Does mainstream = bad?

[wolfy]

My take on it is it is in the design intent, if something is designed to be popular it can make you feel it is inferior quality (aka crap). It gets more difficult, something can be both designed to be popular and be an honest creative expression. At the end of the day it doesn't matter too much... from a purely personal perspective, in my experience it is better to simply like what you like and just roll with whatever. It's when you start questioning and analysing your likes and dislikes that your head gets screwed up.

 

[MacGuffin]

This thread is why Kurt Cobain killed himself.

 

[EffEmDoubleyou]

This thread is why Kurt Cobain killed himself.

It's true. And that just seems so sad after reading the whole thread. Sad like pathetic, not sad like unhappy.

 

[Thalassa]

I observed the same for liberals, you know. Except for the gender thing, and the main raison I think, is that liberalism appeals to emotion and compassion before reason and intelectual rigor, while with libertarianism, it's the contrary.

Libertarianism doesn't appeal to intellectual rigor, it appeals to overly fanciful self-absorption. "Whheeee! Yes! I am one of the superior ones! I will never get sick, grow old, or have bad luck! Not me! It won't affect me!"

 

[Thalassa]

That's such an over-generalized BS ever.

At some point I think you have to accept the fact that hardworking people can get screwed and need government help. It's not a sign of laziness, it's a failure of our political system.

Oh I know, and if you don't start at the same starting point as many other people it becomes that much more of a challenge. I like how some people presume pretty much everybody is middle class, when the truth is most people are working class, and some people come from the freaking ghetto.

 

[Thalassa]

How mainstream. I am elegance.

I am karma.

 

[Ginkgo]

I don't consider mainstream to be inherently bad, it's just that mainstream entertainment tends to be overemphasized until it's tired. It gets so old that it buries itself. That's why the pop stations play the same songs 5 times a day for X period of time and suddenly they're immediately traded off for others forever.

 

[Ginkgo]

And no, I don't consider mainstream to always be dumbed down. There's depth in meaning to be found; it's your choice as to whether you want to redeem it or to absorb it in a "dumbed down" way.

 

[MacGuffin]

high class

working class

upper class

upper middle class

social class.

upper middle class

upper middle class

working class

middle-middle class

upper middle class

middle class

working class

I think Marm is trying to make a point here. And that point is... uh... dammit, I lost it! Right on the tip of my tongue...

 

[Thalassa]

I think Marm is trying to make a point here. And that point is... uh... dammit, I lost it! Right on the tip of my tongue...

Elfboy brought class into it when he wouldn't invite the plebes to the opera.

I can't be held responsible for what transpired following that exchange.

 

[Speed Gavroche]

Libertarianism doesn't appeal to intellectual rigor,

It does. When someone loses his job for example, the liberal ask us to be compassionate and give a subvention to the unemployed. While the libertarian appeals to our reason and ask us to think about the nefast consequences a subvention can cause.

it appeals to overly fanciful self-absorption. "Whheeee! Yes! I am one of the superior ones! I will never get sick, grow old, or have bad luck! Not me! It won't affect me!"

People who choose to not be a victim often develop a certain confidence in life to balance the need for assitantship. Serious analysis demonstrate tha tit is less reasonable to trust the ability of a welfare state to meet the needs for health care.

 

[Thalassa]

It does. When someone loses his job for example, the liberal ask us to be compassionate and give a subvention to the unemployed. While the libertarian appeals to our reason and ask us to think about the nefast consequences a subvention can cause.



People who choose to not be a victim often develop a certain confidence in life to balance the need for assitantship. Serious analysis demonstrate thati t is less reasonable to trust the ability of a welfare state to match the needs for health care.

Says the guy who lives in France.

Why don't you move to the U.S. for a while with very little money and see what you think then?

My French friends were totally freaked out by the reality of this country.

 

[ReflecTcelfeR]

I am elegance.

I am karma.

I am Beowulf.

 

[Speed Gavroche]

Says the guy who lives in France.

Why don't you move to the U.S. for a while with very little money and see what you think then?

My French friends were totally freaked out by the reality of this country.

Indeed, to live in France is excellent to see the nefast nature of a socialist system. Move to US with very little money is part of my projects. And french people are freaked out by USA when they don't realize the situation of their own country. France is just an URSS who has'nt collapsed yet.

 

[Thalassa]

Indeed, to live in France is excellent to see the nefast nature of a socialist system. Move to US with very little money is part of my projects. And french people are freaked out by USA when they don't realize the situation of their own country. France is just an URSS who has'nt collapsed yet.

Saying that France is a USSR that hasn't collapsed yet is a ridiculous exaggeration and a slap in the face to people who actually had to endure living there. Do police just walk into your house without knocking? Can you buy more than one brand of car? Are you standing in line for bread? Give me a fucking break. You're really starting to annoy me now.

My French friends were freaked out by how much they HATED the U.S. because of the lack of available health care and how business owners are favored over customers and landlords are favored over tenants.

P.S. My ENTJ Russian friend wanted to go back to Russia after spending several months here. `

 

[jimrckhnd]

Geting a lecture on culture and taste from a fan of "Ace of Base". Wow. That has to be a first. That alone makes me feel a bit better about being bored by opera.

 

[Crescent Fresh]

Oh I know, and if you don't start at the same starting point as many other people it becomes that much more of a challenge. I like how some people presume pretty much everybody is middle class, when the truth is most people are working class, and some people come from the freaking ghetto.

I honestly think this has to do with one's life experience. If life has barely hits you hard without much life opportunity, it's rather challenging for anyone to move out of their comfort zone and to pursue their inner-passion--for the sake of life security. Luck, personal wealth and people-connection has a huge factor to determine with one's success. Unfortunately those who constantly struggle between middle- and lower-working class have to suffer from a huge flactuation of gains and lost.

I'd experienced having no foods for nearly a week and begged for it at one point with my mother when I was young, in addition to see her cries of agony when there weren't enough rice at home. In between these periods, we happened to climb up to in between higher- and middle-class at one point, until my mother's business partner has cheated her and left her a huge debt that straightly pull down the social ladder. Sadly, failure isn't fun, but that's what most lower-working class must tolerate and experience.

Elfboy's world view is rather tragically-naive in his own way, though I would seriously recommend him to read more economic history books so that he can come up with more constructive posts, or arguments.

 

[Hazashin]

the problem I have is art that is simply there to capture the most peoples' attention and please people at the expense of expressing a real message.

I personally don't care if I get a message or not. I listen to music for the way it sounds, most of the time.

 

[Hazashin]

a few points

1) no. people pleasing is an intention; mainstream is a result. being mainstream can either be the result of
a) people pleasing
b) highly political/corporate record label deals and marketing or
c) getting popular by focusing on what is truly important: the message you wish to express with your art.

2) people pleasing is doing something with the purpose of gaining the adoration, attention or acceptance of those around you. people pleasing is for weak, insecure parasites who need others to validate their pathetic existance

3) to answer your question, other people's mood usually has no effect on how much I enjoy something. when it does though, it is more often that I feel better because the negative energy of the people around me is more amusing than positive energy. for example, when I first saw Inglourious Basterds, I was the only one in the theatre laughing, this made it even funnier so I laughed more

You're just being an So-last.

 

[Hazashin]

because I don't judge the types of music, I judge the INTENT of the music.

Heh, that's funny. I could care less about the intent. I just care if the shit sounds good.