I had a discussion with a friend today about the not-so-recent Twitter spat between Justin Bieber and The Black Keys drummer Patrick Carney. Admittedly, the "discussion" was largely one-sided and occurred quite soon after my remark "I've been listening to The Black Keys a lot lately" was met with absolutely zero recognition of band name or song sample. This feud, as it has been called, occurred almost entirely over social media and was even mentioned on serious news channels. Naturally, I have a gripe with the very principle of all this.
Firstly, the word "feud" has been degraded into a decrepit excuse for a playground tiff between childish twits who have nothing better to do with their lives than spur petty arguments. As with many formerly formal elements of our language, it has been taken to the gallows, stripped of all glory and basic decency, and hung until it has been deafened by the snap of it's own neck and has choked on it's own blood.
That said, some background is in order. For those of you who do not know the band I am referring to, The Black Keys formed in 2001 and gradually built underground fame until finally gaining mainstream popularity around three years ago, which was when the awards began to roll in. Their sound is modern day Beatles spiked with blues, but have a listen for yourself ("Little Black Submarines", another of my favourites, is also linked below). You all know the other guy, "baby, baby, baby" and all that. In any case, information about the "feud" can be found here or in any simple Google search. I apologise for what I just made you read...
My issue with this all comes in two forms. The first is the utter buffoonery that is today's entertainment-social media-journalism environment. That whole argument should never have even gone past the initial statement and it is a shame that adults, who should know better and set an example for those younger than themselves, can be such morons. Social media platforms have put publicity in the hands of those whose mouths should be forever encased in duct tape and have allowed them to vomit across the Twitterverse until there is nothing of substance left in sight. The media reeks of putrid, regurgitated nonsense and we cannot escape it. That is, unless we decide to live in trees or caves and away from mass media for the rest of our lives. Unfortunately, that's how you get declared clinically insane and dragged kicking and screaming back to this madhouse they call "culture".
My second issue is that respect is what matters. It doesn't matter that you got a Grammy the minute you were tossed into the limelight because you made teenage girls wet their pants when you flicked your hair. It also doesn't matter that this little upstart has offended you. Have some respect for people who have worked long and hard and it never gets old fashioned to have a little extra respect for people who are very clearly your seniors. This is not an isolated incident. It seems that the more modern we get, the less we need to have basic decency. It does not go out of style to treat people as if they are intelligent human beings until you discover otherwise. If it is that you do discover otherwise, have some pride in yourself and try to maintain some decorum.
All in all, what it boils down to is that we cannot escape mass media, no matter what sort of circus it becomes. People want drama, show business and people's business (preferably in combination). We may hear full details about the scarf a rock star wore after her terrible break-up following a story on the rift between Israel and Palestine, but that is how the cookie crumbles. The masses get what the masses want.
"Little Black Submarines"- The Black Keys
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