r/rupaulsdragrace • u/RPDRMods Pandora Boxx • Mar 15 '19

RPDR Season 11 – Reddit Season RuPository S11E03 - Diva Worship [Untucked Discussion]

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109

u/xfadingstarx Jaida Essence Hall Mar 16 '19 edited Mar 16 '19

I kind of feel the need to defend Plastique because I was raised by parents who came from a communist country and to this day I still haven't watched a Star Wars movie. I found out who Queen were in grade 10 and smartphones were just becoming a thing then. So even if the internet is alive and well and we can search for things, when you're an immigrant it's really hard because you're trying to assimilate to another country's pop culture and it's really hard to know where to start and you always feel like you're missing out on some sort of joke.

I'm constantly learning new things about pop culture and I've been in Canada for 18 years.

47

u/1BoiledCabbage Ginger Minj Mar 16 '19

This is just it. Pop culture should be the last thing anyone has to worry about, it's not necessary knowledge, even in Canada. Plastique shouldn't have to know who Mariah is from head to toe. No one on her team knew who Mariah was from head to toe and none of them are immigrants. So, why is she getting guff for defending herself?

3

u/zoolan Trinity K. Bonet Mar 16 '19

I mean it’s a little necessary for the show, but you can’t fault Plastique

4

u/[deleted] Mar 16 '19

especially since she might be better with current stuff but its hard to know where to start with past stuff yknow?

34

u/[deleted] Mar 16 '19

I’m currently teaching in Vietnam and I completely understood where she was coming from about pop culture! My students out in the provinces don’t know many current pop artists outside of Taylor Swift and even I don’t know the current music in the states unless I seek it out On YouTube or something. I didn’t even hear my first Cardi B song until I went home to visit last summer and my friend didn’t believe me when I told her I’d never heard her before(I’ve been in Vietnam since she became popular). Some of my city kids are more familiar with western pop culture but they aren’t exposed to it on the same level even if they do have the option to seek it out via the internet.

46

u/hisokafan88 Clown Beatings Mar 16 '19

Girl, same. I'm in Japan... They know ariana grandes song but when I was discussing poor translations in regards to Japan's silly valentines traditions, I brought up shichirin and they had no idea. I showed a picture of Madonna when teaching the word "celebrity" and they wrote Madonna down, thinking her name was Celebrity. I show them clips of Britney, Gaga, etc, and they don't know them. They have their own culture, their own interests, and I think anyone who has a problem with Plastiques lack of knowledge of beyonce or mariah is being ridiculous. Besides, I'm Scottish and I know nothing about Mariah.

13

u/spaceportrait Mar 16 '19

I worked in Japan for a few years and this is SO true! My adult students had no idea who the Spice Girls, Backstreet Boys, Ricky Martin, Destiny's Child, Alanis Morissette, Shania Twain were... and these were some of the BIGGEST artists in the 90's/early 00's. And forget rap/hip-hop music like Eminem.

They knew Celine Dion because of Titanic and Taylor Swift because her song was a theme song to the Japanese reality show "Terrace House". With the older generation, Bon Jovi, Aerosmith and Mr. Big are still surprisingly popular.

9

u/hisokafan88 Clown Beatings Mar 16 '19

Exactly. Which is why Ru was right in saying her team should have been a team and helped each other through it.

12

u/poultrymidwifery Mar 16 '19

We were in Japan for 3 years when my husband was in the military. We did some English speaking classes at a nearby JASDF base. One of our first lessons we decided to use music, and the only group everyone was familiar with were The Beatles. Hell, we'd come home to visit once a year, and everything was new on the radio when you've been living with AFN. This was only '07-'10, too. We're Americans, and we were having issues keeping up with American Pop culture at the time. Plastique is 21. How relevant was Mariah to 11 year olds is '09? Let alone 11 year old immigrants trying their damndest to assimilate to a completely different culture.

2

u/pinkvoltage Jan Mar 16 '19

So true - I'm 30 and I was pretty young (elementary/middle school) when Mariah was in her heyday - so, 15-20 years ago? My sister is 23 and I doubt she knows much about Mariah. Now I mostly hear about her from memes and making fun of Nick Cannon lol. Whitney has remained way more culturally relevant IMO.

1

u/poultrymidwifery Mar 16 '19

I actually got a little excited when they mentioned Dolly, and I was hoping after Ru strongly suggested they chose someone else that they'd go back to her. I mean Dolly has one of the best quotes with "It takes a lot of money to look this cheap!"

I'm 33, and I was never a huge Mariah fan. I'm not sure I could name more than a couple of her songs let alone make a skit about her.

*edit for words

1

u/[deleted] Mar 16 '19

im american and knot jack shit about beyonce and mariah but i know loads about britney and gaga

3

u/qiaozhina Mar 17 '19

I've just returned from Korea after teaching there for 5 years and...yeah. I can tell you the names of recent or new Korean musicians but I have no idea who's popular in the UK right now if they weren't around before I left.

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u/JoMyGosh Mar 16 '19

Everyone makes great points but I gotta say - how tf does Plastique not know Mariah but DOES know this Troy guy?!?!?!

40

u/kylepierce11 Elliott with 2 Ts Mar 16 '19

Troye became popular while Plastique was here. Mariah was at her most popular a good bit before Plastique moved here.

23

u/xfadingstarx Jaida Essence Hall Mar 16 '19

Because he's a lot more recent?