Post by Lovux The Great on Dec 2, 2008 6:24:54 GMT -5
This was originally a rant Lovux posted on her deviantART just a day ago, but since this is a subject that might be interesting to discuss, she thought she'd post it and hear what others have to say about this.
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Have you also noticed how people usually can be very tolerant about stuff in general, that you can say pretty much anything about a movie you love or hate without anybody getting remotely upset… but when it comes to music, then it’s like the air gets electric and you have to watch your tongue or else him/her you’re talking to might go batshit insane?
I’m fully aware that music means a lot to most people. Music means a lot to me too; music can cheer me up when I feel depressed, music can make me cry when I feel that I really need to cry, music can fill me with fighting spirit and will to do my best, and music can calm me down when I’m upset and on the verge of going hysterical.
But, since music usually is a part of a person’s life, why do we have to be so militant about it? If we meet a person who likes a music genre that we hate, do we have to tell that person “WTF [insert genre here] suck major ass and everything sounds exactly the same”. It’s hurtful for the person in question, just as hurtful it would be if someone suddenly walked up to you and said “Hey, you have the lousiest taste of music EVER, something’s got to be wrong with your ears!”.
I’m a person who likes all kinds of music. And when I say everything, I mean everything. I guess that there are some genres here and there that sound plain to me, but I’m pretty sure I could enjoy songs from those genres as well if I really gave it a fair chance. Anyway, it really makes me sad to hear people having arguments over which music that is better than another, because I can relate to all kinds of songs and like everything I hear, but for different reasons. And what is even sadder is that your music style is GRADED based on how “cool” it is. As for me, who as a fan of anime and manga and thus considered a person who is alternative, a minority, and I talk and interact a lot with people who feel the same, I know how rough things can be for you if you don’t fit in. Basically, if something is too mainstream and not alternative enough, people look down on you and think you are either boring or just kidding. And it’s not the “mainstream”/popular thing only, but it’s also a LOT about just images and reputations and what “status” they have in the music world.
To illustrate what I’m meaning, I’ll use one of the most controversial, hated and loves pop icons nowadays as an example; Britney Spears. (and PLEASE, DON'T turn this thread into a Britney Spears debate, because that is NOT what I'm trying to achieve)
I used to hate her when she was “big” and popular in the 90’s, but the latest year, I have found myself listening to a couple of her songs, and I sincerely think that they are good. Please note that I say A COUPLE of songs, not that I have all albums or anything. I think she’s a decent singer that has had a few catchy hits, but nothing more. However, this statement caused a RUCKUS when I mentioned this in school a while back. The replies where “WTF?! How can you like that psycho?!”, “She’s the worst mother ever!”, “She can’t even take care of herself?!”. I agree on all points. She is a useless mother, she is not a mentally stable person and she cannot properly take care of herself. But my question is – what has that to do with her music career? Can you hear in the instrumentals of “Oops!... I Did it Again” that she shaved her head last year while crying? Do the lyrics in “Baby One More Time” explicitly state that “My sons aren’t in good hands when they are with me”? Are the bubbling and clapping sounds in “Gimme More” evidence that she is a depressed person?
In just what way if her personal life relevant to her songs?
Why, just WHY, must it be so hard to accept that I like the SONGS, not the person who is singing them?
… I just looked back at the liekmassive wall of text about this whole Britney Spears deal, it got me thinking; Why the hell do I need to DEFEND myself for liking that kind of music? Why do I have to come with arguments and evidence to back up my fondness of those three songs in order to make people accept me for the one I am? I said more or less all of what I wrote in the previous text in school, and I got a reply that went like this;
“Well, liking Britney Spears tells us ALL about you.”
So I can only assume that because of those three songs (out of like, I dunno, 60+ songs Britney has done), I have more or less blown all my chances to be one of the “cool” people in my class.
Anyhow, it’s this action I just did that is one of the main things in music discussions/all-out-WARS that breaks my heart. If you like something that is not considered “cool” among the people you are usually spending time with, people will question your taste and even yourself as a PERSON. Your soul and heart, the whole character that is you, is being judged only by what songs you have on you iPod.
A person is NOT represented by what he or she is listening to. Liking a certain musician or genre of music does not make a person your enemy. A person should not be defined by his or her taste of music, or dress code, or what movies he or she likes, or anything vain like that, but of what he or she is like as a PERSON. How he or she behaves and what idealistic opinions he or she has and in what way he or she treats you. If a person is being nice and kind to you but listen to music by, as I said in my example, Britney Spears… do you think that person is a BAD person who should be looked down on?
Or God forbid, if there are two groups of people who are arguing over their music styles and then there’s one in the middle who likes both genres, that person will be flamed by both sides like there was no tomorrow.
Le click <--- Here is a screenshot of ALL my music folders. Am I an idiot for loving the Aqua and Vengaboys folders equally much as I love Within Temptation and Linkin Park or the Utada Hikaru and Dir en Grey folders? Should I be flamed for enjoying both ABBA as well as Smurfhits? Am I a hateable person for “being a traitor” and siding will all kinds of music, no matter if it’s mainstream pop or alternative pop/rock?
Which leads us on to the subject of hate itself… I think it’s pretty sad that people are walking around and claiming that they HATE everything that doesn’t appeal to them, such as certain music genres. Using such a strong word as HATE to describe a feeling that is nothing more than mere annoyance… I think it’s wrong. I can hardly believe that there are people out there (including me) who really “hate”, say, Britney Spears. Hate does not equal annoyance or “Bleh, I don’t like this at all”. Real hate is more of an obsession, a curse that makes you unable to sleep at night and your whole world revolves around the target of your hate. Pretty much the same thing as love does, right? Except in the opposite way? (I guess you could argue for overusing the word “love” for things that you just like a little bit, but hey, it’s better to spread love than hate, right?)
With this rant, I don’t want us all to put on a false smile and lie to eachother when we’re discussing music, but I think we should try to be more accepting, more tolerant and not spread pure hate just because something doesn’t suit your own, highly personal taste.
I believe that a person can enjoy ANY kind of music during the right circumstances (and I’m not talking about being drunk and thinking everything is awesome) and if you open up your mind a little. I’m not saying that, if you hate pop for example, should starts liking EVERYTHING that is played on the radio, but at least you can try to have an understanding for why there are people who like what they hear on the radio, that what they hear can make them happy just as well as you get happy when listening to whatever it is you usually listen to.
We are all different, every human is unique, so I know that we might never come to a complete, 100 % mutual understand with eachother. But if we stop thinking in a narrow-minded, selfish way about something as “vain” but still so very important subject as music… I think that we might have taken a step towards a better world.
… But that's just MY two cents, really.
----------------------------------------
Have you also noticed how people usually can be very tolerant about stuff in general, that you can say pretty much anything about a movie you love or hate without anybody getting remotely upset… but when it comes to music, then it’s like the air gets electric and you have to watch your tongue or else him/her you’re talking to might go batshit insane?
I’m fully aware that music means a lot to most people. Music means a lot to me too; music can cheer me up when I feel depressed, music can make me cry when I feel that I really need to cry, music can fill me with fighting spirit and will to do my best, and music can calm me down when I’m upset and on the verge of going hysterical.
But, since music usually is a part of a person’s life, why do we have to be so militant about it? If we meet a person who likes a music genre that we hate, do we have to tell that person “WTF [insert genre here] suck major ass and everything sounds exactly the same”. It’s hurtful for the person in question, just as hurtful it would be if someone suddenly walked up to you and said “Hey, you have the lousiest taste of music EVER, something’s got to be wrong with your ears!”.
I’m a person who likes all kinds of music. And when I say everything, I mean everything. I guess that there are some genres here and there that sound plain to me, but I’m pretty sure I could enjoy songs from those genres as well if I really gave it a fair chance. Anyway, it really makes me sad to hear people having arguments over which music that is better than another, because I can relate to all kinds of songs and like everything I hear, but for different reasons. And what is even sadder is that your music style is GRADED based on how “cool” it is. As for me, who as a fan of anime and manga and thus considered a person who is alternative, a minority, and I talk and interact a lot with people who feel the same, I know how rough things can be for you if you don’t fit in. Basically, if something is too mainstream and not alternative enough, people look down on you and think you are either boring or just kidding. And it’s not the “mainstream”/popular thing only, but it’s also a LOT about just images and reputations and what “status” they have in the music world.
To illustrate what I’m meaning, I’ll use one of the most controversial, hated and loves pop icons nowadays as an example; Britney Spears. (and PLEASE, DON'T turn this thread into a Britney Spears debate, because that is NOT what I'm trying to achieve)
I used to hate her when she was “big” and popular in the 90’s, but the latest year, I have found myself listening to a couple of her songs, and I sincerely think that they are good. Please note that I say A COUPLE of songs, not that I have all albums or anything. I think she’s a decent singer that has had a few catchy hits, but nothing more. However, this statement caused a RUCKUS when I mentioned this in school a while back. The replies where “WTF?! How can you like that psycho?!”, “She’s the worst mother ever!”, “She can’t even take care of herself?!”. I agree on all points. She is a useless mother, she is not a mentally stable person and she cannot properly take care of herself. But my question is – what has that to do with her music career? Can you hear in the instrumentals of “Oops!... I Did it Again” that she shaved her head last year while crying? Do the lyrics in “Baby One More Time” explicitly state that “My sons aren’t in good hands when they are with me”? Are the bubbling and clapping sounds in “Gimme More” evidence that she is a depressed person?
In just what way if her personal life relevant to her songs?
Why, just WHY, must it be so hard to accept that I like the SONGS, not the person who is singing them?
… I just looked back at the liekmassive wall of text about this whole Britney Spears deal, it got me thinking; Why the hell do I need to DEFEND myself for liking that kind of music? Why do I have to come with arguments and evidence to back up my fondness of those three songs in order to make people accept me for the one I am? I said more or less all of what I wrote in the previous text in school, and I got a reply that went like this;
“Well, liking Britney Spears tells us ALL about you.”
So I can only assume that because of those three songs (out of like, I dunno, 60+ songs Britney has done), I have more or less blown all my chances to be one of the “cool” people in my class.
Anyhow, it’s this action I just did that is one of the main things in music discussions/all-out-WARS that breaks my heart. If you like something that is not considered “cool” among the people you are usually spending time with, people will question your taste and even yourself as a PERSON. Your soul and heart, the whole character that is you, is being judged only by what songs you have on you iPod.
A person is NOT represented by what he or she is listening to. Liking a certain musician or genre of music does not make a person your enemy. A person should not be defined by his or her taste of music, or dress code, or what movies he or she likes, or anything vain like that, but of what he or she is like as a PERSON. How he or she behaves and what idealistic opinions he or she has and in what way he or she treats you. If a person is being nice and kind to you but listen to music by, as I said in my example, Britney Spears… do you think that person is a BAD person who should be looked down on?
Or God forbid, if there are two groups of people who are arguing over their music styles and then there’s one in the middle who likes both genres, that person will be flamed by both sides like there was no tomorrow.
Le click <--- Here is a screenshot of ALL my music folders. Am I an idiot for loving the Aqua and Vengaboys folders equally much as I love Within Temptation and Linkin Park or the Utada Hikaru and Dir en Grey folders? Should I be flamed for enjoying both ABBA as well as Smurfhits? Am I a hateable person for “being a traitor” and siding will all kinds of music, no matter if it’s mainstream pop or alternative pop/rock?
Which leads us on to the subject of hate itself… I think it’s pretty sad that people are walking around and claiming that they HATE everything that doesn’t appeal to them, such as certain music genres. Using such a strong word as HATE to describe a feeling that is nothing more than mere annoyance… I think it’s wrong. I can hardly believe that there are people out there (including me) who really “hate”, say, Britney Spears. Hate does not equal annoyance or “Bleh, I don’t like this at all”. Real hate is more of an obsession, a curse that makes you unable to sleep at night and your whole world revolves around the target of your hate. Pretty much the same thing as love does, right? Except in the opposite way? (I guess you could argue for overusing the word “love” for things that you just like a little bit, but hey, it’s better to spread love than hate, right?)
With this rant, I don’t want us all to put on a false smile and lie to eachother when we’re discussing music, but I think we should try to be more accepting, more tolerant and not spread pure hate just because something doesn’t suit your own, highly personal taste.
I believe that a person can enjoy ANY kind of music during the right circumstances (and I’m not talking about being drunk and thinking everything is awesome) and if you open up your mind a little. I’m not saying that, if you hate pop for example, should starts liking EVERYTHING that is played on the radio, but at least you can try to have an understanding for why there are people who like what they hear on the radio, that what they hear can make them happy just as well as you get happy when listening to whatever it is you usually listen to.
We are all different, every human is unique, so I know that we might never come to a complete, 100 % mutual understand with eachother. But if we stop thinking in a narrow-minded, selfish way about something as “vain” but still so very important subject as music… I think that we might have taken a step towards a better world.
… But that's just MY two cents, really.
And who better to complain to either than someone who agrees wholeheartedly and can thus complain alongside you, or someone who feels the opposite and thus gives you a chance to spout all of yur theories and get it off your chest in your effort to bring them to the light?
