Remixing Influencers: Academics Reading and Writing About Philosophy and Pop Culture

Who is your greatest influence? Take a moment to think about it. When we have asked this question in class we inevitably get answers like “my parents” or “Jesus” or “James Charles” (look on YouTube—there’s no shame in it; why carry a tiny super computer in your pocket if not to find out these things?). Which fictional character speaks to you? Is it Hermione or Luke Skywalker? Maybe it’s Twilight Sparkle from My Little Pony Mark 4 or Buffy. Maybe you internally shouted “finally!” when you could replace the decades of teachers moralizing about Atticus Finch with Starr Carter or Jasper Jones. The collective heteronormative sigh of relief was palpable when Bandit Heeler showed families that not all dads were like, or had to be like, Homer Simpson.