there appears to be an internal struggle as one watches the things he/she likes become endorsed by the public eye. they become popular, more and more people read/watch/listen to them and then shout their endorsement from the rooftops...or their Facebook/twitter. for example, when the Montreal-based operatic folk rock wonder Arcade Fire emerged (no pun intended) David Bowie apparently bought a stack of Funeral and gifted his close friends with them. now, its almost too cool to be into their musical style and Win Butler's neo-gothness.
i remember reading Joshua Harris' I Kissed Dating Goodbye and thinking it was quite wonderful. now, a few years later...i still think it is a good book but i am frankly rather annoyed with how people have elevated the ideas presented in it to the level of sacred scripture. yes, someone out there probably thinks Joshua Harris is the sage of our times or something like that. i think its quite apparent that Harris never meant the book to become the completion of every good little american christian's library--which is why i get annoyed.
and then there is the Don Miller; perhaps the latest celebrity on the Christian non-fiction stage. after Blue Like Jazz everyone decided that this man who hangs out at Reed College was the most amazing creature on the earth. (don't get the impression i dislike Miller--i think Blue Like Jazz is ingenious, i just want to remind people that he's a human that's probably going to die of lung cancer).
and then there is Coldplay--the band that has redefined hype. many people will hear me ranting on about how i dislike Coldplay, well that's frankly not quite true--Coldplay is fine. i just pretend i dislike them because they are so popular and i'm tired of hearing about Chris Martin becoming the next Bono (yes i have my own fan cult that believes in the immortality of Paul Hewson...i can't decide if "jk" is appropriate here or not)
so why do i have this disdain of the mainstream? probably something to do with adolescent rebellious behavior no doubt. the hippie idea of going against the flow. the ideology of not letting the consumerist machine define what one spends one's hard earned money on. what is the worth of paying the money for the pleasure of status conferral?...it is nonexistent.
someday i will learn not to attempt to write late at night. until then, you have me always.
3 comments:
I feel ya. I hate hate HATE when stuff gets popular like that. I'm not usually one to "go with the flow" either, so if something starts becoming a trend that I liked beforehand, I feel compelled to just drop it. Ah, culture.
I like this. High five for thinking.
i hate it when that happens... it's rather annoying. people are stupid. like lee said, "ah, culture."
i like your closing line... "someday i will learn not to attempt to write late at night. until then, you have me always." very nice.
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