WOODBURY- Really, again!?
I feel like this is something we all have started hearing while watching football this past season. Up on the screen, the camera flashing to a quick picture of Taylor Swift cheering on the Chiefs. Somehow though, there always seems to be someone to mention how terrible and how much time she gets on screen.
Why does it always seem like you either love or hate musicians? You get scared to tell someone the type of music you listen to simply because they might give you that look of just — irritation.
Bringing up your favorite musicians is like a battle every time, because who wants to be called out for something like music taste?
“I think that people get influenced by other people,” said Isla Jones, a freshman at Nonnewaug. “They are dramatic with it because honestly, deep down, nobody actually can hate somebody that much or hate that music that much.”
This is so true, and I completely agree, because there isn’t a reason to act this way. But the problem is that so many people do. People don’t realize that music affects and helps people in many different ways. When suddenly someone immediately judges you or even the artist, no reason is a good one.
“Music is the most emotionally accessible form of art,” said Micheal Sturges, an instructor in NHS’ History Department and a music enthusiast. “So you can listen to music in a language you don’t even understand and it can affect you.”
What makes it so hard for people just to respect why others love something though? They always have to put their two cents on how they feel about something when all you could say is “I like it.”
“It’s not that deep. You listen to your music, I listen to my music, and honestly, I think all genres are interesting and listenable,” said Noemi Aguilar-Cortes, a student at NHS. “They’re all cool, so it’s just whatever you like.”
Seeing the difference between an artist and their music is like telling someone to go shovel the driveway. They just don’t want to. Their first opinion, whether it comes from actually listening to the music, or hearing one lyric or one thing from the news is quick. The vast leap to their opinion is like they’re an Olympic long jumper. Stopping to take that risk and listen, is shadowed when exposed to others opinions.
Simply saying to someone that it’s interesting or nice shouldn’t be a struggle. But don’t we all prepare for the same comments about it just the same?
“It’s a version of reverse FOMO,” said Sturges when referring to music and the psychological fear of missing out–commonly known as FOMO. “You’re watching other people enjoying something and getting something that is just alien to you, you don’t get it. Some people haven’t quite developed the idea that that’s okay, and they can react negatively or petulantly.”
It gets old, and it gets annoying.
Imagine if every time any sports player showed up at a concert or award show and everyone yelled at their fans.
Oh my God! Get off the screen!
This isn’t a sports field!
As the Beatles once said, “Let it Be”, and let our musical tastes quite simply “be.”
This piece is an opinion piece of freshman reporter Rowan Boisseau ’28.
