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You may be wondering just what the hell a zeitgeist is when it's at home. Well, it's the prevailing mood of a given time; you might say that free love captured the zeitgeist of the 1960's. So what's this got to do with anything?
The corporate machine has been so well oiled since yesteryear that the days when people used zeitgeist to describe the mood of a decade are long gone. We now have fads instead. Fads that get bled dry and thrown away before you can say Pop Idol. The zeitgeist is now the defining spirit of a month, or even a day. Warhol's prophecies have come true and we watch on mesmerised as band after star after film after toy after fashion are paraded before us for their 15 minutes of fame and then chucked on the scrap heap of the exploited.
Congratulations and welcome to the world of the 15 minute zeitgeist.
However, what we fail to see is that few things escape the clutches of capitalism. We've all seen on these forums as people insult the latest pop star while lauding Slipknot and Linkin Park to high heaven. Ever thought that the teenybopper queuing with her copy of the latest Britney Spears' single is just as bad (or just as good) as you standing there with your nu-metal cd? The fact is that very, very few things transcend the 15 minute zeitgeist. Do you think people will still buy Britney albums when she's not as pretty, or will they buy the latest single from the latest artist in the latest style of the latest fad? Will Slipknot be remembered for years to come as a seminal band? I think not.
What we have to do is step out of the murky shadows of consumerism and realise that maybe, just maybe, we are all the same and all that matters is what you feel about something, rather than what you're told to feel about something: each to their own. If you like Staind then you shouldn't go and laugh at people who voted for Pop Idol, and if you like Will Young's single then don't stop listening to it because he's come out. Like something for what you perceive it to be. I'm as guilty as anyone of having musical, cinematic and reading prejudices but increasingly I'm coming round to the opinion that I'm typing at the moment: that ultimately we all participate in fads whether we like it or not, and that makes anyone who criticises someone else's tastes a hypocrite.
I'm not saying fads are bad, far from it. If you like Britney Spears' music then so be it, and if you can't stand her you're just as right. The main thing is that we shouldn't pretend to be any better than anyone else because of what we like and what we don't like. We can agree disagree, we can argue until the cows have evolved into intelligent life forms, but we shouldn't criticise where criticism is undue.
Look at the way things develop. Look at the things that have stood the test of time. Sure the Beatles have achieved a transcendental success over many generations but look back to Mozart, born in 1756 and still going strong. Look at Shakespeare whose life might have been like "a poor player who struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more", but his work has lived on for centuries. Look at authors, painters, playwrights who were ignored in their own time but have become legendary posthumously. All of these might put the others into perspective. After all, what was the last modern book you read that you can feel certain will be studied in 200 years' time? There aren't that many, just as there aren't many albums/films/plays/fashions that will achieve any lasting significance.
We live in an age where zeitgeists change every second and it's impossible to keep your finger on the pulse all the time. It's impossible to always be the first with the latest whatever. You may beat them accidentally by discovering something before it hits the big-time but will you still want it when everyone has one? It seems that with every new must-have invention the rate of innovation speeds up; books are fairly timeless; music is becoming increasingly faddish; most films begin to date after a decade; the average console has an active shelf life of between two and three years; and fashions? You'll be lucky if you've managed to buy this season's clothes before next year's are on the catwalk and you are being publicly laughed at for being "so passé".
So let's take our fingers off the pulse and relax a little. Let's stop trying keep up with the Joneses and just be yourself and like what you want and be happy in your own tastes and preferences. And if anyone criticises you for doing it tell them to "Eat my zeitgeist" and watch as the puzzlement spreads across their face...
The corporate machine has been so well oiled since yesteryear that the days when people used zeitgeist to describe the mood of a decade are long gone. We now have fads instead. Fads that get bled dry and thrown away before you can say Pop Idol. The zeitgeist is now the defining spirit of a month, or even a day. Warhol's prophecies have come true and we watch on mesmerised as band after star after film after toy after fashion are paraded before us for their 15 minutes of fame and then chucked on the scrap heap of the exploited.
Congratulations and welcome to the world of the 15 minute zeitgeist.
However, what we fail to see is that few things escape the clutches of capitalism. We've all seen on these forums as people insult the latest pop star while lauding Slipknot and Linkin Park to high heaven. Ever thought that the teenybopper queuing with her copy of the latest Britney Spears' single is just as bad (or just as good) as you standing there with your nu-metal cd? The fact is that very, very few things transcend the 15 minute zeitgeist. Do you think people will still buy Britney albums when she's not as pretty, or will they buy the latest single from the latest artist in the latest style of the latest fad? Will Slipknot be remembered for years to come as a seminal band? I think not.
What we have to do is step out of the murky shadows of consumerism and realise that maybe, just maybe, we are all the same and all that matters is what you feel about something, rather than what you're told to feel about something: each to their own. If you like Staind then you shouldn't go and laugh at people who voted for Pop Idol, and if you like Will Young's single then don't stop listening to it because he's come out. Like something for what you perceive it to be. I'm as guilty as anyone of having musical, cinematic and reading prejudices but increasingly I'm coming round to the opinion that I'm typing at the moment: that ultimately we all participate in fads whether we like it or not, and that makes anyone who criticises someone else's tastes a hypocrite.
I'm not saying fads are bad, far from it. If you like Britney Spears' music then so be it, and if you can't stand her you're just as right. The main thing is that we shouldn't pretend to be any better than anyone else because of what we like and what we don't like. We can agree disagree, we can argue until the cows have evolved into intelligent life forms, but we shouldn't criticise where criticism is undue.
Look at the way things develop. Look at the things that have stood the test of time. Sure the Beatles have achieved a transcendental success over many generations but look back to Mozart, born in 1756 and still going strong. Look at Shakespeare whose life might have been like "a poor player who struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more", but his work has lived on for centuries. Look at authors, painters, playwrights who were ignored in their own time but have become legendary posthumously. All of these might put the others into perspective. After all, what was the last modern book you read that you can feel certain will be studied in 200 years' time? There aren't that many, just as there aren't many albums/films/plays/fashions that will achieve any lasting significance.
We live in an age where zeitgeists change every second and it's impossible to keep your finger on the pulse all the time. It's impossible to always be the first with the latest whatever. You may beat them accidentally by discovering something before it hits the big-time but will you still want it when everyone has one? It seems that with every new must-have invention the rate of innovation speeds up; books are fairly timeless; music is becoming increasingly faddish; most films begin to date after a decade; the average console has an active shelf life of between two and three years; and fashions? You'll be lucky if you've managed to buy this season's clothes before next year's are on the catwalk and you are being publicly laughed at for being "so passé".
So let's take our fingers off the pulse and relax a little. Let's stop trying keep up with the Joneses and just be yourself and like what you want and be happy in your own tastes and preferences. And if anyone criticises you for doing it tell them to "Eat my zeitgeist" and watch as the puzzlement spreads across their face...
Page:
Trends suck
People who follow trends suck
I would type more but my eyes are on fire and I can't type very well when like this.
nice post but brain is hurting yet sleep eludes me
a return to insomnia I think and that makes me angry/tired/miserable
People who follow trends suck
I would type more but my eyes are on fire and I can't type very well when like this.
nice post but brain is hurting yet sleep eludes me
a return to insomnia I think and that makes me angry/tired/miserable
Goatboy wrote:
> Can be summed up in 2 words
"Trends suck"
Yeah, but the trend itself rather than the thing that has provoked the trend. I son't resent anyone for buying a Will Young record if that's what gives them their kicks, but if someone just does it to be part of the trend then that does indeed suck.
> Can be summed up in 2 words
"Trends suck"
Yeah, but the trend itself rather than the thing that has provoked the trend. I son't resent anyone for buying a Will Young record if that's what gives them their kicks, but if someone just does it to be part of the trend then that does indeed suck.
Can be summed up in 2 words
"Trends suck"
"Trends suck"
You may be wondering just what the hell a zeitgeist is when it's at home. Well, it's the prevailing mood of a given time; you might say that free love captured the zeitgeist of the 1960's. So what's this got to do with anything?
The corporate machine has been so well oiled since yesteryear that the days when people used zeitgeist to describe the mood of a decade are long gone. We now have fads instead. Fads that get bled dry and thrown away before you can say Pop Idol. The zeitgeist is now the defining spirit of a month, or even a day. Warhol's prophecies have come true and we watch on mesmerised as band after star after film after toy after fashion are paraded before us for their 15 minutes of fame and then chucked on the scrap heap of the exploited.
Congratulations and welcome to the world of the 15 minute zeitgeist.
However, what we fail to see is that few things escape the clutches of capitalism. We've all seen on these forums as people insult the latest pop star while lauding Slipknot and Linkin Park to high heaven. Ever thought that the teenybopper queuing with her copy of the latest Britney Spears' single is just as bad (or just as good) as you standing there with your nu-metal cd? The fact is that very, very few things transcend the 15 minute zeitgeist. Do you think people will still buy Britney albums when she's not as pretty, or will they buy the latest single from the latest artist in the latest style of the latest fad? Will Slipknot be remembered for years to come as a seminal band? I think not.
What we have to do is step out of the murky shadows of consumerism and realise that maybe, just maybe, we are all the same and all that matters is what you feel about something, rather than what you're told to feel about something: each to their own. If you like Staind then you shouldn't go and laugh at people who voted for Pop Idol, and if you like Will Young's single then don't stop listening to it because he's come out. Like something for what you perceive it to be. I'm as guilty as anyone of having musical, cinematic and reading prejudices but increasingly I'm coming round to the opinion that I'm typing at the moment: that ultimately we all participate in fads whether we like it or not, and that makes anyone who criticises someone else's tastes a hypocrite.
I'm not saying fads are bad, far from it. If you like Britney Spears' music then so be it, and if you can't stand her you're just as right. The main thing is that we shouldn't pretend to be any better than anyone else because of what we like and what we don't like. We can agree disagree, we can argue until the cows have evolved into intelligent life forms, but we shouldn't criticise where criticism is undue.
Look at the way things develop. Look at the things that have stood the test of time. Sure the Beatles have achieved a transcendental success over many generations but look back to Mozart, born in 1756 and still going strong. Look at Shakespeare whose life might have been like "a poor player who struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more", but his work has lived on for centuries. Look at authors, painters, playwrights who were ignored in their own time but have become legendary posthumously. All of these might put the others into perspective. After all, what was the last modern book you read that you can feel certain will be studied in 200 years' time? There aren't that many, just as there aren't many albums/films/plays/fashions that will achieve any lasting significance.
We live in an age where zeitgeists change every second and it's impossible to keep your finger on the pulse all the time. It's impossible to always be the first with the latest whatever. You may beat them accidentally by discovering something before it hits the big-time but will you still want it when everyone has one? It seems that with every new must-have invention the rate of innovation speeds up; books are fairly timeless; music is becoming increasingly faddish; most films begin to date after a decade; the average console has an active shelf life of between two and three years; and fashions? You'll be lucky if you've managed to buy this season's clothes before next year's are on the catwalk and you are being publicly laughed at for being "so passé".
So let's take our fingers off the pulse and relax a little. Let's stop trying keep up with the Joneses and just be yourself and like what you want and be happy in your own tastes and preferences. And if anyone criticises you for doing it tell them to "Eat my zeitgeist" and watch as the puzzlement spreads across their face...
The corporate machine has been so well oiled since yesteryear that the days when people used zeitgeist to describe the mood of a decade are long gone. We now have fads instead. Fads that get bled dry and thrown away before you can say Pop Idol. The zeitgeist is now the defining spirit of a month, or even a day. Warhol's prophecies have come true and we watch on mesmerised as band after star after film after toy after fashion are paraded before us for their 15 minutes of fame and then chucked on the scrap heap of the exploited.
Congratulations and welcome to the world of the 15 minute zeitgeist.
However, what we fail to see is that few things escape the clutches of capitalism. We've all seen on these forums as people insult the latest pop star while lauding Slipknot and Linkin Park to high heaven. Ever thought that the teenybopper queuing with her copy of the latest Britney Spears' single is just as bad (or just as good) as you standing there with your nu-metal cd? The fact is that very, very few things transcend the 15 minute zeitgeist. Do you think people will still buy Britney albums when she's not as pretty, or will they buy the latest single from the latest artist in the latest style of the latest fad? Will Slipknot be remembered for years to come as a seminal band? I think not.
What we have to do is step out of the murky shadows of consumerism and realise that maybe, just maybe, we are all the same and all that matters is what you feel about something, rather than what you're told to feel about something: each to their own. If you like Staind then you shouldn't go and laugh at people who voted for Pop Idol, and if you like Will Young's single then don't stop listening to it because he's come out. Like something for what you perceive it to be. I'm as guilty as anyone of having musical, cinematic and reading prejudices but increasingly I'm coming round to the opinion that I'm typing at the moment: that ultimately we all participate in fads whether we like it or not, and that makes anyone who criticises someone else's tastes a hypocrite.
I'm not saying fads are bad, far from it. If you like Britney Spears' music then so be it, and if you can't stand her you're just as right. The main thing is that we shouldn't pretend to be any better than anyone else because of what we like and what we don't like. We can agree disagree, we can argue until the cows have evolved into intelligent life forms, but we shouldn't criticise where criticism is undue.
Look at the way things develop. Look at the things that have stood the test of time. Sure the Beatles have achieved a transcendental success over many generations but look back to Mozart, born in 1756 and still going strong. Look at Shakespeare whose life might have been like "a poor player who struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more", but his work has lived on for centuries. Look at authors, painters, playwrights who were ignored in their own time but have become legendary posthumously. All of these might put the others into perspective. After all, what was the last modern book you read that you can feel certain will be studied in 200 years' time? There aren't that many, just as there aren't many albums/films/plays/fashions that will achieve any lasting significance.
We live in an age where zeitgeists change every second and it's impossible to keep your finger on the pulse all the time. It's impossible to always be the first with the latest whatever. You may beat them accidentally by discovering something before it hits the big-time but will you still want it when everyone has one? It seems that with every new must-have invention the rate of innovation speeds up; books are fairly timeless; music is becoming increasingly faddish; most films begin to date after a decade; the average console has an active shelf life of between two and three years; and fashions? You'll be lucky if you've managed to buy this season's clothes before next year's are on the catwalk and you are being publicly laughed at for being "so passé".
So let's take our fingers off the pulse and relax a little. Let's stop trying keep up with the Joneses and just be yourself and like what you want and be happy in your own tastes and preferences. And if anyone criticises you for doing it tell them to "Eat my zeitgeist" and watch as the puzzlement spreads across their face...
Page: