In which I make fun of people
I would now like to make fun of people's tendencies to let the desire for respect determine their musical tastes.
If you are a 12 - 17 year old white male, or live in a fraternity, nobody will take you seriously unless you listen to your rap loud and act like a tough guy. Actually, maybe that’s not so hilarious as pitiable.
If you are one of the few Logos-graduates that doesn't feel bad about calling yourself "hip" (even if you would never say so publicly), the tide of musical opinion in your group of associates is undoubtedly against Coldplay these days. So how ‘bout you all deny that you like them. Better yet, that you ever really did like them once upon a time. If you got any sort of enjoyment from listening to this “mediocre-at-best” band, it was only because it reminded you of something else. Like red autumn leaves or hot chocolate, or a girl or something.
Then there's the "manly men only listen to Metallica" group. I only know one verbal proponent of this musical aesthetic, but it's not because more don't exist. It’s because the average member of this group doesn't have the technical prowess to set up a blog and shout opinions to the world. Perhaps it’s for the best. But the major flaw I see with this idea is that it denies manliness existed before the advent of the Marshall stack (or that men before Metallica didn’t listen to music). If your aesthetic hinges on this point, you’d best find a new aesthetic.
There’s the musical elite that only listen to classical music. Of all the sects, this is the most ridiculous. I knew a man once who desperately wanted to fit in with this highly intellectual group of elitists. Catch was, he was a die-hard classic rock addict. It was obviously a struggle for him to reconcile his instinctual love of rock with his desire to be respected by the members of this group. So I asked him why he liked rock. His answer was "there are elements of classic rock which are reminiscent of the masterpieces."
*Cough*
I won't even analyze that one for you. The point is, denying yourself a good dose of musical pleasure because you are afraid someone else is going to look down on you for it is the dumbest reason ever. If you have a conviction against the lyrics, that is reasonable. If your music is too loud or bothering grandma, then turn it off. If your music might cause your brother to stumble, then put something else on. But denying you like a particular band or type of music because you are afraid of the opinion of the next guy? Inexcusable. If you listen to Metallica or rap to save face, you are a coward. Does this make you more or less of a man?
If you are a 12 - 17 year old white male, or live in a fraternity, nobody will take you seriously unless you listen to your rap loud and act like a tough guy. Actually, maybe that’s not so hilarious as pitiable.
If you are one of the few Logos-graduates that doesn't feel bad about calling yourself "hip" (even if you would never say so publicly), the tide of musical opinion in your group of associates is undoubtedly against Coldplay these days. So how ‘bout you all deny that you like them. Better yet, that you ever really did like them once upon a time. If you got any sort of enjoyment from listening to this “mediocre-at-best” band, it was only because it reminded you of something else. Like red autumn leaves or hot chocolate, or a girl or something.
Then there's the "manly men only listen to Metallica" group. I only know one verbal proponent of this musical aesthetic, but it's not because more don't exist. It’s because the average member of this group doesn't have the technical prowess to set up a blog and shout opinions to the world. Perhaps it’s for the best. But the major flaw I see with this idea is that it denies manliness existed before the advent of the Marshall stack (or that men before Metallica didn’t listen to music). If your aesthetic hinges on this point, you’d best find a new aesthetic.
There’s the musical elite that only listen to classical music. Of all the sects, this is the most ridiculous. I knew a man once who desperately wanted to fit in with this highly intellectual group of elitists. Catch was, he was a die-hard classic rock addict. It was obviously a struggle for him to reconcile his instinctual love of rock with his desire to be respected by the members of this group. So I asked him why he liked rock. His answer was "there are elements of classic rock which are reminiscent of the masterpieces."
*Cough*
I won't even analyze that one for you. The point is, denying yourself a good dose of musical pleasure because you are afraid someone else is going to look down on you for it is the dumbest reason ever. If you have a conviction against the lyrics, that is reasonable. If your music is too loud or bothering grandma, then turn it off. If your music might cause your brother to stumble, then put something else on. But denying you like a particular band or type of music because you are afraid of the opinion of the next guy? Inexcusable. If you listen to Metallica or rap to save face, you are a coward. Does this make you more or less of a man?
posted by tmm at
4:04 PM
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