My Beef with Indie Kids

Tonight I had a dinner conversation with some friends regarding what it means to be an “indie” kid.  Now I am sure you can search and find a plethora of different descriptions on the web.  But I am not here to define what it means to be an indie kid, I am here to tell you about the problem I have with these people and the high-minded views they have of themselves.  You see, I take issue with people who think since something has become “mainstream” it no longer holds the same quality.  Whether it is music, film, or any other artistic expression, the idea of something being solely “indie” doesn’t exist.  I also have a problem with these people believing that by them being indie, they are not “mainstream.” They may not be what you see on television every day, but I assure you, these people are a set cultural group within our society.  This means they represent a collection of values that are apparent based on behavioral and cosmetic traits.  I also assure you companies and manufactures directly market products and services to these people.  As an MBA student, if a company can market something towards you, you’re not that “indie”.

Here’s my beef with indie kids.  They go around acting like they are some bleeping paragon of knowledge when it comes to good music, and whenever a band they once loved becomes popular, they instantly attack it for going mainstream, and they boast to all of the new fans about how, “well, I listened to them before they were big!” Great, that’s awesome, and in my opinion, in regards to music, nothing could be a better compliment then to have someone you discovered before they were big become popular.  That’s basically saying you have great taste in music, and rather than acting like a turncoat, appreciate the compliment.     

On top of this, they cease to see the big picture.  If it wasn’t for advancements in technology, we wouldn’t be able to have so many micro-cultures of music.  Thanks to the web and social media sites, and the wealth of our nation, any Joe Schmo can afford a guitar, start a band, get some recording equipment, and start a web page.  And you know what; sometimes you find some great bands this way.  But most of the time these people are simply living within the paradigm of what others believe to be creative, and they try to channel that same spirit.  This isn’t being creative, this is being redundant.  Still, every once in a while you get a spark of uniqueness to mix in with the monotony, and you end up with something novel for a change.  Once this happens the “indie” kids pounce on the delicious piece of meaty music awesomeness like a vegan suffering from willpower depletion. Watch out !

So let’s imagine you have this new band.  They played a show for one of those bigger named artists, and you liked them.  It turns out that they aren’t that popular, but they have an amazing sound!  So like anyone who enjoys something, you tend to tell people about it. All of the sudden, more people are listening to them, and one day you find their music video playing on MTV! For some reason this strange thing happens; the people that originally listened to them and supported them get upset whenever they become successful.  Now not everyone turns their back, but many do.  And when this transpires, they do it with an air of snobbery that is so rude, egregious, and stupid; you sometimes just want to punch them in the face.

Okay, I get it, their sound changed.  Well, I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to listen to the same sound from the same band for some unknown number of years.  I like it when a band experiments. Sure you have winners and losers, but part of being an artist, and hell, a human in general, is growing.  Your perception on the world tends to change with this process, and what influences an artist more than their perception of the world?  There have been many bands that I have loved who have become extremely successful, and good for them! Isn’t that what we should want for everyone? They risk a hell of a lot by pursuing such a lifestyle, an existence that doesn’t have any soft cushions to fall back onto if you don’t make it.   So if this ever happens to one of your artists, even if their music begins to suck, be happy.  Because they are able to make a living by following their dreams, something we all want.  And if you ever meet an “indie” kid who says Mumford and Sons are no longer good because they are too mainstream, while he or she slowly inhales a hit from a self-rolled cigarette, do me a favor and punch them in the face.  By doing so, you made the world a better place.

Thanks,

Mark


PS - I do not actually condone any of the violence mentioned in this post. 

American Hubris

The Republican Presidential nominee, Mitt Romney, has made headlines with his proclamation that he will, “not apologize for being an American.”  Now, by stating this, he is saying he truly believes in American ideals, moreover, he will not apologize for any acts committed by citizens of the country or the governing bodies themselves as long as they were means used to achieve a pro-American end.   I feel like this is a fair analysis of the statement, but if anyone disagrees, I am open for discourse.

Now keeping this logic in mind, let’s examine another much broader argument.  I feel most people will agree that humans themselves are fallible creatures, meaning we are by no means perfect. Being this way, it would follow that we will make bad decisions from time to time.  And in a society, in order to preserve a level of civility, subsistence, order, and humanity, we must learn from these mistakes, and at times, we must apologize whenever they are of the up most egregious affair.  By apologizing, we are displaying another most essential aspect of humanity.  We are growing, progressing, and learning from past follies in order to better ourselves as individuals and thus improving the greater social group we live in.  So in essence, making mistakes and thus apologizing for them have been quintessential aspects to humanity for quite some time.  While it’s moral justification may have been more secular than ethereal throughout various points of history, and vice versa, what only matters is that it occurs.  For without it, we would not be at such a state of enlightened civilization. And while I am sure many of you would proclaim we still display barbaric tendencies, the truth of the matter is that things are much more humane than they have been at times. 

We should now break down what it means to be an American; I would say it is a human being who lives within a set geographic boundary under the guise of specific political factors, who also contain a definite, yet in our case, diverse set of cultural values dependent upon the socioeconomic environment the citizen comes from.  To summarize, an American is a particular individual living within a particular social group.  Thus, they would be subjected to the previous paragraph’s argument.  Furthermore, since humans are fallible, and are capable of making mistakes, and social groups are made up of humans, would it not follow logically that nations at times would thus make mistakes?  I feel the answer is obvious.

I could easily twist Romney’s words here and posit that by him stating he will not apologize for being an American, he is ultimately asserting he is not subjected to the various characteristics all other humans possess.  Ultimately, he is not a human.  While I am sure there have been and will continue to be many people we meet throughout our days who we feel are mere wantons vicariously going amongst their lives without a care for how their actions impact others, they are still human.   We don’t respect these people because we know, in terms of the grand level, they are not acting how a civilized, and thus, efficient individual should behave in society.   And while I do not believe there is a specific way an individual should behave to be efficient, I do believe going amongst your life claiming there is no need to apologize is both foolhardy and arrogant, and that is how one shouldn’t act. 

In fact, I believe one of the most dangerous things that could ever happen to our nation is for us to adapt what I declare to be an, “American Hubris,” a perspective that  states we, as citizens of this grand country, are invulnerable to the many realities of humanity and the world in general.  This type of certainty is short-sighted, irrational, and pernicious to the overall health and stability of our nation.  By believing that sheer will  has been the deliverer of fruition, wealth, and prosperity, we ignore the various variables that have been delivered by fortune and fortune alone.   While might and action can to some degree, “bend” the arc of history, in many ways the path is already set, and we can only act within the parameters in front of us.  By not apologizing and acknowledging mistakes, a nation lacks the ability to see what has and has not worked. Therefore they cannot employ such an analysis in order to choose the necessary step regarding what actions we need to take.  And for the many people who are quick to state that apologizing is the number one sign of weakness, I completely disagree.  By identifying mistakes, you are preparing your nation to face certain realities of the geo-political realm, and thus examining the right actions to employ necessary means for a truly prosperous, yet still temporary end, while simultaneously encouraging the undying, eternal flame of humanity amongst your citizens.