Sign of the Times

I want you to interpret an indirect sign - a sign of the times.  The popular idiom "sign of the times" is a phrase that points to the fact that there are certain things that are accurate indicators of the cultural moment. (e.g., "Kim Kardashian is a sign of the decadence and superficiality of the times we live in.") Pick some symptom of present day culture that you've noticed, and describe what you think it indicates about general values, feelings, or concerns.  It could be, for instance, a statistical rise in suicides among a certain population, or a movie genre that has suddenly become very popular, or a change in social media technology, or a fashion. Describe the characteristics of the symptom with some specificity and vividness, and then speculate about what you think it indicates culturally.

One major defining and reflective cultural element right now is the Broadway rap musical Hamilton which, after running for over a year and losing most of its original cast, is still almost impossible to get tickets to. I admit I'm not as much of a die-hard fan of it as some of my friends (who have the soundtrack memorized); more so than its actual content, I appreciate its concept and cultural impact. It captures the current cultural mood of the need for minority representation in media, regardless of its subject matter.

Unlike traditional musicals, Hamilton's numbers consist mostly of rap, hip-hop, and R&B--musical styles created by and prominent in the black and Latino communities--and boasts a cast of entirely (well, except for King George) minority actors, even if they are playing the white, mostly slave-owning Founding Fathers. Hamilton and Jefferson's heated debates are captured in rap battles, for instance. Hamilton himself was an immigrant who ascended up society through his own hard work, emphasized through various parts of the musical, such as the song which dramatically reveals he wrote 51 of the Federalist Papers.While political rivals may no longer settle their differences with duels, plenty of topics--from immigration, sex scandals, and dirty political fights--are easily applicable to today's world.

But the political process isn't the only place Hamilton relates to today's culture. In recent years, the subject of race in media has generated a lot of interest. #OscarsSoWhite pointed out the lack of black and other minority-focused films to generate critical buzz or exist at all. We Need Diverse Books campaigns for the need of books reflecting today's children in terms of race as well as sexuality, mental and physical ability, religion, and more. Meanwhile, racial anxieties are fueling many debates in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement and Donald Trump's many controversial comments. As such, Hamilton fits seamlessly into current sociocultural dialogue by displaying a world where minority culture is celebrated and minority actors have opportunities that less creative producers would deny them.