Gash Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 Not sure if this belongs in here or anything goes. Does anybody absolutely hate this phrase when trying to talk to somebody about music? As if the recipient obviously missed something because they obviously can't have picked up on it and not liked it? For those not fluent in conversing with those practicing "Moron English", to loosely translate, "You just don't get it" means "I am so superior to you, that when I listen to music, I hear it on a higher astral plane of enjoyment that you can't even contemplate, therefore your opinion is worthless."Not only is it completely patronising but the statement reveals a certain defensiveness about it as well, it sounds sort of reactionary as if the person has just been personally insulted by somebody not liking the same music that they do. As if their taste in music is threatened by somebody not thinking the same way that they do. It just has no place in a reasonable discussion about music whatsoever. I mean, if you feel somebody hasn't caught onto something that you enjoy in a piece of music, just ask them if they latched onto it. You know, explain what you like about it, maybe they'd explain what they don't like about it and before you know it, you've got, shock horror, a mature, adult conversation that you might just learn something from instead of acting like a spoilt child, going "you just don't get it" and throwing all of your toys out of the pram. It applies to all arts really, but music is probably the one I hear it in the most. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dean-16 Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 so in other words, music snobs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunnyDRE Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 I actually hate the phrase: "I can't believe you've never heard of them/him/her." Drives me nuts!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UseYourAppetite Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 I actually hate the phrase: "I can't believe you've never heard of them/him/her." Drives me nuts!!!Although sometimes it's needed, like when some cock doesn't know who Zeppelin or The Who are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krissirge Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 These people are times worse than anything related to MTV these days(which gets waaaay to much shit thrown at them these days). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LCG Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 Yeah, I couldn't agree more. Although I agree with UseYourAppetite too, haha! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ffrankwhite Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 (edited) maybe its not a superiority complex on their part and perhaps an inferiority complex on your part? maybe it just means that you dont identify with what they percieve to be the intentions or themes etc of a certain piece? not hard to understand, 5 years ago i despised the rolling stones, dont anymore. everybody "gets" shit that someone else doesnt. Edited January 22, 2008 by ffrankwhite Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LCG Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 (edited) maybe its not a superiority complex on their part and perhaps an inferiority complex on your part?I think it can work both ways.EDIT: Having seen the stuff you added to your post, I completely agree with ya there. Edited January 22, 2008 by LCG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr MacPhisto Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 I have honestly spoke to someone in the past who didnt know who the beatles were! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UseYourAppetite Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 I have honestly spoke to someone in the past who didnt know who the beatles were!You should see my school. The Stones, Dylan, The Beatles, Guns, AC/DC, Zeppelin, The Who, Queen, it means nothing to them, they just stare blankly at you like you're the retarded one. I pride myself on being one of the few with a music taste. :xmasssanta: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluesy Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 The thing is, the appeal that exists in music and other art forms can't necessarily be described logically. Why privilege rational thought over emotion when it comes to something that is so emotional for a lot of people? You can try to describe the feelings in a technical sense, but that won't really help the other person understand where you're coming from, or the appeal of the art. One can argue that the magic of art is what is left unsaid, what doesn't need to be communicated through the construct of verbal language. Sometimes, people just don't think it's worth it to try and justify their taste in music to someone who has a "show me why this is so special" attitude. The best thing you can really do is open your mind and don't let preconceived notions and judgments constrain you from experiencing something that you could otherwise come to enjoy. If you don't end up understanding, that's okay. If you don't "get it" no one is gonna shoot you. It is what it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GivenToFly Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 Maybe it's not as much a condescending insult as a purely factual reality. Tastes are different in everyone as they depend on a complex combination of a person's character, education, social status, personal history, geographical location and so on. In some cases, it's simply not possible for one to relate to a certain form of art because it doesn't touch them on any level, while for others it can be a way of life in itself. By not getting it one is not necessarily of a lower intellectual level - or deemed of a lower intellectual level - but they are - and are recognized as - total strangers from that form of art, from a totally different culture which is not, to put simply, the target for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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