I loathe popular pulp, I loathe go-go gangs, I loathe jungle music, I loathe science fiction with its gals and goons, suspense and suspensories. I especially loathe vulgar movies-cripples raping nuns under tables, or naked-girl breasts squeezing against the tanned torsos of repulsive young males. And, really, I don't think I mock popular trash more often than do other authors who believe with me that a good laugh is the best pesticide.
In "Strong Opinions," Vladimir Nabokov expresses his disdain for various forms of popular culture, including pulp fiction, go-go bands, and certain genres of music and film. He conveys a strong aversion to science fiction and the vulgarity he finds in modern cinema, characterizing it as crude and distasteful. Nabokov critiques the sensationalism that often permeates these genres, illustrating his belief that they are degrading and shallow.
He suggests that the authors who share his views on the quality of this popular culture often resort to humor as a way to cope with or critique it. For Nabokov, laughter serves as a means to cleanse or combat the negative influences of such media, reinforcing the idea that intelligent literature should elevate the mind and spirit rather than indulge in base impulses.
