Mind your mind

Don't forget where you belong

5th March 2016

Something funny happened to me the other day. I was out with my friends and my friend brought another friend of his and we were just having a nice time together, chilling and chatting. And then we started talking about music. Among all the artists and bands that I listen to, this person decided to focus his attention on the fact that I listen to One Direction. Apparently it was such a shocking fact that we spent several minutes talking about it.

"One Direction are just a bunch of talentless machines, brought together by other talentless people." he said and it suddenly clicked what kind of person I was about to have an encounter with.

"Oh, I imagine you've listened to their songs then." I replied.

"Err, yeah. Like "What makes you beautiful" and stuff?" and he started singing the said song, purposely ruining it for my own sake.

"Right, right. So I guess you've watched their live shows then? You've heard the actual sound of their voices right?"

"Why would I do that? I'm not a little girl drooling over a couple of hot boys."

Well, that was it for me.

Since when did society become so judging? I feel like I can't express my opinion without feeling like the people around me think of me as some sort of idiot. I don't understand why people can't listen to the music they like without feeling judged. I swear to God, if I made my best friend listen to a not so famous song by One Direction without actually telling her it's by them, she would probably like it. But if I told her something like "Oh, listen to this song by One Direction" she'd surely be like "Wtf no, I don't like One Direction, go away."

Why do prejudices exist? Since when the music you listen to should define you as a person? I am not the music I listen to, I am 19-year-old student with clear ideals and with my own thoughts. If I listen to One Direction does that mean that I must be a 12-year-old girl whose main problem in life is Harry Styles cutting his hair? No, of course not, but society pictures me like this because making fun of people who listen to boybands and such has become a trend nowadays.

My point is: if a certain song or artist makes you FEEL something, then it's 100% worth listening to. Shouldn't feelings and emotions be the main reason why you listen to a certain kind of music? If a song makes you feel happy or sad or pumped or angry, if a song makes you feel an emotion, then that's it, it's worth every single negative comment you get, every single "Ew, your music taste sucks".

I'm talking about One Direction, because I'm basing myself off experience, but this can refer to so many other bands and creators in general.

Nowadays people are attracted to all things vintage and grunge and hipster. Some people would probably listen to a slightly unknown band from Sweden without even liking their music just because it's "cool", just because they want to distance themselves from the "mainstream". But by doing that they're actually going along the mainstream, fully integrating with our skeptical society. It's actually a paradox, if you really think about it: you are being mainstream by wanting to get away from the mainstream. And that's because people don't do what they like anymore, or better: they feel ashamed of what they enjoy. We try to adapt in a society that makes us all feel like we HAVE to act a certain way, we HAVE to listen to that kind of music to be "rad", we HAVE to dress like that to feel part of the community. Shouldn't WE choose what community we want to be part of?

Why do people that I don't know AT ALL suddenly like me if I talk about my passion for English literature or my admiration for Paul McCartney, but quickly get away from me if I ask my friend "Have you watched One Direction's new music video?"? Can't one person have more than just one hobby? Can't I listen to "Helter Skelter" by The Beatles and "If I could fly" by One Direction straight after that, without being called "contradicting" or "immature"?

So many unanswered questions. I honestly wish I could change some people's minds, but I know they're too forged now: sometimes it's too late and we just have to survive in a world of malice and spite.