It’s because I don’t care about the VMAs since the music they showcase has been awful to my ears, and likely always will be. I now accept that I alone cannot change the music industry with either my music or my writing since people are content with the same recycled beats and ideas over and over again. I’ll just keep listening to the music that makes me happy and let the industry sort out it’s troubles and ever changing fads. Honestly, coming to this conclusion has been like a huge weight being lifted from my shoulders. If you like the VMAs then don’t let me stop you, I’d just like to enjoy some peace of mind instead of having to hear Iggy Azalea’s “Fancy” or Magic’s “Rude” played ad nauseam everyday on the radio.
In other news, I’m pretty stoked about Breaking Benjamin working on new music. However, that is a blog post for another time.
This blog is going to be me ranting about what I find to be the truth about human nature (that people stink). Of course, there will always be good/bad/neutral/whatever else people of different of types and creeds in the world. I just like to think of it in philosophical terms in that some believe that some humans are either inherently evil or good.
For example, environmentalists hold that corporatism is a force for evil that’s screwed over the planet in their greed. Meanwhile, corporations (which are somehow people in the US) hold that the environmentalists are just a bunch of “dirty socialist hippies” trying to block their main sources of income. As another example, Masculists and Feminists will endlessly argue on social media over whether misandry or misogyny are the bigger problem (the answer is misogyny), but everyone is wrapped up in the Us vs Them paradigm that we forgot how to just get along with each other.
Personally, I see people as naturally selfish since most animals in the animal kingdom are themselves only concerned with their own survival vs others, and humans are no different. Case in point, I live in Massachusetts; home of the Masshole driver who never uses their turn signal or obeys the speed limit sign. The Masshole driver only cares about himself and potentially puts other drivers in danger because he’s either late for work, or just looking for thrills. I am not a Masshole driver, I am a considerate defensive driver who occasionally yields the right of way, and I’m the same way with how I treat people off the road (being kind to them).
I also see humans as somewhat arrogant for crowning ourselves the top of the food chain, I don’t deny we are the most advanced species with out technological advancements, and that this’s a golden age of information sharing (Wikipedia anyone?) While we also have this guy I once saw carrying his toddler atop his shoulder, jay walking across a busy city road. Some people don’t think and don’t care about their actions, and that is when situations get truly dangerous. However, for stupid careless actions, there is a thoughtful and concerning action. Life is a giant game of survival, and constantly struggling to make the decision between what feels right vs things that are right (while defining right and wrong are debates within themselves).
There will always be jerks and D-bags in the world, but the best way to beat them is to ignore those people and be happy with yourself and others you care for. To quote one of my favorite lessons from the graphic novel series Broken Saints, “The good and the bad, they are both inside”.
Is a complex subject to cover. I’m not going to say all modern music is awful since every generation has it’s great songs and terrible songs. However, I find my generations music is financially successful, but creatively bankrupt.
As a musician, I prefer songs with actual movement and variation, not the same thing repeated over and over again. When we do get a truly groundbreaking song to top the charts it catches on for a while, but then gets driven straight into the ground by being played 10 times a day on every radio station.
Most songs in the last few years have been about people partying stone drunk in clubs, making love in a truck by a creak, and bragging about how decadent their lifestyle is now that the singer is rich. If you like these types of subject matter in your music, then that’s your right and don’t let me stop you from enjoying it.
Personally, I’ll just keep praying for the day we can hear a badass heavy metal song on the charts again. That, and when we can hear more variety and meaning than just songs about clubbing and dancing.
A couple of months ago I saw a girl I liked was feeling sad because she wanted to be called beautiful, so I told her that I’ve always found to be astonishingly beautiful, and she thanked me saying I was very sweet. I know that now a days some women take offense to being complimented on their looks (and I know they ARE more than just their looks), but I took the risk anyways because I wanted to do it for me as much as I did it for her. Even if she ended up with someone else, I’m happy that I spoke my mind since I’ve lived my whole life trying to be completely selfless, and people have walked all over me for it. Having worked in sales, I know now that you need to look out for yourself first before you can help others since a little bit of arrogance is a healthy thing.
“I did it for me, it was fun and I was good at it, I was… alive.” Walter White
Be sure to proofread to a higher quality from now on. Whenever I read some of my older posts, the spelling and grammar errors there make me cringe. At the same time, being a great writer and a good editor aren’t the same thing. Writers are like drivers, where editors are like mechanics. Accidents happen since we are all only human, but auto accidents are also much more fatal than spelling errors (duh). Since there are bigger problems in my life, I think will cut myself a little slack for my laziness on proofreading.
I won’t say it’s been a while since I always say that, but it has been quite some time. I’ve been dealing with a wicked case of writers block lately, but I think I’m coming out of it now.
Upcoming projects for August:
“People Suck”
“Kevin Card’s Half Year Music Awards”
“Love and Loss, Our Fascination with Breakup Songs”
Kevin Card 