Conversation about Opera

I decided to ask my friend from high school what he thought of opera  when I called him on the phone over fall break. He initially was caught off guard and I had to explain my reason for asking but then he went into his take on opera. he began talking about some JG Wentworth commercial that I had never heard of. He described a stage with people singing about the number to call to contact them and he mentioned how lame the commercial was. From what I could gather, the commercial consisted of several people singing opera on a stage, wearing furs and viking-like apparel, and raising their arms when they sing. He also said the main line was “877-cash-now.” I think this is very loosely related to actual opera, but it shows the perception of opera in today’s society. The viking gear and powerful gestures were consistent with my perception of opera. I could tell that neither he nor I knew much more about opera than that because we have only experienced what is put on TV. I think this is true for many Americans.