I'll admit that before I ever got my license "The Fast and the Furious" did kind of skewed my image of the whole scene, but by the time I even got my license I was over the whole neon and body kit thing. I definitely still acted like a jackass sometimes when I first started driving, but I learned my lesson long before I joined this site.
Also I think roll racing is so popular today just because of the sheer ease of availability, and lack of skill needed. You hop on a freeway, honk a few times, and take off. There's no finding that perfect deserted road, getting a flagger or waiting for a light, and it actually takes skill. I'm not saying that makes doing it ok, I'm just saying that's why I think it is so popular nowadays.