The Lasting Impact of Breaking Bad on Popular Culture: A Study, bitch!

In this new "golden age" of television, Breaking Bad has become the belle of the ball, winning over audiences and Emmy voters alike. Even if you've been living under a 60 gallon barrel of cash in the middle of the New Mexican desert for the past 6 years, you still cringe when you see a box cutter, and giggle every time you hear the word "bitch". I'm sure scholars and psychologists will be studying the "Heisenberg effect" for years to come, but here is a quick look at just some of the ways Breaking Bad has had a lasting impact on pop culture.

5. It made meth cool. Poor meth, it's just as deadly and addictive as cocaine, with as much potential to ruin your life as heroine, but it never seemed to get the attention it deserved... UNTIL NOW! In this down economy, meth dealers are finally able to provide for their families (Just like, Walt!) and get the street cred they deserve. Dealers are "feeling blue" (dying their product the signature Heisenberg color), with meth sales rising faster than Hank at the DEA.

"42% rise in sales, bitch!"

4. It gave kleptomaniacs a break. Over 1.2 million people suffer from kleptomania, tearing apart families, destroying futures, and seen by many as a desperate cry for help. But when you compare that with the running of a vast drug empire, it doesn't seem all that bad, does it? Back when Walt was cutting the crust off a hostage's sandwich, Marie's sticky fingers seemed like quite the family crisis. But after Walt aligning with the arian mafia to take out Gus' whole crew simultaneously (including setting one guy on fire), lifting a diamond tiara here or there hardly seems like criminal activity.

"It's fine for Walt to steal the spotlight from me, but not OK for me to 'borrow' these shoes?!" 

3. It reestablished breakfast as the most important meal of the day. Is it weird that even though I know Walter Jr. will be in copious amounts of therapy for years I still find myself a little jealous of him for the elaborate breakfasts he's served every morning? Sure, my dad wasn't a drug king pin and my mom didn't launder his money, but they also never made me pancakes with a side of bacon, eggs, toast and cereal (just in case I wasn't in the mood for the other stuff). Taking in the news of your parent's drug empire is a lot easier when you're washing it down with a glass of OJ.

"Dad, I understand the complex moral situation you were in- could you pass the omelets?"

2. It inspired a renewed interest in poetry. Whether you're a genius killing time between meth cooks or a DEA agent looking for a good read while taking a dump, Breaking Bad established the importance of being hooked on phonics and how it can make (or, more often, break) your place in the drug business. Watching the show sometimes felt like it came with homework assignments, from googling ancient Greek poems ("Ozy-who?") to looking up textual analysis on the writings of Walt Whitman, I spent more time researching the subtle metaphorical subtext connecting mentioned works of literature to the show than on my actual research papers.

" The hyperbolic nature of this poem seems to correlate with my brother-in-law's strange activity..." 

1. It brought "bitch" back.  In an age of declining television censorship and the rising use of once taboo curse words, calling someone a "bitch" didn't pack the same punch as it use to. Resigned to living out the rest of its days as the latter part of a tagline for Brittany Spears, Aaron Paul plucked the insult out of pop culture obscurity and threw it back into the spotlight.  Boasting both science and magnets as part of its verbal entourage, Bitch is back in a big way, going from a lame, half-assed insult to glorified word of nostalgia for Breaking Bad fans everywhere.

I, for one, am sad to see one of the greatest shows of the decade go, but glad its important cultural impact will continue on for years to come (...bitch).