NationStates Jolt Archive

I've been accused of being a "culture snob" because I don't like most popular music, movies, TV or books. I can't help that, I just always enjoy more alternative/obscure "artsy" stuff instead. It's just the way I am.

I don't tend to like "pop culture," not because it is popular. But because if is manufactured to have a wide target audience (which I don't fall into)

The trouble with popular music is that so many artists try to appeal to the masses that the majority of music ends up sounding the same. Take R and B for example; so monotone, so boring.

It is the same with films as well, for example, the Matrix 'bullet time' effects were copied ad-infinitum in many other films and thus they did not impress us to the original extent; it made things dull.

It is the rule that the more pop it is, the worse, but there are exceptions, but for some reason I can honestly think of none. (not a smart-ass comment, but the truth)

I don't tend to like "pop culture," not because it is popular. But because if is manufactured to have a wide target audience (which I don't fall into)

I agree, but another quality of so-called popular culture that makes it uninteresting to many is because it cannot be offensive, otherwise it would never be mainstream. This makes it, in my view, rather bland. Independent films and "alternative" generally don't bother worrying about whether it's politically correct, thus allowing the original artistic vision to be expressed unhampered by worries of how many copies it will sell.

Popular culture is about more than just being popular among the masses. All that popular culture means, is that it is available to the general public. Often it has segmented to target only a specific audiences. Only few, if any, try to target a wide range audience. In the end it’s up to the individual to decide what they want.
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Out of all the demons in this world, none is more frightening than man

:D If this poll is refering to music,I would have to say that if I listen to something and like it I don't give a d*mn what anybody else thinks about it.

BTW I do not think you have to buy in to a subculture in order to enjoy its music.

Most popular stuff sucks because its usually a bunch of jack asses with no life that vote on it. I'm not saying its all the time, just most of the time.

BTW I do not think you have to buy in to a subculture in order to enjoy its music.

Very true. 60s psych/Grateful Dead stuff, 70s punk, 80s goth and Led Zeppelin are just a few of the musics I like. But I was never a hippie, a punk, a goth or a rocker. I never wanted to be labelled as part of some sub-culture and was always uncomfortable around people who seemed to need to buy into one to get an identity and sense of belonging.

I prefer being a cultural lone-wolf in stealthy generic packaging.

It is the rule that the more pop it is, the worse, but there are exceptions, but for some reason I can honestly think of none. (not a smart-ass comment, but the truth)

Mozart, Elvis Presley, The Blues Brothers film, Monty Python, Jane Austin et al.

The alternative stuff may be more personal, and it may give a greater joy of discovery, but there are universals that the very talented can tap into.

Don't like Austen novels. Standard reason of course, but it just in general isn't a genre I particularly enjoy( I tend to prefer SF, and Fantasy). Mozart is fantastic, as is Verdi (especially Dies Irae). Bach? Wonderful, especially the usual Toccata and fugue in D minor, but there are several pieces I enjoy.

However, Mozart and Jane Austen aren't in "popular" culture now, and Elvis and the Blue's Brothers are fading. Monty Python is strange, everybody loves it, and it's impact is profound, but it is not normally mentioned, unless you start a discussion particularly relevant to it.
There are universals, I agree, but it takes a special kind of talent to find it, as you mentioned. They are the exceptions that prove the rule.

As much of a fan of "underground" as I like to be, sometime you have to admit there's a reason some acts never become "popular". And it's not always necessarily because they refused to sell out.

I hate the "don't conform" shit everyone has been pumping into our brains for years. It's good to conform to an extent.
But I enjoy both cultures. As Mark Twain said (which I paraphrase) that sums up my position, "My works are like water. Great literary masters have works like wine. But then, everyone drinks water."

I hate the "don't conform" shit everyone has been pumping into our brains for years. It's good to conform to an extent.


That's a unique idea! How/why is it good to conform, and what standards or authority should we conform to? What problems has "the 'don't conform' shit" led to? (BTW I'm not being sarcastistic - I'm genuinely interested in what you think)

I'm a connoisseur

whichever one thinks britany spears is a dirty hoe, thats the one i am.

whichever one thinks britany spears is a dirty hoe, thats the one i am.

She is a dirty hoe, but a hot dirty hoe.

most dirty hoes are.

((bump))

I'm probably an everyman. I don't like stuff like art, classical music and most books because they just bore me. My interests are more stuff like sport, computer games and modern music. With music, the type that I like would probably be classed as mainstream, but I don't just mindlessly follow what everybody else likes.

I don't watch a lot of TV. Most of it these days is rather dumb, especially reality TV.

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