A couple of days ago, I tweeted that I longed for the days when it was cool to be dumb because back then, we weren't overwhelmed with half-hearted attempts at profundity and general pretentiousness. I genuinely meant that. I'm finding that people are becoming or attempting to become at least, a whole lot deeper. At parties, as opposed to openly discussing how dope Weezy's line was in one of his songs (this is now done in secret so as to avoid being called 'mainstream'), I now hear of people critiquing Machiavelli's "The Prince" or expressing their utter love for Maya Angelou. As a genuine lover of all things culture, I should appreciate this right? I don't. In fact, I absolutely abhor it because their interest in such things is not sincere. It's fleeting and flippant. And I know, who am I to judge whether someone's interest in something is sincere? Well, I judge by the manner in which one expresses one's view on culture and the extent to which one can sustain a conversation thereon. It is here that I am most gravely disappointed. I usually hear things along the lines of 'I read a couple of lines from this play called "The Crucible" (apparently it's quite unknown and falls into the category of oh-so-deep literature) while listening to some Indie music (Mumford & Sons or Bon Iver. Sometimes The Script and Snow Patrol for the less daring) and it was so deep. I thought of life and the meaning of it all and how I'm so misunderstood...' Basically, utter nonsense! I don't know if you noticed how there was no opinion on the actual content of "The Crucible". Just a rather vague and hazy opinion that could be formulated by a vagabond on the street, recovering from a night of binge-drinking on cheap, watered-down vodka.
It bothers me a bit, just how consumed people are with coming across as interesting without having any genuine interests. The mere number of 'fashion and lifestyle' blogs should give you a clue about just how easy it is to come across as a hipster; someone who is so informed about the world and so anti-every-bloody-establishment-there-is. I am by no means, an expert in fashion and I unashamedly admit that I like clothes and I enjoy putting outfits together. But even I, with my rather skim Vogue or W-based knowledge of fashion can suss out the crap in these blogs. There's no knowledge of fabric, aesthetic, style or anything else that is so crucial for a real fashionista to know about. Just general googling of 'cool-looking' people and comments about their outfits and how, if I lost five kgs, I could fit into that. Laughable. There's also this fascination with everything vintage which is not genuine because I highly doubt these people would go to thrift stores or the Salvation Army to find some groovy items of clothing. I know I tend to be quite didactic and critical at times but I'm so concerned about the people I encounter. There's this deep desire to be complicated and messed up and misunderstood and depressed and obsessed with death. But I highly doubt there's any real insight into how it feels to be all those things. Just this image of how cool it must be to be shunned from the world and live a life of isolation. Visit a mental home and then see for yourselves whether living in complete isolation from the world is 'goodly' or perhaps speak to someone DIAGNOSED (note, not self-diagnosed but actually doctor-diagnosed) with bipolar disorder - very sad and scary condition.
What I find quite amusing is that the people guilty thereof, for the most part, have had a privileged and comfortable upbringing and perhaps it's the guilt associated therein that causes them to want to be messed up or in some cases, drugged up. Because then, there's something to be upset about. Some justified form of drama and depression to which their seemingly perfect lives do not lend themselves. It's a touchy subject and I just hope that the next fade that comes, will see people safely emerge from this miasma. But for now, let's just ride through the storm and hope to hell people grow the f*&k up.
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