Time and Music

Time is such a precious resource. Pressed for time. Stretched for time. No time. Time out. Time on my hands. It's something just to have time. What are you doing with your time? Who does your time belong to? I'm happy to have time with the academic year being over. People ask me what I'm doing this summer. I hear myself saying, often, "I usually teach summer classes. Not this summer." It gave me more time. I hear myself saying "The summer courses were good for home improvement projects." That means I didn't have to teach summer courses to pay the normal bills. I'm fortunate to be in a position to not have to rely on summer courses in order to pay the regular expenses.

Time means different things on different days. Time to write. Time to think. Remember the life of the mind? Time to actually think through something. Time to wait for inspiration. Time for an idea to come together. Time to read. Time to let your mind wander. Time to observe. Time to talk with people.

Today was time to have a pleasant morning. A calm morning. Fold the laundry. Go for a jog. Get an oil change. Go to the grocery store. Make lunch. Write this blog post. Listen to music. Listen to a song enough times that it grows on me, like Radiohead's Burn the Witch. Time to listen to music that makes me feel--this is the summer of listening to the Tragically Hip, a band that I listened to a lot in the 1990s. I'm getting reacquainted with their music. I always feel something listening to their songs. Their music takes on new meaning in light of news that lead singer Gord Downie has terminal brain cancer.

Time to think about life and death.

Time: a luxury, a necessity.

Fortunate to have more time.

Using "Otis" by Jay-Z and Kanye West to Talk about Social Class

First, allow me to acknowledge the source of this teaching exercise. Karl Bakeman (tweeting from @wwnsoc at the time) retweeted something from Nikki Jones (@socprofjones). She recently tweeted "Best critique I've seen of Jay-Z and Kanye's 'Otis' - from the Black Youth Project" and included a link to an article.

Having recently heard the "Otis" song on the radio, I was curious to read the critique. I found the criticism to be very interesting and insightful. Basically, it boils down to saying that the song is over-the-top in terms of bragging about money and material goods. If you watch the video, you'll see the standard visuals: expensive cars, watches, sneakers, and beautiful women. In the song, there are references to supermodels, champagne, diamonds, private jets, and money. Kanye sings about his "other, other Benz." All of this, according to the article, is shallow and out of touch. This is no time for such an excessive display of riches, the writer says. In tough economic times with a high unemployment rate, the song and video offer an unnecessary show of a luxurious lifestyle. Furthermore, the writer says, this is not what their audience wants to hear. In essence, it's overkill.

I liked all of the author's points, and went to my Introduction to Sociology class on a Friday morning to discuss the video and the author's viewpoints. I showed the video and asked for reactions. During the discussion I brought up points from the article. I found that students (at least those who spoke out) disagreed with the writer. They didn't find the video to be over-the-top or "in your face." One student described Jay-Z as someone who embodies the "rags-to-riches" story. Another said that Jay-Z and Kayne would be criticized if they were singing about the streets, or being in jail, or glamorizing a criminal style. In other words, he argued, they'd get criticized for singing about the streets or singing about being rich. So they can't win. Another student said that people continue to "drool over" the materialistic lifestyle that is rapped about in the song. So, the student said, people do like to hear this kind of song. None of my students voiced an opinion that was in agreement with the critique.

I came away from the class thinking that people firmly believe in the American Dream. No matter that the economy is stalled and millions of Americans are struggling. People still cling to the Horatio Alger myth (anyone who tries hard enough can get ahead). I suppose that people like to see the outcomes of this hard work (material goods and riches). If it's presented in hyperbolic fashion, so be it.

I'm curious what students at other colleges and universities think about this song and video. Do they relate to it? Find it entertaining? Does anyone find it to be repulsive? Foolish? Or out of touch? In any case, the exercise makes for a good discussion about social class.

Sociological Song

Heard this song today for the first time: "My Boys" by Taken by Trees.

Here are some of my favorite lyrics from the song:

"There isn't much that I feel I need."

"I don't care for fancy things."

"I don't mean to seem like I care about material things like a social status, I just want four walls and adobe slabs for my boys."

It's a nice song about working hard and taking pride in doing so. Pride is the goal instead of social status and material possessions. Love it!

Note: the song is an adaptation of "My Girls" by Animal Collective.

The Sheepdogs - "I Don't Know"

Love this song. Has a good 70s feel to it.

What do you think the song means?

I think a key passage in the song is "Lookin' back at me, is more than mystery, letters and pages of ancient history." This is obviously open to interpretation, but it sounds to me like the writer is referring to journals or diaries he has in storage. Maybe he's reading through those old journals and barely recognizes himself. Maybe there's a younger version of himself that is much different from the person he's become. But, despite growing up, he still feels confusion and anxiety about his path in life. Perhaps this is why he pleads "Somebody please help me!" and "I don't know, help me!" It sounds like there's some urgency in figuring out his next set of moves and choices.

Just a thought. What do you think?

Happy Song

No sociological analysis today. Just a song that makes me happy. "Bad Street" by Twin Sister.

Relationships: What's in it for me?

One of my favorite tunes from the last couple of years is "What's In It For?" by Avi Buffalo. The question posed throughout the song is "What's in it for me?" The cynical part of me loves that question and thinks that's the question that people have in mind when it comes to their relationships. When I last taught my Social Psychology course, I played this song and asked students if they think that people approach their relationships with the mindset of "What's in it for me?" I was surprised by how many students said yes. Many of my students believed that people do in fact enter and exit relationships based on what's in it for them. I used this song as a way of thinking about social exchange theory, which basically looks at relationships as a series of exchanges. A relationship supposedly means there is a lot of give and take (reciprocity), but social exchange theory suggests that people are much more interested in the take component. Simply put, if a person isn't getting enough, they are dissatisfied, and they might end the relationship. I think the Avi Buffalo song is an anthem for social exchange theory. What do you think: Do people approach their relationships primarily with a mindset of "What's in it for me?"

Here's the video: