With all that's going on the world, you'd think my occasional post would consist of commentary on something of importance. And it does. Just not what most would think is important.
I know the answer to the question, but I'm going to ask it anyway: Why the hell do people on the internet not only scorn music they don't like, but impugn the character of people who like music they don't?
Any YouTube user knows how it can happen. This post at Lawyers, Guns, & Money has over 240 comments because it devolves in to a long pissing contest over "Who's The Worst Band EVAH!!!!" and I threw up in my mouth a little. It's assumed that bands like The Eagles, Journey, and Styx will get mentioned (my favorite review of any rock album was of Styx Paradise Theater, in which the reviewer said it was a parking lot of whale vomit). Other, newer bands - Limp Bizkit, Radiohead, Coldplay - get honorable mention. Pearl Jam came up a few times. Finally, of course, straight from the headline, is Alberta's own Nickelback, a favorite punching bag.
It would be far better if people just let other folks listen to whatever they wanted and shut the hell up. Seriously. It doesn't matter to me one bit that other people not only like different music than I do but might not like what I listen to. Who? Cares?
You think the Eagles performed a few songs that are pretty good? OK. You would invent a time machine to prevent the parents of members of Roxy Music meeting so none of them would be born? A bit extreme, but OK. Don't listen to them.
If you don't like something, there's an easy enough solution: Don't listen to it. Go listen to what you like. Don't waste precious hours tearing apart the personalities and morals of others whose tastes differ. You might miss out on something you like, spending all that time on the Internet telling the world how awful Nirvana really was.
I know that Internet trolls are the same whether it's politics or social issues or music. "Pay attention to MMMMEEEEE!!" lies at the heart of it, along with a good dose of, "How cool am I? Oh, and I know the difference between the Phrygian and Ionian modes therefore EXPERT!" The Internet is a great boon to people with serious status anxiety issues, but really people: get a therapist.
Again, hardly the worst thing going on in the world, but all the same - if you find yourself wanting to engage in an epic struggle over whether Grand Funk Railroad was the worst band ever, take a deep breath and realize it just doesn't matter.
I know the answer to the question, but I'm going to ask it anyway: Why the hell do people on the internet not only scorn music they don't like, but impugn the character of people who like music they don't?
Any YouTube user knows how it can happen. This post at Lawyers, Guns, & Money has over 240 comments because it devolves in to a long pissing contest over "Who's The Worst Band EVAH!!!!" and I threw up in my mouth a little. It's assumed that bands like The Eagles, Journey, and Styx will get mentioned (my favorite review of any rock album was of Styx Paradise Theater, in which the reviewer said it was a parking lot of whale vomit). Other, newer bands - Limp Bizkit, Radiohead, Coldplay - get honorable mention. Pearl Jam came up a few times. Finally, of course, straight from the headline, is Alberta's own Nickelback, a favorite punching bag.
It would be far better if people just let other folks listen to whatever they wanted and shut the hell up. Seriously. It doesn't matter to me one bit that other people not only like different music than I do but might not like what I listen to. Who? Cares?
You think the Eagles performed a few songs that are pretty good? OK. You would invent a time machine to prevent the parents of members of Roxy Music meeting so none of them would be born? A bit extreme, but OK. Don't listen to them.
If you don't like something, there's an easy enough solution: Don't listen to it. Go listen to what you like. Don't waste precious hours tearing apart the personalities and morals of others whose tastes differ. You might miss out on something you like, spending all that time on the Internet telling the world how awful Nirvana really was.
I know that Internet trolls are the same whether it's politics or social issues or music. "Pay attention to MMMMEEEEE!!" lies at the heart of it, along with a good dose of, "How cool am I? Oh, and I know the difference between the Phrygian and Ionian modes therefore EXPERT!" The Internet is a great boon to people with serious status anxiety issues, but really people: get a therapist.
Again, hardly the worst thing going on in the world, but all the same - if you find yourself wanting to engage in an epic struggle over whether Grand Funk Railroad was the worst band ever, take a deep breath and realize it just doesn't matter.
