Reading books whilte preparing for writing my diploma thesis, I came across this interesting opinion on music that has affected me because I see a lot of truth in it.

By music, we isolate ourselves from others. If it´s true that music fills most of our free time, than it is also true that this free time is the least free. We are being manipulated by profesional and institutionalized "fillers" of free time. The unnecessary presence of music in this free time deprives us of our duty to do something with this free time. Music is becoming a modern opium of masses.
[Edited 3/5/08 14:12pm]

dag said:

this is taking music a bit to the extreme. sure corps, want you to buy music. you dont have to buy, i don't i am happy to with i buy, which was all bought second hand wise. music is music.

dag said:

hmm interesting, but this could be send of any entertaining activity that isn't necessary for survival i.e. eating ice cream, playing the bagpipes, masturbating in an offhand fashion whilst watching "Murder She Wrote" on a Sunday afternoon, etc

actually whoever wrote that quote is talking crap. What about attending concerts, dancing, the communion of gospel music, and so on. Music doesn't necessarily isolate.

what are you thinking of writing your thesis on, daq?

The author fails to realize that while we listen to music, that isn't exclusively what we do. In other words, who sits there and only listens?
Usually, it's background noise while we multitask. Dance? Ok, we're excersing too. There are countless things to do while listening to music.

Music also brings people together, the complete opposite of the very first sentence. Has this guy ever been to a party?

Dude sounds like he's been living underground all his life. The fuck he talking about?

No, some of you have misinterpreted it because you haven´t read the rest of the book and the quote was take on out of context. This book is called The Musical Psychology of The Psychology of Music (It´s a czech book, so all of this is my translation) It values all the positive effects of music. It does not say that listening to music is bad but it also mentiones that music is basically missused nowadays. Someone walking around with headphones on is surely isolating himself from his surroundings. A child running to his room after an argument with parents turning the music load is also escaping the problem. You are bored, you put music on - why bother thinking about something creative to do. And also, we hear it everywhere and therefore it looses the power that it innitially had. That was the point of the author.

But I have to admit that there must be some truth to this. I am a huge musical lover and I have enjoyed listening to music all my life. I have spent a lot of time listening to music and I know that if it wasn´t for music I´d be forced to find other interesting activities. I do feel sometimes that listening to music is the "laziest and easiest" way of enjoying yourself. I cannot imagine life without music and I sure think that the author can´t either, but I just have to admit that sometimes I use it as escapism from really doing anything productive.

Little Smedley, I am writing about using popular songs to teach English vocabulary.
[Edited 3/5/08 14:57pm]

dag said:

Hitler talked about putting speaker systems up in the villages of enslaved eastern europeans, to play simple pop music at all hours. The idea was that, along with a free vodka ration, this would keep them sedated and stop them thinking about revolution against the Nazis ("Hitler's Table Talk")

That's an interesting topic, daq Simple popular western music has helped many many people to learn the language. If your looking for advanced, clever use of English in pop songs, I would recommend Morrissey's lyrics. His lyrics are the reason why english people went nuts over this guy though his voice isn't very good. (Again in my opinion )

Nothing is more interesting to me than listening to or creating music. I see what the author means, it's just that that's something I'm ok with.

I also think that music can bring people together at the same time. It depends on what kind of listening one is doing - active or passive. There are definitely a lot of factors. It can be a topic of discussion among people or it can be something that takes time away from other activities.

It is an interesting thought.

I think music rocks!

dag said:

While it's an interesting theory, the reason it doesn't hold water is because anything can be used as a distraction/escapism. Sleeping, eating, starring at the wall, walking down the road can all be used as well. Television really fits the bill when it comes to taking your mind somewhere else, video games too because there's no substance, no emotional connection. It simply entertains and then it's done.

Where the difference in music lies is that it touches people's emotions, positive or negative, people relate to music on that level. It's what makes it the universal language because people feel it on an instinctual level that's hard to explain, this transcends anything that can just be called a distraction. It's far deeper than that and the author dismissing it in this manner is short sighted to say the least.

Maybe music is misused in his perspective but when you talk about all people around the world, music has saved lives, music has turned people into scholars, music is the lifeblood of humanity.

Not so much.



I wouldn't go that far.

dag said:

The title is similar to a book I have and read some years ago...



...The Psychology of Music edited by Diana Deutsch

The aim of the psychology of music is to understand musical phenomena in terms of mental functions--to characterize the ways in which one perceives, remembers, creates, and performs music.

http://www.elsevier.com/w...openmenu=4



tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431

Dance said:

Some orgers would probably have to disagree with you there.

Dance said:

actually, blood is, come to think of it

Yes! Blood is the lifeblood of humanity.

Slave2daGroove said:

Of course, but music can do that too, but may not be counted in that category because it is considered to be "real art" while TV and PC games are not, but it can be used the same way.

BTW, did you know guys that music can affect by 80% the way you view a certain footage? I was shocked when I read that but then I thought of Jaws and realized it was true. You are scared the whole time watching the film, while most of the time you are watching people swimming and children playing in the sea. It´s the music that has the scarry effect. If some joyous music was used with the same footage, you could use it as a commercial for some travel agency.
Music can really manipulate one´s mind.

Dance said:

And what about skinhead listening to hard rock getting violent. Music can mdefinately have this type of effect too.
[Edited 3/5/08 15:25pm]

dag said:

It can. I'm always fascinated when I see portions of movies without music; often it's so much less effective or not effective at all. It really is interesting how it gets to the point that you hardly notice if it's there, but at the same time it changes the reaction to so many things. Many stores and restaurants utilize the same phenomenon to get people to spend more money. Amazing.

Any stimulus changes moods. The weather, a smell. We tend to listen to music to reinforce the way we want to feel. i'm starting to bore myself. I'm gonna go to bed. Be careful of phrases like "music is the lifeblood of humanity" if you're teaching English daq, because most english speaking people would dismiss that as pretentious - meaning, the uneducated pretending to be educated (i'm not saying you are doing this - i'm just giving advice about the effect of the words). goodnite org x

LittleSmedley said:

dont sign off u mutha i've just logged on!

LittleSmedley said:

Yo! Don't sign off your mother! 3121 just logged on.

TheMightyCelestial said:

dont be a cheeky chops

dag said:

They're violent long before they hit 'play.'

3121 said:

Sorry.

Some people can't stand to be left alone in their own silence.

Others just love music.

Escapism is alive everywhere. Like everything else, it becomes a question of whether it's in the proper proportion for you.

If one eliminates it's power in music that doesn't mean that they will or even should choose something non-escapist in its place.

Has it become the new opiate to the masses? I don't think so. No more so than television, the internet, discussion forums, movies, food, reading, a walk in the bloody park, etc.

Dance said:

true.

Brendan said:

This is very true.
It's as if the quiet sound of their own thoughts frighten them for some reason.



tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431

theAudience said:

Agreed. It's good theater watching them: post, and answer to themselves on the board in a thread @ the Org.

dag said:

That last sentence is only true if the author is referring to rave culture.

theAudience said: