{"id":9805,"date":"2021-11-30T20:13:56","date_gmt":"2021-12-01T01:13:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu\/messenger\/?p=9805"},"modified":"2026-02-06T14:45:37","modified_gmt":"2026-02-06T19:45:37","slug":"megans-pop-culture-watch-november-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/openlab.macaulay.cuny.edu\/messenger\/2021\/11\/30\/megans-pop-culture-watch-november-2021\/","title":{"rendered":"Megan\u2019s Pop Culture Watch: November 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"

Media is messy. With countless social platforms and ever-changing trending pages, it is easy to miss the biggest headlines. The Messenger is back with the latest triumphs, trends and troubles of the pop culture world.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Disaster in \u201cUtopia\u201d \u2014 The Astroworld Tragedy:<\/b><\/p>\n

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To begin is a topic of the utmost sensitivity, unlike most of the other subjects of our discussion.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Music festivals are synonymous with happiness, fun and freedom; Travis Scott\u2019s Astroworld Festival on Nov. 5 gravely proved to be all but that. Over 50,000 attendees crammed into the sold-out festival, which took place in Houston, Texas, to see the aforementioned rapper perform alongside other artists, including Drake. A combination of the amount of people present along with the general energy of the crowd resulted in the trampling of hundreds of concertgoers. Eight people died by the end of the night and an additional two lives were lost in the days after the concert due to extensive injuries. The youngest victim was nine years old.<\/span><\/p>\n

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People in the crowd attempted multiple times throughout the concert to get Scott\u2019s attention, even climbing onto the spotlight stands to alert his crew, who ignored the cries for help. Scott never stopped the concert to calm the crowd and get help for those injured, instead bringing out special guests and <\/span>doing the robot dance<\/span><\/a>, acting as if absolutely nothing strange was occurring right before his eyes. Scott put out an <\/span>apology video<\/span><\/a> on his Instagram the next day, but the lives lost could not be brought back. Many who saw the video believed that Scott did not care about the lives lost at his concert, as he did not take true accountability for his part in what happened that day.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Scott, his company and crew and even celebrity guests at the concert are now facing numerous lawsuits totaling over two billion dollars in reparations for the lives lost during Astroworld. The suits place the blame on Scott, Live Entertainment Inc, Drake and other guilty parties that saw what was going on and failed to take proper action. Scott has offered to cover the funeral expenses for the eight people who died that night, but despite this, the lives of the families of those lost and injured due to the festival will remain forever changed.<\/span><\/p>\n

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2) The King (and Queen) of Staten Island<\/b><\/p>\n

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A meme of Kim and Pete on their way to Campania (created by Megan Trapanese).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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You know the story: the popular girl meets the awkward outcast and before they know it they are both head over heels for each other. Hollywood star Kim Kardashian and self-proclaimed outsider Pete Davidson are destined for this rom-com trope. The two had met numerous times over the course of their respective careers but after Kim hosted Saturday Night Live in early October, where Davidson is a regular cast member, they were spotted alone together much more often.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Staten Island is many things, but no one thought that it would be a place that Kim Kardashian would purposely seek out. Being courted around by her friend, the Skims founder spent the evening of Nov. 2 in the \u201cForgotten Borough,\u201d dining with Davidson on the secluded rooftop of a local restaurant. The Italian-cuisine restaurant, Campania, is well-known as one of Davidson\u2019s favorites in his home borough.. Locals, and everyone else, were dumbfounded to hear that the \u201cSaturday Night Live\u201d actor took the queen of media to a small, affordable restaurant in the center of what some people say is the worst part of New York City.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Since their island vacation, Kardashian and Davidson have been pictured more than once to be holding hands in the media. No formal statements have been made by either party but an <\/span>anonymous source<\/span><\/a> told E! News<\/span> that the two are officially together. Social media users are convinced that the two are on the path to becoming the reigning couple of Staten Island.<\/span><\/p>\n

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3) Red (Taylor\u2019s Version), Dead, No Redemption<\/b><\/p>\n

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