It seems to me that this site should have some sort of consistency, and in that spirit, I will offer a topic of the week, usually something of profound importance to our society (please respond), and a review or opinion of the day, usually music or book related. Also, my opinion on the topic of the week, will appear for your consideration. That said, let's get started.
Topic of the Week: Is it okay to make fun of people? Is it okay to make fun of them if they don't know you are? If not, why? Reply to mac1178@hotmail.com. I will post all insightful replies (even those that disagree with me) on the site.
Yes, making fun of people seems a mean-spirited business. Not everyone has the stomach for it. I, for one, do and indulge in the practice on a regular basis. Of course some object to such behavior; this is sure to hurt someone's feelings, they say, and perhaps they are right, but I choose to view the matter from a different angle. I see mocking others as a way to bring about change for the better. And of course there are those who deride the behavior as mean or even cruel, but I am afraid I must disagree once again. Let's face it, not everyone has someone who loves them enough to say, "Hey, that skirt is really too small and shows entirely too much of your cottage-cheese thighs." As a result, an appalling number of people go out into the world each day dressed badly. This does not even factor in their pure, intractable physical ugliness, and the sum of the two elements is often harrowing indeed. After a handful of instances in which they are the target of ruthless criticism and humiliating laughter as a result of this criticism, these people begin to realize that there is, in fact, something wrong with them. No, I do not limit this assistance to matters of appearance alone. People with particularly foolish opinions or very poor diction are equally deserving of assistance. And no matter what anyone tells you, making fun of someone who does not know you are doing so is a victimless crime. Agree? Disagree? Feel free to respond, but don't be so deluded as to think I really give a shit if you disagree and think I am a horrible person destined to roast in hell. You're probably just ugly or fat or stupid and tired of being told so. I forgive you.
Review of the Day
Ed Harcourt Here Be Monsters
I was skeptical after reading so many glowing reviews of this album, reviews that invoked Rufus Wainwright, Elliott Smith, that called him this year's David Gray. Still, I am a fan of the work of all three artists mentioned as similar to Harcourt, so I gave the disc a shot. Good choice. The instrumentation is simple enough; Harcourt doesn't employ an orchestra or anything, but the sound is fleshed out, a bit fuller than some of Elliott Smith's work. Rufus Wainwright is a good place to start when explaining the album's sound. It is Several of the songs are rather uptempo, in spite of Harcourt's general melancholy in terms of lyrical content, but the tracks that slow the pace are every bit as well executed, particularly "Those Crimson Tears." I won't drone on forever about this album; I'm far from an expert, but I know what I like. This I like.
