The infiltration of popular culture in DeLillo's White NoiseIn Don DeLillo's satirical novel White Noise, we become acquainted with what we might call a "postmodern family " - a group of people related to each other by birth, marriage and common residence. But as we observe this family, we notice that the bonds between them are strained at best, and that their lives have been taken over by some insidious new force. This force is popular culture. For better or worse, pop culture has infiltrated the lives of our fictional family just as it has in the lives of real human beings. DeLillo's purpose in the book is best illustrated by Heinrich's comment after the toxic air event: "The real problem is the type of radiation that surrounds us every day." In other words, DeLillo claims that popular culture is ruining – or, perhaps, has ruined – all of us. We must first explain what DeLillo, speaking through Heinrich, means by this statement. First, we note that some sort of culture is important to the well-being of a society: indeed, some argue that a group of people does not form a civilized society if it does not possess a culture. Now, “high” culture – the culture embraced by the ruling classes, such as theatre, classical music and the like – is usually broadcast live. No radiation is necessary. In contrast, "low" or "popular" culture is generally transmitted through radiation: television or radio. Steffie's "Toyota Celica" episode (154-155) is an example of this, as are the symptoms of the airborne toxic event which continually change depending on the radio. Furthermore, the fear of death occupies a prominent place in the novel, and this parallels the obsession with youth. Many have blamed America's obsession with youth (and...... middle of paper ......driven by an obsession with messages broadcast on the radio. All characters change the names they use to refer to event when the radio announcer does it: a “feathered plume” (111), a “floating cloud” (114), and finally an “airborne toxic event” (117) But this is just a nomenclature The girls' symptoms - objects real with physical manifestations – constantly changing with radio reports We learn that “Heinrich told her [Denise] that he was showing obsolete symptoms” (117) we have become media lemmings, governed by the suggestion of beings that exist only in radiation rather that in ourselves. We have become slaves to the media, as DeLillo so vividly illustrates - and we should be terrified. Work citedDeLillo, Don White Noise New York: Penguin, 1985.