Ronda Rousey just taught me a lesson. Fortunately, it had nothing to do with fighting, though I’m sure the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion would utterly kick my ass. The lesson comes via a close pal, who (politely) scolded me for taking such a narrow-minded view of the things we hope to feature here at CultureSonar. Our increasingly-fluid culture encompasses so much more than books, music, film, dance, books and all the usual suspects. Take, for example, the genuinely moving video promoting Ms. Rousey’s upcoming championship bout against Holly Holm.
The 3-minute film is remarkable in many ways. It follows the trajectory of the two fighters, from childhood, as they fall in love with their brutal art. It presents them not only as respectful adversaries, but as women fighting for a place at the proverbial table. It’s impossible to imagine, for example, two male boxers promoting a fight with such subtlety and humanity.
Under the headline of “Duh, obvious,” it just goes to show that advertising is massive a part of our culture. As are sports. And food. And politics (underlying partisan issues very much aside). And a whole bunch of other stuff. The point is we really are feeling our way here — and need your help. Please talk to us. Contribute some posts. Help us figure this out; so we become actually useful to folks looking to navigate a world of fast-moving targets (like Ms. Rousey).
– AC
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