Polling Without Context

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

[Poll #1018696]

Comments

Re: I love this list

[skyecaptain.livejournal.com]

This is key -- there's no equal binary between me dismissing, say, Deerhunter (whom I've listened to and don't care for) and someone coming onto a comment thread or blog I've written in and suggest that there is no inherent MERIT in even ATTEMPTING to listen to Kelly Clarkson or Ashlee Simpson (meaning, they haven't really listened to them). That's what kind of pisses me off about the supposed pop/indie split most. Invoking "the people" or "the masses" is usually just a shortcut when you can't claim to have listened very carefully yourself but still want to make sweeping generalizations about music someone else (I) like on predominantly, if not exclusively, social grounds. Not to say that these social grounds are even valid (they usually aren't), just that's kind of the conversational escape hatch for people who aren't thinking hard enough.