Well? Have you heard of the Gossip?
No, I’m not talking about the rumor mill. I’m talking about Gossip, the indie rock/punk band based in Portland, OR. Led by Beth Ditto, the band has been around since the turn of the century and recently signed with a major label (Sony Music Entertainment).
The band has a lot of rock, punk, and pop influences, but they have their own unique style. Here’s one of my favorite songs of theirs, “Pop Goes the World.”
Consider the title of the post for a moment.
Yes, I am a philosopher, so it is kind of my job to ask questions like “What is Beauty?” and “What is Intelligence.” Philosophers love these types of questions because everyone “knows” the answer, but no one can give a coherent definition without a ton of classifiers and exceptions.
And if the definition is so unclear, why is so much pressure placed on people to be normal?
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You may have heard of the “5 monkeys experiment.” It is called by several different names: the 5 monkey experiment, the monkeys in a cage experiment, the monkeys and social control experiment, etc. It is a cleverly designed experiment, though ethically questionable, which tests the influence of groupthink and tradition.
The experiment is extremely telling and says a lot about how we come to believe what we are told, even without a full explanation for why.
And though the experiment is widely cited, no source is ever given. To me, this seems to suggest that the entire experiment is a hoax.
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I just finished reading the short story “Just Walk on By” by Brent Staples. It is a memoir about Staples’ early college years, learning about how his race and physicality instill fear in others.
I especially enjoyed Staples’ story because I identify with it a lot. I try not to let my perceived race impact the way I interact with society; however, because of my skin color, people sometimes perceive me as a threat. Like Staples, I did not realize this until I moved away from home, into a big city. For me, the city was Boston.
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I have lately been doing some thinking about privilege. Privilege, by definition, is something that is taken for granted. If you are living with privilege in a particular way, it is difficult to notice just how much it impacts your life. Or I should say, it is difficult to notice what you don’t have to go through because of your privilege.
People often talk about racial privilege or gender privilege and maybe even sexual orientation, religion, or socioeconomic status. However, I realized that these are just the tip of the iceberg. I was shocked when a friend introduced me to what she described as “fat culture” and how people don’t usually think about how overweight and obese people are marginalized by society.
It was after this realization that I decided to make a list of every privilege I know of. The way I figure it, everyone has privilege in some way or another. Of course, there is nothing inherently wrong with that, but I believe people should be more aware of the privilege they take advantage of. That was the intended purpose of the list. Read More…
