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Antipopcultureism

Modeps

Modeps

Lifer
On this message board, it's becoming painfully obvious that people strive to be anti pop culture. In some instances, I can definately agree. MTV for example, has defined what the teen of the 2000's should be, not playing music but focusing on what they feel the norm of youth is. The most current instance of antipopcultureism however is in regards to the series finale of Friends. Yes, NBC hyped this finale as the biggest event of the year and that alone could bug people that dont like having things jammed down their throats, but this wasn't an evil show.

While I never really caught the "GOTTA WATCH FRIENDS" bug like many of my compatriots have, I do enjoy watching when it is on. Sometimes I view reruns during the week and for the past month, I've watched on Thursdays to see what would happen leading up to the finale. It was a good show; funny, dramatic, and touching with an entertaining cast.

Now, there have been numerous threads titled "Who here is NOT going to watch the Friends finale?" and "Who successfully avoided watching Friends last night?". Some of the responses in these threads are just plain ridiculous. Carbo states in the latter: "I'm proud to say I didn't watch it. But, that's because I have never watched one episode of that lame ass show, so why bother now?" BostonRedSox stated "Last night?? I successfully avoided watching Friends for the last 10 years."

So, these users have never seen an episode, claim it's a "lame ass show", and chest thumping that fact. Why? What makes it so cool to hate something you've never even viewed? Unfortunately, this is the 'anonymous' Internet. We dont know what demographic these users represent, but I'm guessing 16 - 20 year old male. I find nothing wrong with people who view a few episodes and determine that they just dont like it... or even hate it, but labeling something they have never experienced just for the sake of 'being cool' is just moronic.

Please, make informed decisions on your own. Don't hate for the sake of hating.

~mo_dep.s
 
Yep. I touched on this a bit in the Starbucks thread. The antipops try so hard not to be sheep, they all end up following each other... just like sheep.

Southpark did a great parrody of this with their goth kids in a couple episodes.
 
Knocking things we've not tried is compelling for most people, myself included. Some things I have good reason to think I'd not enjoy, such as banging my head into a brick wall hard, but I guess I'll never now for sure. On the one hand you've got people who resist anything populare in a feint attempt to avoid being "influenced" or controlled by others, and then on the other hand you've got pop-zealots who grab on to trends and fads like crazy.

I like to think that I filter out and just go for what I like, everyone else be damned 🙂 But I guess that's what most people think, though I'm not too anti-pop! Matthew good band made a song called anti-pop.
 
Originally posted by: Skoorb
Knocking things we've not tried is compelling for most people, myself included. Some things I have good reason to think I'd not enjoy, such as banging my head into a brick wall hard, but I guess I'll never now for sure. On the one hand you've got people who resist anything populare in a feint attempt to avoid being "influenced" or controlled by others, and then on the other hand you've got pop-zealots who grab on to trends and fads like crazy.

I like to think that I filter out and just go for what I like, everyone else be damned 🙂 But I guess that's what most people think, though I'm not too anti-pop! Matthew good band made a song called anti-pop.
Click to expand...

Well, banging your head against a brick wall is an informed decision, you know it'll hurt. I expect people to filter out what they think they wont like, probably a good thing or everyone would be watching TV all day every day, but the point I'm trying to make is that the "anti-pops" make an effort to express their disdain for everything that a large group of people enjoy, even without judging for themselves first what they REALLY think about it.
 
Meh. Just live your own life, and don't spend too much time worrying about other peoples' problems. After all, it's just a TV show designed to sell advertising, and not that important in the grand scheme of things.
 
Originally posted by: Modeps
Please, make informed decisions on your own. Don't hate for the sake of hating.

~mo_dep.s
Click to expand...

I'm cynical

The Cynics identify living virtuously with living according to nature, and living in this way they oppose to living conventionally. Society, they believe, puts value on many things that really have no value, such as wealth, beauty, social status, and silly notions of propriety, and the virtuous person renounces living according to these conventional values.
Click to expand...

There is no reason for ME to accept the virtue of the experience of watching Friends based on your assumptions. There are many reasons for me to avoid watching Friends, the fact that it is apparently "popular" is definately one of them.
 
Originally posted by: djheater
Originally posted by: Modeps
Please, make informed decisions on your own. Don't hate for the sake of hating.

~mo_dep.s
Click to expand...

I'm cynical

The Cynics identify living virtuously with living according to nature, and living in this way they oppose to living conventionally. Society, they believe, puts value on many things that really have no value, such as wealth, beauty, social status, and silly notions of propriety, and the virtuous person renounces living according to these conventional values.
Click to expand...

There is no reason for ME to accept the virtue of the experience of watching Friends based on your assumptions. There are many reasons for me to avoid watching Friends, the fact that it is apparently "popular" is definately one of them.
Click to expand...

Breathing is quite popular. Why not quit doing that?
 
Originally posted by: Amused
Originally posted by: djheater
Originally posted by: Modeps
Please, make informed decisions on your own. Don't hate for the sake of hating.

~mo_dep.s
Click to expand...

I'm cynical

The Cynics identify living virtuously with living according to nature, and living in this way they oppose to living conventionally. Society, they believe, puts value on many things that really have no value, such as wealth, beauty, social status, and silly notions of propriety, and the virtuous person renounces living according to these conventional values.
Click to expand...

There is no reason for ME to accept the virtue of the experience of watching Friends based on your assumptions. There are many reasons for me to avoid watching Friends, the fact that it is apparently "popular" is definately one of them.
Click to expand...

Breathing is quite popular. Why not quit doing that?
Click to expand...


That's a silly comparison, and not quite as witty as you probably believe.
 
Originally posted by: djheater
There is no reason for ME to accept the virtue of the experience of watching Friends based on your assumptions. There are many reasons for me to avoid watching Friends, the fact that it is apparently "popular" is definately one of them.
Click to expand...
Great, so dont watch. I'm not saying that you have to watch, I'm saying why bother expressing hatred to something that you just dont know about? Everything that is popular is not bad. Do you like the Matrix? Lord of the Rings? Movie X? Music Group Y?
 
Originally posted by: Modeps
Originally posted by: djheater
There is no reason for ME to accept the virtue of the experience of watching Friends based on your assumptions. There are many reasons for me to avoid watching Friends, the fact that it is apparently "popular" is definately one of them.
Click to expand...
Great, so dont watch. I'm not saying that you have to watch, I'm saying why bother expressing hatred to something that you just dont know about? Everything that is popular is not bad. Do you like the Matrix? Lord of the Rings? Movie X? Music Group Y?
Click to expand...


Your post confuses me.

What I can't figure out is why you're chastising a group of "Antipopculturists", a group of your own making by the way. If you really wanted people to make thier own decisions, you would leave them to do so. You have created a group which does not really exist, which I can only assume you feel threatened by.

If people like things, they like them, if they don't they're free not to, why shouldn't they be free not to?

Life is at times a negative experience and that WILL be reflected in one's attitudes toward things. You can't possibly believe that EVERYONE is going to like a particular movie or show, I think there are MANY people who can make informed decisions based on the information they receive from social interaction and not necessarily direct experience. I'm pretty sure that you would, in the end, agree with that statement. So WHY, are you so irritated by what people think about FRIENDS?

~~edit
oh yeah, paragraphs.
 
Originally posted by: djheater
Your post confuses me.

What I can't figure out is why you're chastising a group of "Antipopculturists", a group of your own making by the way. If you really wanted people to make thier own decisions, you would leave them to do so. You have created a group which does not really exist, which I can only assume you feel threatened by. If people like things, they like them, if they don't they're free not to, why shouldn't they be free not to. Life is at times a negative experience and that WILL be reflected in one's attitudes toward things. You can't possibly believe that EVERYONE is going to like a particular movie or show, I think there are MANY people who can make informed decisions based on the information they receive from social interaction and not necessarily direct experience. I'm pretty sure that you would, in the end, agree with that statement. So WHY, are you so irritated by what people think about FRIENDS?
Click to expand...

Friends was just a vessel for my arguement due to the outpouring anger against it as of late. I find it perfectly fine if you dont like the show, or choose not to watch it. I'm saying that the decision to express hatred for something they know nothing about, other than it is popular with many people, is ignorant. If you dont want to watch it, say something like "Nah, I don't watch Friends... I dont think I'd like it."

I dont expect everyone to like everything, that's foolish.
 
I totally agree. What is up with these kids nowadays? Wearing tattered black hooded zip up sweatshirts in the middle of summer? They like sitting on busy streets, against walls, with their hoods up, rocking back and forth. Get a life.
 
My roommate from last year was like that he was all about "indie" bands that sound like ass and stuff. Always talking about people being "sell-outs." Of courses he also watched american ideal and when I went home for thanksgiving break my sister was watching MTV and it was a band that my roommate always was playing.
 
You have my support, Modeps. I had a friend like that in HS. He just hated everything popular simply on the basis that it was popular. People need to learn that it's ok to do things sometimes even if they [gasp!] go with the popular belief.

That having been said, I watched friends last night and I liked it. I don't like Abercrombie. I like U2 but not Britney/Christina/Justin. Why hate something just because other people like? Make your own decision.
 
Originally posted by: WhiteKnight
You have my support, Modeps. I had a friend like that in HS. He just hated everything popular simply on the basis that it was popular. People need to learn that it's ok to do things sometimes even if they [gasp!] go with the popular belief.

That having been said, I watched friends last night and I liked it. I don't like Abercrombie. I like U2 but not Britney/Christina/Justin. Why hate something just because other people like? Make your own decision.
Click to expand...

😀:beer: I like U2 as well
 
It's not an anonymous internet thing, there are just lots of people who get turned off by others' enthusiasm, myself included.

i can't stand going to comedy clubs or "funny" movies because it aggravates me how so many people laugh at something that simply isn't funny to me. at movies like the matrix and lord of the rings, it's the awe in the audience that bothers me.

being antipop isn't a "cool" thing, it's just another state of mind.

and in our opinion, btw, MTV is no different from friends, etc. we're convinced that people like it because they're told to like it, just like you're convinced that we don't like it because we're told not to.
 
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