Count me among those with Popular Culture Defiance (PCD), as at least one psychologist calls it. This condition, which I learned about from a recent Twitter post, explains a lot – at least to me.
It could well be the reason I didn’t board the Wordle bus.
This is not a judgment of Wordle or those who play it. It’s just that this now-named condition of PCD helps to explain why I’ve not had an urge to see what the little, well-stacked, multi-colored blocks are all about.
When someone posts their Wordle results — I’m assuming they did well. But I can’t tell. However, Facebook was not built on people reporting their failures.
My disinterest in Wordle, however, may be simply tied to the fact that stringing words together is my livelihood — and that deadline-driven exercise gets enough of my word-related energy.
However, it’s good to know that someone has identified and named a psychological condition to explain what keeps some of us from joining the latest rage to come along — or at least to be latecomers.
My PCD has shown up throughout my life. For example, we somehow raised two rather stable kids to adulthood without ever owning a minivan.
They surely did the trick for transporting a mid-size family — but everybody was doing that. Therefore, I didn’t do that.
During the carpool era of our daughters’ educational years — a sociological phenomenon in itself — I took note of how vehicle ownership changed rather quickly for many parental chauffeurs in order to align with whatever the most popular families were driving.
Even a mom with one small kid would show up in the biggest gas-guzzling SUV on the market if there were five of them in front of her each weekday — and at the country club on the weekend. By the way, these were the same parents who warned their kids constantly about the dangers of peer pressure.
You know, “Do as I say, not as I do” parenting.
Those of us with PCD have our default set on “if it’s in, it’s out.” Admittedly, there’s some emerging curmudgeon realities to this condition as well.
My reason for not watching award shows like the Emmys and the Grammys is that I don’t watch or listen to much of what is being judged and rewarded. And I have made my peace with that.
I’m perfectly content being able to name many more members of the 1970 Pittsburgh Pirates than the titles of current reality TV shows.
This driving force is not a purposeful desire for being out of style — or a need to reject evolving technologies. Rather, those of us with PCD just don’t adopt and adapt to something new simply because it’s popular.
We want enough time to see if this new thing works effectively and is helpful to us. And we want to know if it’s a lasting trend or a passing fad.
But, perhaps more than other factors, the idea of uniformity feels more restrictive to us than it is gratifying.
Beyond its mere popularity, we want to be sure that whatever new comes on the scene fills a void rather than just tacking on something else or more complex to do.
Perhaps my voluntary ownership of a green, polyester leisure suit — with a pointed collar and bold stitching along the ever-wide lapel — in the 1970s taught me to test the cultural waters before diving in with both blue-suede, platform-heeled feet.
I am not suggesting that those of us with PCD are wiser or better than those who are not. I just appreciate having some name — or abbreviation — to tack onto my condition.
Having early adapters is very helpful — and keeping up with cultural happenings is quite nice for those who choose to do so. There is no judgment from me.
But don’t count out those of us with PCD. We generally know what we are missing.
While I’m no expert on congregational life, I get the feeling that churches need some leaders with PCD among the mix.
They might be helpful with the important discipline of discerning a fad — which is here today and gone tomorrow — from lasting trends that deserves thoughtful adjustments.
Following the crowd is only beneficial if the crowd is going to a good place. And, even then, some of us might be a few steps apart — and looking suspiciously at the masses.
Don’t worry. It’s only because we suffer or benefit from Popular Culture Defiance — and aren’t afraid to admit it.
Director of the Jesus Worldview Initiative at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee and former executive editor and publisher at Good Faith Media.
