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The new Crusades

I'm of the mindset that if pop music had been around in the middle ages, the Crusades would have been fought against people who liked Mos Def more than Talib Kweli.

Seriously, though. Music seems to be the center of much more conflict among people in society rather than religion. By making this statement, I know I'm opening myself up for a deluge of comments (meaning three) regarding how ridiculous a comparison I'm making. How could I possibly sound so uneducated? Because, frankly, I've seen it in action.

Throughout my life, I've heard debate after debate about the "accuracy" or "virtue" or whatever about whose religion is the "right" one or if being religious is something that denotes character or fanaticism or whatever. I went to a liberal arts college that used to be a Baptist school. Ethics class was always a blast. The thing is that none of the debates at this institution had the level of passion that debating the merits of Green Day's new album or if Iggy Pop was cooler than Jim Morrison or if Rap is really music. To see the veracity in which people can get into these debates, and I'm not just talking about just music elitists or punk rawkers, is a sight to behold. Obscenities fly, food was thrown, wars have been waged. All over pop music. These aren't the music elitists of "High Fidelity," either. These are just a random sampling of college kids enjoying lunch one minute and launching into debates that'd make Howard Dean blush.

What does this say, then, about the true nature of passion in pop culture?

Starting with, probably, the 1970's rock vs. disco battles and moving into New Age vs. Punk during the 1980's, a new level of fanaticism, a subtle level of infatuation, has permeated the zeitgeist of pop music. The genius behind this little war of the verbals is that people who normally don't get too into conflicts of the melodramatic variety can be seen throwing down the, "you better not have said what I think you've just said" gauntlet over something as trivial as the merits of the Ramones early works and how Eminem is no better than Elvis.

I don't think I've ever seen the same piss and vinegar thrown around when Fundamentalist Christians attack Buddhism as "idolatry" or Mormons and Scientologist defend their religions as anything but cults. The fans of the Sex Pistols degrading anyone wearing a Blink 182 shirt seem to get twice as vicious.

I'm not sure what it is. Maybe it's just that music is something that everyone takes to heart because of how it can remind us of our feelings and our souls or some such Dr. Phil moment. Maybe it's because there's a type of music for everyone and since you could say that since 95% of the population has a passion for music in some variety than 95% of the population can debate about it with passion. I love theorizing statistics like I've actually researched this...

I'm not trying to disrespect the passion of someone with the courage to defend their lifelong commitment to a belief by saying someone who likes Madonna a LOT is more determined to show their belief. I'm just saying that it's been a lifelong observation of mine that if someone really believes that the Goo Goo Dolls should have died in a plane crash instead of Lynard Skynard they'll argue it harder than someone who believes Christ really was the son of God. Unless they're a Pentecostal. Them people are damn scary.

I don't know about you, but I don't know if I could ever admit my fondness for Journey in public for fear of vicious reprisal. I'd tell my Grandmother that I thought Catholicism was a crock before I'd do that.

posted by AmeroKafka @ 9:37 PM