Stop overstimulating your mind with digital entertainment • Hacker News Board

Re: Stop overstimulating your mind with digital entertainment

#81

Post by kazinator » Wed, Jun 02, 2021, 5:44 PM UTC

Jtsummers wrote: post #72

maininformer wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because non-white people do not have classical music? I agree with the parent, you see racism where it doesn't exist. Why would your mind go to only "white" classical music? PS I'm Iranian-Armenian; both have rich "classical" music history. I have myself enjoyed Celtic, Chinese and Japanese folk music. Music and rhythm is so ingrained in us that I don't need to do research to know all other nations had music in all e…

The blogger uses Big-C Classical Big-M Music, which almost always means European classical music, pre-1900 [0]. You won't find many non-white composers in that particular group. Capitalization matters, it creates a proper name out of something whether we agree on that name's appropriateness or not (Classical Music being so narrowly defined could be considered a misnomer, as you've pointed out there's a lot more class…

Classical music doesn't need a big C or M. Simply the lack of additional qualification in "classical music" informs us that it's the historic western practice. Other classical musics are identified as such, e.g. "Indian classical music". Or else a context is established where that qualifier is understood, and then "classical music" refers to "Indian classical music".

Re: Stop overstimulating your mind with digital entertainment

#82

Post by munk-a » Wed, Jun 02, 2021, 5:44 PM UTC

RootReducer wrote: post #8

This is ridiculously preachy. I do think the overall thesis is correct, in that boredom can be a powerful force for creativity and inspiration, but paragraphs like this make the article completely off-putting: "If you want to let music inspire you and enjoy its real beauty, I have few very simple rules: Classical Music and no “skipping”. Then I will trust my appetite." I do like sitting down and actually focusing on…

Honestly - trying to finely curate the art that we consume is pretty far in the direction of Brave New World to begin with. Art comes in many forms and the classification of it will vary wildly from person to person.

Re: Stop overstimulating your mind with digital entertainment

#83

Post by mixmastamyk » Wed, Jun 02, 2021, 5:46 PM UTC

awillen wrote: post #14

There's just so much of this that is the author insisting that his preferences are right and anyone else is wrong. "Modern music is like junk food." There's amazing modern music, and total crap. Labeling the millions of hours of modern music as all bad is at best lazy, and at worst has undertones of racism (the only good music is that produced by dead white guys). "Let me tell you: regulating your emotions with an ex…

Middle-brow dismissal. It is often mentioned in the guidelines here that we should respond to the best interpretation of a post, rather than the worst.

I understand it is not post of the year, but a bit of reading between the lines needs to be done. What is this person trying to tell us? Rather than rushing to find flaws (and perceived flaws) as quickly as possible.

Re: Stop overstimulating your mind with digital entertainment

#84

Post by mixmastamyk » Wed, Jun 02, 2021, 5:47 PM UTC

rchaud wrote: post #77

blacktriangle wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You do realize that lots of popular old music was written by all races? Stop trying to see racism everywhere where where there is none, it'll do wonders for your blood pressure.

Nat King Cole, Duke Ellington and Chuck Berry among others made old popular music. I'm not seeing any of their names here. The author restricts it to just "classical music".

Omission is not restriction. Specifically the author is directing the reader to instrumentals, so none of those distractingly awesome folks would apply.

Re: Stop overstimulating your mind with digital entertainment

#85

Post by munk-a » Wed, Jun 02, 2021, 5:47 PM UTC

luffapi wrote: post #59

elevaet wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not a fan of Metallica's aesthetic (or metal in general), but honestly when I listen to those guys' music I hear genius.

Try Megadeth or Pantera, they are even more musically interesting.

Or Tool if you've never listened. Tool paints an absolutely beautiful soundscape.

Re: Stop overstimulating your mind with digital entertainment

#86

Post by Apocryphon » Wed, Jun 02, 2021, 5:47 PM UTC

34679 wrote: post #56

awillen wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I exercise for my blood pressure (you might've caught that in the comment you were responding to), but thanks for the suggestion! He specifically says classical music is the only acceptable kind, and the vast majority of the history of classical music was devoid of non-white people. You should read the things you're responding to a little better - it'll do wonders for your comprehension.

I notice you don't decry the lack of female representation in classical music. Is that because you're sexist?

There isn't a lack of female representation in classical music. There were fewer composers or performers before modern times, but hardly unknown.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_female_composers_by_bi...

https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/page/1900

https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/latest/great-women-...

Re: Stop overstimulating your mind with digital entertainment

#87

Post by rchaud » Wed, Jun 02, 2021, 5:50 PM UTC

Bancakes wrote: post #61

smoldesu wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I mean, you're not wrong, but you're also pretty damn far from the truth. Any way you slice it, the music industry of yore was affected by the same latent racism that plagued everything, and it's no surprise that white musicians account for a disproportionate amount of music published before the civil rights movement.

How is it about white people when if you want to listen to the best 90s rap songs, it's about hood bruthas killing cops, pushing dope, selling firearms, and riding nice cars?

Because hiphop spans multiple decades, and what's popular in one era may not be in the next. The best HH in the '80s was Run DMC, Public Enemy and others. Their music wasn't about hood despair because the CIA-driven crack epidemic in black neighborhoods hadn't taken root yet.

There's also plenty of '90s rap that isn't NWA, 2Pac, Mobb Deep or Biggie. Those were just the most controversial acts, so they got outsized media attention, which led to big sales and the creation of numerous imitators treading the same tired lyrical concepts.

That too changed in the 2000s as hip hop was fully mainstream, so the biggest artists made party music instead of gangster rap.

Re: Stop overstimulating your mind with digital entertainment

#88

Post by Apocryphon » Wed, Jun 02, 2021, 5:50 PM UTC

Bancakes wrote: post #61

smoldesu wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I mean, you're not wrong, but you're also pretty damn far from the truth. Any way you slice it, the music industry of yore was affected by the same latent racism that plagued everything, and it's no surprise that white musicians account for a disproportionate amount of music published before the civil rights movement.

How is it about white people when if you want to listen to the best 90s rap songs, it's about hood bruthas killing cops, pushing dope, selling firearms, and riding nice cars?

Not only is this an inflammatory non sequitur, it's also demonstrably wrong; the '90s were a time of innovation into all sorts of genres within hip-hop, gangsta rap being only one of them.

Re: Stop overstimulating your mind with digital entertainment

#89

Post by rchaud » Wed, Jun 02, 2021, 5:51 PM UTC

abxytg wrote: post #24

> I observe many people, interestingly the majority of it are girls, that seem to never stop messaging with their boyfriend, their friends, their mother,… It was just the same old "I wish I was deep" stoic drivel till here and it's clear this was probably written by a 17 year old.

I thought the same thing. The article seems written by a young man trying hard to deliver the cadence of an old man.

Re: Stop overstimulating your mind with digital entertainment

#90

Post by rchaud » Wed, Jun 02, 2021, 5:52 PM UTC

mahathu wrote: post #58

>Spotify and its fellows allow us to constantly switching [sic] track [sic], always trying to hit the next “high”. Have you ever noticed that after while no music satisfies you? No? The author sounds like such a condescending, self-congratulatory and ill-informed asshole. I don't understand how this is upvoted here at all.

It's very Jordan Peterson-y in its prescriptiveness; he definitely has his fans on HN.