~Music Snobbery and People Judging
2005-07-16 - 8:35 p.m.

I don't think I'm too much of a Music Snob. I'm sure I am a little bit, about some kinds of music. I know that I certainly don't think as much of those generic and lame boy and girl bands. But no, I don't think I am a music snob. I know that I don't much like rap, I only like some R&B (for instance, Destiny's Child's music has always appealed to me, but not so much their solo stuff) and find it not as interesting. I know that there are certain kinds of music I like better and I'm, basically, a girl who likes a good, tuneful melody, but I don't think I'm restricted to that.

So, it took me a while but, in the end, I loved the Spice Girls' music and always loved Aqua's music. Fun, tuneful (basically) and energetic. Traditional music has always had an element of the thudding dance beat in it, after all. I love the Beatles, so I'm open to classic stuff. I love Coldplay, so the "adult contemporary" that perhaps isn't as flowingly tuneful appeals to me. I enjoy orchestral music, some of my favourites are Beethoven, Tchaikovsky and Mendelssohn, but I'm open to the less-appealing Bachish stuff also. I've quite liked some of those less-mainstream, slightly more cultish artists such as Tori Amos or Enya, although I've yet to really get into some of the newer ones like Scissor Sisters - I probably will once I've heard them enough. I love good old rock like Bon Jovi (how can you not love jumping around to Bad Medicine and the like?), as well as the newer stuff like Superjesus and Jet. Ella Fitzgerald is one of my favourites, but as much because I love the arrangements she has of classics as because I love her performances. I do like opera, although I don't know so many opera arias or choruses, and I adore musicals.

I will admit to being annoyed by people who class some taste as fuddy duddy, worthless or old fashioned. Music is music and people can have different taste without it being bad taste. I am very annoyed by people who like all of the indie bands that you'd find somewhere like The Big Day Out and similar and act as if their music taste is best because they are into music with integrity and coolness, and makes people who like Celine Dion or Bach feel they have to hide in the cupboard. I don't find a musical diet of Celine Dion, Shani Twain, Justin Timberlake, Eminem and Missy Elliot very appealing, but that doesn't mean their music is awful (although I am offended by Eminem and cannot get over that whatever his talent is. If he's so talented then he doesn't have to rely on rapping offensive stuff).

Anyway, I'm sure I've got a leetle bit of snobbishness - I think I'm better than some because my taste is wide and I'm open to many types of music - but at least I don't go on and on about the indie bands (or whatever) that I listen to and end up intimidating or alienating everyone with different taste.

In usual, Janette style I go from posting nothing for aages to posting twice here and thrice at the blog all in 24hours. It is interesting what a journal design can say about somebody. I don't use black backgrounds or very dark colours very often. I love the effect of a dark background but I don't choose to use them. Basically, I'm not an angsty person. I am a whiny, sooky, doubting, petulant, spoiled, self-critical, scared, unconfident, selfish, worried, nervous person, but I live in a basically sunny headspace. Some designs just seem to scream angst and I'm not even saying this is invalid, it's just interesting.

I don't think I'm too judgemental of people. I am a little, because I don't think you can really go through life without having some discernment when it comes to people, but I think I'm mostly only judgemental of some things that offend my basic principles or hurt me personally. I don't think I generally worry too much if people are wasting their life or reading enough or whatever so long as they're happy and not hurting anybody.

Really, I think if we all had one rule and lived by it, we'd be fine: don't do anything that hurts anybody.

Well, I suppose it's general enough to cover everything but perhaps too general, because sometimes the "You've got to be cruel to be kind" cliche does apply, or sometimes you need to a little to stop yourself being hurt...but, in general, if everybody else lived by that, all you'd have to do is point out how their actions hurt you and it would be alright. I get frustrated by how simple this is and by how many people don't really seem to care. I'm not saying I'm perfect and never fall into the trap of gossiping about someone or being a bit selfish or whatever, but, basically, I'm more likely to go out of my way to avoid hurting somebody - and usually it doesn't even require going out of my way. It's so easy to be nice.

OK, now I'm off to read Harry Potter! Wahee!