I'm not sure about a lot of things. I try to make things as black and white as I can, it's easier to deal with them that way. I know they are not and I know that can limit things in many ways. Recently I have in my rather limited spare thinking time been mulling over art, what people consider art, what meaning does this art have and what constitutes art. I was tempted to write those arts down as 'art' to try and show the lose meaning of the term but I think you guys have got that one.
The point of this is that I love music and I go to art galleries on occasion and half the things I hear and see have about as much meaning to me as a the scratched graffiti on the train I'm on. There is quite probably a strong argument that the majority of music in the top 40 has no meaning what so ever. To take a look at the most popular Miss Minaj...
"I get it cracking like a bad back
Bitch talkin' she the queen, when she looking like a lab rat
I'm Angelina, you Jennifer
Come on bitch, you see where Brad at
Ice my wrist's then I piss on bitches
You can suck my diznik if you take this jizzes
You don't like them disses, give my ass some kisses
Yeah they know what this is, givin this the business
Cause I pull up and I'm stuntin' but I aint a stuntman"
Like really?! This drivel is mainstream pop music. Something that is still often considered part of the arts? How does this further anything or anyone. Self-aggrandising bullshit. It has little meaning, does it make me look at things in a different light? Maybe, but I don't think it's an overly helpful light. The thing that gets me is there are some truly talented people out there but we are drowned by mediocrity. When did it become good to be just OK.
Y0u ask people what they think of things and they say it was OK. That's not good enough. Passes are often 50% since when is it OK to propagate a position based on half accurate data, I'm thankful for 50% and there is always space to improve but are we OK with half right? Surrounded and drowning in mediocrity where things strive to be OK. Each human has so much potential there is no reason why others can't do as I have. I'm not anything special really. With the exceptions of the truly upper limits most of us are fit in that bell curve and we can move in that curve. I don't know if there is any limit to my potential. If I was a little less lazy and a little more organised I'd move in my curve for sure. I'd be more, I'd be better. In the meantime I suppose I am who I am and well I could try harder. Would like to work out why I don't. Why I'm not a better person. If there are answers to such things.
I think this is why there is art. As an idea of a moment. The moment around a feeling, a scene, an idea, a time. Something that we feared and in our awe were taken in its rapture. The pain, the beauty, the wonder. All of these things are so much the maths doesn't do it justice. I wish some of the stuff out there wasn't ok.
It's just disgraceful. The average intellectual level of the population has slipped so low, humanity should be ashamed of itself. And it's so true that we are drowned by mediocrity, sometimes when I walk around the city (Brisbane) I feel like I can't breathe from all of it.
ReplyDeleteWell I can't say I've ever really been drowned by it however I find it immensly frustrating. I'm currently listening to War of the Worlds and I you know what I'd be happy to overhear this on someones iPod headphones as opposed to everything I often do hear. I was hearing the other day that teachers (high and primary) have not had a 'proper' (ie more than levels of inflation) payrise in Australia since 1977, this is a concern however I am also aware that the trends in national literacy and numeracy are equally in decline. Can we reward less results with better pay?
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As in Geoff Wayne's War of the Worlds? Now that's an example of true musical talent! I wish people would understood that, instead of listening to, I don't know, Kanye West or something. And that would only apply to public schools though wouldn't it, I know of teachers at private schools who get paid obscene amounts for doing basically the same job. What happened to equality and such?! What if you can't fix the problem just by throwing more money at it though? And the system itself is flawed inherently?
DeleteAll systems are flawed however im sure there is an arguement for private schools doing considerably better than public schools. And yes Goeff Wayne's War of the Worlds.
DeleteI'd be interested in hearing that argument if you would oblige me. It's not often I get to talk about these things in an intelligent manner with someone who can actually hold a proper conversation. It's a delight :)
DeletePretty sure there are statistics around for it. I don't think even the biggest public schools post OP's near those of the likes of Brisbane Grammer. Even Brisbane State High can't and both schools are non-selective. Sporting results are similar although slightly less biased towards the private schools. Are they better prepared for the world? I have no idea I doubt it is possible to accurately say. However hard data exists saying that average results are higher. In saying all of that though, someone who is going to do well will do well whereever they are if they take the opportunities around and there are always some around just perhaps not always on the same scales.
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