(5 points if you know what those lyrics are from, and an extra 5 if you love banana pancakes as much as i do)
So, a month or so ago Chelsea and i were playing some married couple game with Joel and Elise. I don't remember what it was called, but the basic idea was that you had to answer questions about the other person to see how well you knew them. Chelsea and i were "a couple" and we were actually doing pretty well. And when i say we were doing well, i mean Chelsea was amazing me with how well she knew me. One example... the question was: who is Kirsten's favorite band/artist. I had to think about it...it took me a while...but finally I decided that i liked Jack Johnson enough that he could be the answer. sounded good to me. So then it was Chelsea's turn to guess... and she guessed Jack Johnson! how did she know when i didn't even know?! crazy right. Anyway, the point is... i really like Jack Johnson although i didn't really realize it until that night.
So that leads us to the real issue at hand. Jack Johnson is coming to concert in Salt Lake in august (10 points if you already knew that...) but when i looked up tickets i was depressed to see that the tickets are over 50 dollars a piece. I'm not really sure how bad that is for a concert (i've never actually been to one) but i do know that its more than i can afford.... slash more than i'd want to pay. This whole thing got me thinking... why are we, as a society, so willing to pay money to go see someone sing/preform? In fact, I've struggled with this idea since high school. I remember sitting in class on day, my junior year, and just thinking how RIDICULOUS it was the Pro sport players go SOOO much money. It still blows my mind. 
I mean honestly, isn't there something better we could do with all that money. I know I can sure think of a few. This may all indirectly tie back to my confusion about sports in general and the sever obsession some people have about sports.... but i'm going to argue that they are separate issues. And that although i don't like sports, i still have some credibility in not liking the excessive amounts of money that are just thrown away. And yes, its not just sports. Like i already mentioned this same phenomenon occurs with concerts as well. Not to mention the billions of dollars that a new hit movie can generate in a single weekend. why??
There are families out there drowning in a pile of debt and yet they still choose to spend money on these things. Now don't get me wrong, I can see the benefit of having family outings.. going to see a movie or basketball game. I support this. I think it should be done more. Family time is essential...but at what cost? Aren't there times when a cheaper activity could substitute? Maybe going and playing a game of basketball in the local park for example. Something that would accomplish the same goal without giving into the materialistic mentality that seems to permeate our culture these days....
And what about the salaries that these "performers" get. A basketball player's yearly salary is probably more than i could ever make in a life time. According to Forbes in 2004 Micheal Jordan made 35 million dollars. And as extreme as this is, even the average player on LOWEST paying team (the new jersey nets) makes 1 million a year. for what? for saving lives? for making a difference? no. they get paid to run around and have fun. they get paid to be in the spotlight and consequently be role models (even if their actions don't merit the admiration). What does that say about our society? That we value our entertainment SOO much more than we do our own children's education. Priorities people... seriously.
So, with that said, i have to admit.... I'm still going to listen to Jack Johnson and the rest of my favorite bands. And why? because i like music. I like the escape it gives me from life. I like how i can be carried away with the melody and how it can brighten my day. I like remembering the different experiences that i associate with certain songs. And i like having that release. It would take a lot of convincing to get me to give it up. And so life goes on... just as it always has.....
I mean honestly, isn't there something better we could do with all that money. I know I can sure think of a few. This may all indirectly tie back to my confusion about sports in general and the sever obsession some people have about sports.... but i'm going to argue that they are separate issues. And that although i don't like sports, i still have some credibility in not liking the excessive amounts of money that are just thrown away. And yes, its not just sports. Like i already mentioned this same phenomenon occurs with concerts as well. Not to mention the billions of dollars that a new hit movie can generate in a single weekend. why??There are families out there drowning in a pile of debt and yet they still choose to spend money on these things. Now don't get me wrong, I can see the benefit of having family outings.. going to see a movie or basketball game. I support this. I think it should be done more. Family time is essential...but at what cost? Aren't there times when a cheaper activity could substitute? Maybe going and playing a game of basketball in the local park for example. Something that would accomplish the same goal without giving into the materialistic mentality that seems to permeate our culture these days....
And what about the salaries that these "performers" get. A basketball player's yearly salary is probably more than i could ever make in a life time. According to Forbes in 2004 Micheal Jordan made 35 million dollars. And as extreme as this is, even the average player on LOWEST paying team (the new jersey nets) makes 1 million a year. for what? for saving lives? for making a difference? no. they get paid to run around and have fun. they get paid to be in the spotlight and consequently be role models (even if their actions don't merit the admiration). What does that say about our society? That we value our entertainment SOO much more than we do our own children's education. Priorities people... seriously.
So, with that said, i have to admit.... I'm still going to listen to Jack Johnson and the rest of my favorite bands. And why? because i like music. I like the escape it gives me from life. I like how i can be carried away with the melody and how it can brighten my day. I like remembering the different experiences that i associate with certain songs. And i like having that release. It would take a lot of convincing to get me to give it up. And so life goes on... just as it always has.....
2 comments:
I certainly feel that music is more than a escape, rather the opposite but kind of like books. there are verses you read from books that describe the way life is in such a way that you didn't really know life was like that until it was described. "Our impressions of human life are picked up one by one, and remain for most of us loose and disorganized. But we constantly find things in literature that suddenly coordinate and bring into focus a great many such impressions"- Nothrop Frye.
I don't know much about lit theory but I think that music is the same way, as an art form I think it can bring to reality something you didn't know was in you. So rather than escaping take it in, meaningfully.
I think what you described is, in essence, an escape. Not an escape from reality, but an escape from the closed world that the listener was previously living in. Not all music of course has this power, but i love when it does!
Post a Comment