a good role model for girls?

We are continuing our list of American pop culture debate topics for today with Queen Bey. She is probably one of the most popular female singers on the planet. The woman rules the charts, and the hearts, too. Hardly anyone will speak against her attitudes. Nevertheless, the world would be such a boring place if there weren’t for some opposition. Her critics say she is too provocative, a fake feminist and too narcissistic to be a good role model for young girls.

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14. Star Wars vs. Star Trek

During the last elections, Americans were divided based on their voting preferences. Still, presidents come and go, but this is a division that will never end. Ever since the film and series have appeared there has been a constant disagreement on which one is the best. If neither appeals to you, we feel obliged to ask: are you even American?

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13. Should Carrie have ended up with Mr. Big?

Believe it or not, but women around the world are still pondering over it, so the author was asked the question recently. Apparently, Mr. Big is doubted to be the perfect match due to… Well, let’s just say they have a looong history.

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12. Were Ross and Rachel on a break?

“We were on a break!” Every single American knows this meme-inspiring line. There is hardly a person in the US who hasn’t heard of Ross’ excuse. Whether it was legit or not is what the people are still arguing about. After all, if it Rachel had accepted the excuse, the whole plot would’ve been different. However, that didn’t happen, and we’re left with this often quoted line which ended up 12th on our list of American pop culture debate topics for today.

11. Women’s March: Was it really useful?

It’s time for some more serious issues in our 17 American pop culture debate topics for today. The whole world watched the mass protests in front of the White House. On the one hand, it shows women’s power and willingness to let their voice be heard. On the other hand, there were issues with the organization, races (is it a protest by white women only) and even its name. The question remains: was the march powerful, or did it turn out to be even comical?

10. Disney vs. Pixar

Disney has reigned the cartoon world for decades, but finally, the time has come for some competition.

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9. Team Jacob vs. Team Edward

Even though the Americans are quarreling about similar love affairs (Team Gale vs. Team Peeta), Twilight takes precedence since after the first film the whole world went bananas over vampire love stories.

8. Katy Perry vs. Taylor Swift

It used to be Britney vs. Xtina, and now the millennials have their favorite dispute, too, which ranks 8th on our list of American pop culture debate topics for today. No one knows what had actually happened between the two pop singers, but it doesn’t stop the fans from guessing and seeking secret messages in the lyrics.

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7. Beyoncé’s breastfeeding debate

We are continuing our list of American pop culture debate topics for today with the debate number 7 – the whole thing started with an Instagram post by Beyoncé herself. She’s shown drinking a glass of white wine. One month after she had her twins, and she was still breastfeeding. That was enough for the internet to explode with discussions on whether such alcohol intake was dangerous or not.

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6. Does 13 Reasons Why glamorize teen suicide?

While some advocate the series shows all the misery of committing suicide, others fear it might ignite a spark of interest in taking one’s own life due to popularity.

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5. Wonder Woman: feminist or not?

Wonder Woman is a superwoman. A female superhero. Showing how women, too, can be strong, independent, face danger and solve difficult situations. Or, does it really? Her appearance is a female stereotype, and the actress’ origin has raised many issues, too.

Pixabay / Public Domain

4. Could Jack have fit on that board?

Could Jack have survived? Of course, we’re talking about Jack and Rose and the Titanic movie. Even the Mythbusters dealt with the problem. Apparently, yes. But the film enthusiasts will still defend their stand.

Pixabay/ Public Domain

And now, let’s see the top three American pop culture debate topics for today.

3. The Handmaid’s Tale debate

A completely different movie, and a far cry from a romantic love story. What is The Handmaid’s Tale about? The plot is set in futuristic America in which women slaves are raised to bear children for barren couples. The narrator of the story is one of them. As various typical female roles are presented there, it opens doors for debate and essay writing, too. Is the book/movie feminist? Is it important at all? Is it anti-religious?

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2. #MeToo: A catalyst or a fleeting moment?

#MeToo hashtag has been spreading across the internet by all women and girls who have been sexually harassed in some way. While some say it is ground-breaking, others believe it is rather a moment than a movement.

1. Las Vegas shooting debate over gun control

We’re ending the list of 17 American pop culture debate topics for today with something that has nothing to do with pop music, but everything to do with American pop culture. After LA mass shooting and multiple weapons (23 firearms, including a handgun, along with hundreds of rounds of ammunition ) found in the gunman’s room, the question arises if Americans should be allowed to purchase weapons as they used to, or issuing licenses should be altered.