United States Department Of State, Bureau Of International Information Programs. — 2013. — ix, 52 p. — ISBN (PDF) 978-1-62592-022-5.This edition of Pop Culture Versus Real America is intended for the sixth- to seventh grade level students of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) or English as a Second Language (ESL). It was adapted from the original publication Pop Culture Versus Real America (2010). It shows how characters in popular American TV shows and films are not always like real Americans. Each chapter gives a description of a TV show or movie along with a story about a real person who is a doctor, lifeguard or cowboy.
People throughout the world think about Americans in a certain way. American tourists are sometimes seen as loud and insensitive to other cultures. But they can be warm and friendly, too. People around the world watch American television shows on satellite television. But these TV shows do not always show Americans in a good way. This book tries to change some of these false stereotypes. American pop culture icons — such as Homer Simpson, or the fantasy lifeguards on Baywatch — can give people the wrong impression about Americans. If they do not know Americans personally, they might think these fictional characters are like real Americans.
The pop culture image of Americans is contrasted with the real thing. The Simpsons’ Krusty Burger is paired with a story about farmers markets in “Farm to Table: Fresh for the Picking.” Baywatch lines up against real California lifeguards in “Saving Lives Takes More Than a Nice Tan.” The petty, fictional teens of Gossip Girl are put to shame by the story of young Katheryn Conde in “Helping Her Friends, Family and Community.” Conde, who tutors classmates and helps poor children in her free time, cannot understand the shallow Gossip Girl characters. “It seems like all the girls are focused on the social part of their lives,” she says.
