I think dismissing Gaga as trash culture is failing to take culture seriously. Because she's not just a throw away pop star. She really is saying new and interesting things. They're things that call back to other pop stars that have changed our landscape, but they're also transformative and big. She definitely takes her work seriously. It's not something she's packaging to get rich off of. Everything she makes is put back into the shows, which she's pretty open about.

Listen, I grew up the daughter of Hippie parents. I still don't wear shoes mostly or shave anything. I didn't have a television or microwave until extremely recently (think maybe two years?). I don't know who anyone in the pop scene is. But I also get that it's not OK to dismiss things as being trash culture. What's important to people is important. Being 'above' it in some way doesn't make me more sophisticated and media savvy. It makes me ignorant. It means I'm missing something important that's resonating with other people. You don't have to find it interesting, but acting like you're so much better than people who *do* find it interesting is boring and gauche.