For those of you who occasionally check out my journal, I now present...a little rant. And the topic of tonight's rant? Stereotypes!
Now, I'm not going to bitch about people stereotype me. I'm used to the fact that looking like something out of Black Sabbath circa the mid-seventies hasn't been chic in decades. I've made my peace with this.
No, the thing that really pisses me off about stereotypes is the fact that so many people go out of their way to reinforce them by succumbing to the stereotype! Por ejemplo, there's your typical, stereotyped Hip-Hop Fan. Now, I realize that, as with any stereotype, there are always exceptions. And thank god for that! However...there are too freaking few of these exceptions, in my book. Instead, we get thousands of people who walk, talk, and act the same way. I'm not getting racial here, but why the hell does (seemingly) every female hip-hop fan have to be excessively loud and excessively arrogant? I'm sure there are plenty of hip-hop chicks who are well-spoken and polite. I'm positive of it. The problem is, I've rarely gotten to deal with many on a personal level. And their male counterparts are just as bad, with their gold chains, aggressive scowl that makes them look like they smell something rancid, and swaggering, limp-like gait. And I needn't remind you that you can spot this phenomenon in people of varying colors!
I'm only picking on that specific stereotype because it's so easy, and because it's one I run into a lot in my day-to-day business. For the sake of fairness, and because I love risking what little popularity I've managed to earn, let us pick on your stereotyped Punk Rawk Fan.
Now, I consider myself especially qualified to discuss this particular little sect of society because A) I can contemplate it impartially as somebody who's never really considered himself 'punk,' while still enjoying some of the music, and B) I used to work at Hot Topic. Now, in the interest of keeping myself from being assasinated, I must be redundant and re-state that I completely realize that there are exceptional, open-minded Punk individuals. That being said....
I used to love to piss off every teenage punker who ever wore the 'anarchy' symbol by asking them why they think that anarchy would be a good thing. Usually, they don't even fully understand what it means. To them, it means they don't have to go to school, and can smoke pot whenever they want. I ask them if they relish the idea of child molesters roaming the streets, with no government to put them in jail. They usually say that martial law would rule, and that if they found out someone was a child molestor, they'd personally kick their ass, or some equally macho comment. I'd then ask them what would happen if I decided to announce that THEY were a child molestor, and let the open-minded, fun-loving anarchists kick the shit out of him or her, just based on my own accusation. They would usually just look at me like I'M the dumbass. These are usually the same idiots who like to compare our government to the Nazi Party, which of course is the most idiotic and perspective-less thing I've ever heard. But...it comes off 'anti-establishment,' and therefore Punk Rawk, so people gobble that shit up. Of course, I'm generalizing, but come on...we've all seen it. How many local punk bands use "Anarchy!" as a battle-cry to get a cheap reaction from the crowd? And how much of that crowd responds?
Another common concept among the stereotyped Punkers is the overall hypocrisy. Once again, I will cover my ass by saying that there are plenty of sincere folks who just dig the music and like the look. But there are also plenty of sheep who just want something to belong to, and have chosen the Punk Stereotype at random, who don't bother to think of the principals they're supposedly espousing. Here's a group of people that dress in a way that's designed to get a reaction from Joe Average, and probably not a favorable one. If you just like the way it looks, good for you! But a lot of these joiners will start complaining about how people treat them based on their appearance. Now, if they were open-minded and easygoing folks, I'd say, "rightly so!" However, how many of these people turn right around and start shitting on the first Stereotyped Preppie type that they see? And how chic has picking on Creed become in the Official Punk Rock Behavioral Guideline? I'm no huge Creed fan myself, but don't these people realize that A) just because you don't like something personally doesn't mean it sucks, and B) to complain about being ridiculed for your tastes, only to turn around and crap on someone else's tastes makes you a big fat hypocrite?
Anyway, I've gotten WAAAAAY off base here. Just realize, folks, that I write all of this with an open mind, and for the zillionth time I do realize that there are many folks who appear to belong to some neatly labeled stereotypical group, but are actually decent folks who, you know...THINK. However...if more of these people would take the time to actually contemplate their own behavior, and how it affects other people, the world would be a better place and I'd be a lot less bitchy.
Now, I'm not going to bitch about people stereotype me. I'm used to the fact that looking like something out of Black Sabbath circa the mid-seventies hasn't been chic in decades. I've made my peace with this.
No, the thing that really pisses me off about stereotypes is the fact that so many people go out of their way to reinforce them by succumbing to the stereotype! Por ejemplo, there's your typical, stereotyped Hip-Hop Fan. Now, I realize that, as with any stereotype, there are always exceptions. And thank god for that! However...there are too freaking few of these exceptions, in my book. Instead, we get thousands of people who walk, talk, and act the same way. I'm not getting racial here, but why the hell does (seemingly) every female hip-hop fan have to be excessively loud and excessively arrogant? I'm sure there are plenty of hip-hop chicks who are well-spoken and polite. I'm positive of it. The problem is, I've rarely gotten to deal with many on a personal level. And their male counterparts are just as bad, with their gold chains, aggressive scowl that makes them look like they smell something rancid, and swaggering, limp-like gait. And I needn't remind you that you can spot this phenomenon in people of varying colors!
I'm only picking on that specific stereotype because it's so easy, and because it's one I run into a lot in my day-to-day business. For the sake of fairness, and because I love risking what little popularity I've managed to earn, let us pick on your stereotyped Punk Rawk Fan.
Now, I consider myself especially qualified to discuss this particular little sect of society because A) I can contemplate it impartially as somebody who's never really considered himself 'punk,' while still enjoying some of the music, and B) I used to work at Hot Topic. Now, in the interest of keeping myself from being assasinated, I must be redundant and re-state that I completely realize that there are exceptional, open-minded Punk individuals. That being said....
I used to love to piss off every teenage punker who ever wore the 'anarchy' symbol by asking them why they think that anarchy would be a good thing. Usually, they don't even fully understand what it means. To them, it means they don't have to go to school, and can smoke pot whenever they want. I ask them if they relish the idea of child molesters roaming the streets, with no government to put them in jail. They usually say that martial law would rule, and that if they found out someone was a child molestor, they'd personally kick their ass, or some equally macho comment. I'd then ask them what would happen if I decided to announce that THEY were a child molestor, and let the open-minded, fun-loving anarchists kick the shit out of him or her, just based on my own accusation. They would usually just look at me like I'M the dumbass. These are usually the same idiots who like to compare our government to the Nazi Party, which of course is the most idiotic and perspective-less thing I've ever heard. But...it comes off 'anti-establishment,' and therefore Punk Rawk, so people gobble that shit up. Of course, I'm generalizing, but come on...we've all seen it. How many local punk bands use "Anarchy!" as a battle-cry to get a cheap reaction from the crowd? And how much of that crowd responds?
Another common concept among the stereotyped Punkers is the overall hypocrisy. Once again, I will cover my ass by saying that there are plenty of sincere folks who just dig the music and like the look. But there are also plenty of sheep who just want something to belong to, and have chosen the Punk Stereotype at random, who don't bother to think of the principals they're supposedly espousing. Here's a group of people that dress in a way that's designed to get a reaction from Joe Average, and probably not a favorable one. If you just like the way it looks, good for you! But a lot of these joiners will start complaining about how people treat them based on their appearance. Now, if they were open-minded and easygoing folks, I'd say, "rightly so!" However, how many of these people turn right around and start shitting on the first Stereotyped Preppie type that they see? And how chic has picking on Creed become in the Official Punk Rock Behavioral Guideline? I'm no huge Creed fan myself, but don't these people realize that A) just because you don't like something personally doesn't mean it sucks, and B) to complain about being ridiculed for your tastes, only to turn around and crap on someone else's tastes makes you a big fat hypocrite?
Anyway, I've gotten WAAAAAY off base here. Just realize, folks, that I write all of this with an open mind, and for the zillionth time I do realize that there are many folks who appear to belong to some neatly labeled stereotypical group, but are actually decent folks who, you know...THINK. However...if more of these people would take the time to actually contemplate their own behavior, and how it affects other people, the world would be a better place and I'd be a lot less bitchy.
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