wolfpartyjoe-blog asked: i've "grown" a lot in recent years and i think a lot of that has to do with having stronger convictions. i used to eat cheesesteaks with mayonnaise at least every other day and now i've cut out all beef, chicken and pork, just as an example. i've made similar "strides" in the way i approach a lot of "isms" (race, gender, class) and would feel comfortable being tagged with the dreaded "pc-police" title. recently we've talked a lot about bands like EOAYSDF and the general idea of artists fucking
(cont) with their fans/perceptions/ideologies… bands/folks that general do not care about the convictions of their audience. do i look like a fence walker if i respect and enjoy and engage with that kind of behavior? and also, would/should those bands/people respect my convictions? i obviously should not give a fuck, but, you know…
You touch on a lot of things here, but the underlying themes of conviction and how people view them aren’t lost on me. I’ve noticed that the kinds of issues you raise here are actually gaining some traction in both mainstream culture and subculture alike right now.
There’s no question that holding onto strong convictions is part of the modern human experience. They make life interesting and more importantly, purposeful, providing us with a driving motivation to make art, do work, and generally participate in the world at large. In my experience, it’s usually the case that the people who end up “doing” the least by adulthood are those who aren’t deeply committed to any sort of cause, idea, or interest. Of course this isn’t a hard-fast rule, but it’s a pattern that I’ve observed since I was a kid. This has made me realize that conviction (to anything) acts as both the sail and the wind in a lot of cases. It can be assumed that, as a young person, Sir Richard Branson was deeply committed to the cause of making a lot of money, and this principle likely drove his efforts to create his global empire.
This is all worth mentioning because it should be understood that conviction is among the most important aspects of what it means to be alive. By refining your behavior and the values they reflect, you’re doing yourself a great spiritual service. That might sound corny, but the deeper into that rabbit hole you go, the more fulfilling it will probably be. Being branded as a sentinel for the PC police isn’t necessarily something to feel bad about. On one hand, it lets you know that you’re communicating something in your words and/or actions. Whether or not people around you agree is another issue that I’ll touch on in a moment, but it’s a feather in your cap to know that you’re at least not neutral in your worldview (like the people that would call you that might be).
So here’s the critical caveat to the whole idea of conviction. As important and spiritually fulfilling as it can be, it can be also be a source of constant distress, alienation, and malcontent if you as a person are unwilling to think critically and understand that your ideas are no more valid or invalid as someone else’s. While the person who was never convicted to begin with might end up with a life that centers around smoking weed and working as a short-order cook at a chain family restaurant, the deeply convicted person who never learned how to take another’s perspective or compromise might end up alone, bitter, and unfulfilled. Patrick Kindlon of End of a Year Self Defense Family likes to make mention of the fact that people can become so zealous in their beliefs that they end up severely limiting their life experience by pushing people and opportunities away that don’t play into that belief system. This is an important point with a clear translation - that strong conviction will only ever be to your benefit if you have an open mind and willingness to respect and appreciate what someone else thinks.
My mom made it a point to drive this idea into my head for as long as I can remember, and I only now understand how grateful I should be for that. Despite the fact that my very left-leaning politics run completely counter to her patriotic, conservative mores, she was gracious in never stifling the development of those convictions as a young person or as an adult. She’s expressed clearly that she is just happy to have children who are passionate about their worldview. In a recent interview, I heard Rachel Maddow express a similar belief - that even though she might be in total opposition to the stance a guest on her show might take, they’ll always be able to find common ground as people who are both passionate enough about something to be talking about it at all. No matter what, both she and her guest care, which not everyone does. It’s that kind of understanding that fosters true progress.
To address your specific example, End of a Year Self Defense Family illustrate this entire idea by actively working to contradict every expectation that a fan/listener/observer might place on them, whether or not they actually believe their own stance. As a punk band, it’s safe to say that they do this in an effort to highlight the subculture’s nature to force a certain way of thinking on its constituents, and the general culture of intolerance towards people who don’t buy into those ideas. Kindlon often paints subculture as being Orwellian in a lot of ways. When I suffered through a RVIVR set last year, I couldn’t have agreed more in that moment. I saw lots of people totally blinded by their own conviction, all validating each others’ ignorance. Despite that band’s crusade to make punk “safe” and “inclusive”, I stood there feeling as excluded as ever, like I was in high school again, surrounded by mental jocks just waiting for me to say something that would give them an excuse to tell me what a sexist, macho pig I am.
So to answer your question concisely, yes, people (whether in a band or not) should respect your convictions by not stifling your right to express them. That doesn’t mean that they should only say and do things you agree with, it just means them letting you do your thing, and you letting them do their thing, Brush off anyone that will have you believe that you’re not entitled to think a certain way, for they are posers.
I hope I answered your questions, I’m afraid I might have missed the point in my rambling. Either way, I hope you can take something from this.
kaixstone liked this
nonaband liked this
wolfpartyjoe-blog liked this
bishoptubecompany-blog posted this