It happens to all of us.
You’re talking to a new acquaintance, and, in trying to know each other’s interests better, the topic of music taste comes up.
“So… what kind of music do you like?” They ask you nonchalantly, but they’re actually waiting breathlessly for you to give an answer. You can almost feel their eyes boring into you as they prepare their target.
So you tell them, and you happen to like mainstream music. You can feel their interest fading away.
I’m afraid this has happened to me many times, and it’s something I’ve come to call "music superiority."
I’m talking about music snobs, those who refuse to listen to anything in the Top 40 for belief that their indie cred would be shattered. The more obscure the music, the better for their ears. I’ve encountered them in real life, but they populate the Internet too, in YouTube comments and blogs like Pitchfork.
I’ll admit it; I had a brief case of music superiority back in high school, when I was just discovering the world of indie music. Even today, it’s still something I’m working on.
But why should it be that way? Why should we so carefully select our music, distinguishing between what is “good” and what is “bad?” Why should pretentiousness be accepted?
Music is an art form, but it is also entertainment made to make people happy. Why should we criticize what makes people happy? Everybody has different taste; music is objective.
So let me have my cake and eat it, too. Let me have my Arctic Monkeys and Demi Lovato, my Camera Obscura and Paramore, my Alt-J and Katy Perry.
Let’s all listen to what we like. Listen on, music lovers.
