David attacks the Jimi Hendrix CD.
Friday afternoon, Caitlin Boylan approached me and told me that I should update my live journal, because she is bored in whichever class of hers she checks live journals in. So, after going through a fairly pleasant, but at times confusing weekend, I have a subject that I feel needs to be addressed by me to my entire live journal-reading public. And that subject is the Jimi Hendrix CD.
Now, because I have a penis, I am actually suppose to know very little about the Jimi Hendrix CD. If you know nothing about it, I suggest you ask Gwen Purdom to explain it to you, because to my knowledge, she is one of its creators. And Gwen, if you read this, I am sorry, but I find it very necessary for me to point out everything that I hate about your creation.
I realize that the whole concept of the CD was created as a means of talking about things in public that you otherwise would be afraid of talking about where someone might overhear you and be scandalized. However, I believe its existence does much more to represent unhealthy attitudes not only in the social situation at West, but in the whole teenage population of America. Which is why I want the people reading this who use the Jimi Hendrix CD to realize that I am attacking attitudes that are characteristic of teenagers across America; I am not attacking you directly. I know that you tell yourself that the CD is kind of a joke, and that you use it to make your conversations more interesting in the otherwise boring town of Glen Ellyn, but being the nerdy thinker that I am, I sort of hope that you could try to identify the more negative implications of the CD after reading this entry.
First of all, I think that some girls who talk about the Jimi Hendrix CD are doing so simply so they can find amusement in the frustrated faces of guys who just want to know what the tracks mean, such as Tim Anderson. Also, I think that there is something to be said about the entire system where girls feel it is necessary to talk about these things in public. These are essentially my areas of support for my thesis: The Jimi Hendrix CD is exclusive and alienating, and contributes to sick perspectives on adolescent relationships.
When I say that the Jimi Hendrix CD is exclusive, I want you to be very clear about what I mean. I know that guys are not suppose to know what any of the tracks represent, but I believe that this is done more as a way of excluding boys, than it is as a way of including girls. I also know that it is pointless for me to try to find out what the tracks mean because all of the girls who know what they mean are so terrified of being ostracized from by the popular clique of girls that they will not give up the information. I know, everyone was able to laugh at Tim Anderson's antics as he tried to trick one of the girls into telling him, but at what point does that exclusion become not funny? Being exclusive about your social interaction invariably ends up hurting someone, and as innocent as this seems, why create situations where people can get hurt over something of not that much consequence?
I believe that exclusion naturally leads to alienation. A perfect example of alienation is the reactions of people who are reading this without knowing what the hell the Jimi Hendrix CD is. I personally hate hearing about something that I know nothing about. (This is why I try to stay informed on everything, and when I'm not, I pretend that I am.) If you don't know about something, it is often a simple matter to just ask about it, and someone will tell you. When you are flat out told that you are not allowed to know something, as guys are with the CD, it hurts. Everyone knows this, because everyone has been rejected from something, and even if you pretend it doesn't hurt, you know, it does. Everywhere I look, I either see alienation or a fear of alienation. High school has become jam-packed with reasons for teenagers to feel un-included. Some might say that guys shouldn't feel alienated because no guys know about the tracks (except for Tim Reber, but he appears to be an exception), but even if you aren't exclusive about who you exclude, you're still being exclusive, and we guys still feel alienated.
Earlier, I said that the Jimi Hendrix CD is something of not that much consequence. Let me clarify. The Jimi Hendrix CD is frivolous and unnecessary, but it concerns something that is of the utmost importance to high schoolers today. It is in high school that nearly everyone builds their base for what they think relationships are. I sincerely believe that learning about relationships is way more important than anything I am learning in school right now. (This is how I justify blowing off my homework to talk to Clare.) And physical interactions are a very real part of teenage relationships. Now, don't get me wrong, making out with girls is awesome. It's fun, and I like doing it. I'm also not saying that physical relationships should only follow emotional relationships. As whatshisface said in Wet Hot American Summer, "Sluts rock." But I do believe that it is up to everyone to determine how they want to handle their own physical relationships, and the Jimi Hendrix CD contributes to the characteristic confusion surrounding teenagers' sex lives.
I do not understand the need some girls feel about what tracks they have listened to. Maybe I just adhere to an old fashion train of thought when I think that physical relationships should only be discussed with that person and possibly close friends who you know will keep your secret. I'm not saying that everyone needs to have that opinion. I try to be respectful of the fact that other people have very different values than me, and that is what I believe is flawed in the Jimi Hendrix CD. It is inherently disrespectful of other people's values.
The CD forces others to adhere to the same progression of tracks, if not by their own actions, by their words and thoughts. I've heard that "there are no bonus tracks, or any bonus track is a remix." I cannot disprove this with examples, but I cannot accept that twelve tracks is able to take into account every fetish there is. And if there is an obscure fetish that goes unrepresented, a person with that fetish will feel alienated, or people could feel discouraged from pursuing perfectly legitimate forms of sexual expression. Even if I am wrong and all fetishes can be represented by twelve tracks, or even if my whole perspective is entirely wrong and fetishes aren't even an issue, I feel that a progression by numbers is an incorrect view of physical interactions and sex. I have always loved to think of sex as its own art form, and I hate the idea that art is totally quantifiable. I also hate the idea that art must conform to a rigid preconceived structure. And once again, not everyone needs to have this view, but I believe that the Jimi Hendrix CD is not compatible with and possibly disrespectful of people who have this view.
I think that the problem of being respectful of other people's views on sex has produced yet another problem, the taboo on sex. It is impossible to deny that there is a taboo, in some situations it is ignored, but it is there. The issue then becomes how you deal with it. There are some people who stick to the taboo in almost every situation. This sometimes feel weird to me, but once again, I believe that one should be respectful of that. There are others who completely ignore the taboo, and I am respectful of people who are able to say what they think in front of anybody. I personally, try to gauge how offended the people I am with will be by sex talk, and talk about it accordingly. And then, I try to speak openly in general terms, being specific about what I mean, and trying to respect the privacy of girls I have been with. The problem I see with the Jimi Hendrix CD is that the people who talk about it are simultaneously trying to respect and ignore the taboo. I suspect that girls who talk about it, do so even when there are no guys or adults around. I think this suggests that the CD goes beyond being a way of not letting other people know what you are talking about, and it becomes a way of letting girls talk within their comfort level concerning the taboo, while telling themselves that they are ignoring the taboo. I think that people should learn to talk comfortably about things in plain English before they need a code.
Now that I have bashed the Jimi Hendrix CD from almost every angle I can think of, it is logical that you should ask what I would like to see happen to it. My real hope for this essay is that people will consider my opinion closely, and either agree with me on any or all of my points, or refute my opinion with their own arguments. I see five options for girls who know about the CD, to ignore my arguments and continue using the CD, to agree with some of my arguments and only use the CD at certain times, to agree with some of my arguments and continue using the CD while letting guys learn the tracks, to agree with some of my arguments and stop using the CD without letting any guys learn the tracks, or agree with all my arguments and actively destroy the CD by letting guys know about the tracks and encouraging no one to use it. I suppose that it is also my duty to inform you that in this case, I will simply stick to being a man of words. I hope that people are able to evaluate the CD for themselves, but when I consider my own situation, I am not willing to do anything more than simply inform the world about how I feel, and leave any action up to anyone who feels even more strongly than I do. I'm not going to pretend to be on some moralistic campaign when I am not, and I am not accusing everyone who uses the CD of being a bad person, on the contrary, I think there are some awesome people who talk about the CD. I am just trying to get people to consider all of the implications of their words and actions.
Now, because I have a penis, I am actually suppose to know very little about the Jimi Hendrix CD. If you know nothing about it, I suggest you ask Gwen Purdom to explain it to you, because to my knowledge, she is one of its creators. And Gwen, if you read this, I am sorry, but I find it very necessary for me to point out everything that I hate about your creation.
I realize that the whole concept of the CD was created as a means of talking about things in public that you otherwise would be afraid of talking about where someone might overhear you and be scandalized. However, I believe its existence does much more to represent unhealthy attitudes not only in the social situation at West, but in the whole teenage population of America. Which is why I want the people reading this who use the Jimi Hendrix CD to realize that I am attacking attitudes that are characteristic of teenagers across America; I am not attacking you directly. I know that you tell yourself that the CD is kind of a joke, and that you use it to make your conversations more interesting in the otherwise boring town of Glen Ellyn, but being the nerdy thinker that I am, I sort of hope that you could try to identify the more negative implications of the CD after reading this entry.
First of all, I think that some girls who talk about the Jimi Hendrix CD are doing so simply so they can find amusement in the frustrated faces of guys who just want to know what the tracks mean, such as Tim Anderson. Also, I think that there is something to be said about the entire system where girls feel it is necessary to talk about these things in public. These are essentially my areas of support for my thesis: The Jimi Hendrix CD is exclusive and alienating, and contributes to sick perspectives on adolescent relationships.
When I say that the Jimi Hendrix CD is exclusive, I want you to be very clear about what I mean. I know that guys are not suppose to know what any of the tracks represent, but I believe that this is done more as a way of excluding boys, than it is as a way of including girls. I also know that it is pointless for me to try to find out what the tracks mean because all of the girls who know what they mean are so terrified of being ostracized from by the popular clique of girls that they will not give up the information. I know, everyone was able to laugh at Tim Anderson's antics as he tried to trick one of the girls into telling him, but at what point does that exclusion become not funny? Being exclusive about your social interaction invariably ends up hurting someone, and as innocent as this seems, why create situations where people can get hurt over something of not that much consequence?
I believe that exclusion naturally leads to alienation. A perfect example of alienation is the reactions of people who are reading this without knowing what the hell the Jimi Hendrix CD is. I personally hate hearing about something that I know nothing about. (This is why I try to stay informed on everything, and when I'm not, I pretend that I am.) If you don't know about something, it is often a simple matter to just ask about it, and someone will tell you. When you are flat out told that you are not allowed to know something, as guys are with the CD, it hurts. Everyone knows this, because everyone has been rejected from something, and even if you pretend it doesn't hurt, you know, it does. Everywhere I look, I either see alienation or a fear of alienation. High school has become jam-packed with reasons for teenagers to feel un-included. Some might say that guys shouldn't feel alienated because no guys know about the tracks (except for Tim Reber, but he appears to be an exception), but even if you aren't exclusive about who you exclude, you're still being exclusive, and we guys still feel alienated.
Earlier, I said that the Jimi Hendrix CD is something of not that much consequence. Let me clarify. The Jimi Hendrix CD is frivolous and unnecessary, but it concerns something that is of the utmost importance to high schoolers today. It is in high school that nearly everyone builds their base for what they think relationships are. I sincerely believe that learning about relationships is way more important than anything I am learning in school right now. (This is how I justify blowing off my homework to talk to Clare.) And physical interactions are a very real part of teenage relationships. Now, don't get me wrong, making out with girls is awesome. It's fun, and I like doing it. I'm also not saying that physical relationships should only follow emotional relationships. As whatshisface said in Wet Hot American Summer, "Sluts rock." But I do believe that it is up to everyone to determine how they want to handle their own physical relationships, and the Jimi Hendrix CD contributes to the characteristic confusion surrounding teenagers' sex lives.
I do not understand the need some girls feel about what tracks they have listened to. Maybe I just adhere to an old fashion train of thought when I think that physical relationships should only be discussed with that person and possibly close friends who you know will keep your secret. I'm not saying that everyone needs to have that opinion. I try to be respectful of the fact that other people have very different values than me, and that is what I believe is flawed in the Jimi Hendrix CD. It is inherently disrespectful of other people's values.
The CD forces others to adhere to the same progression of tracks, if not by their own actions, by their words and thoughts. I've heard that "there are no bonus tracks, or any bonus track is a remix." I cannot disprove this with examples, but I cannot accept that twelve tracks is able to take into account every fetish there is. And if there is an obscure fetish that goes unrepresented, a person with that fetish will feel alienated, or people could feel discouraged from pursuing perfectly legitimate forms of sexual expression. Even if I am wrong and all fetishes can be represented by twelve tracks, or even if my whole perspective is entirely wrong and fetishes aren't even an issue, I feel that a progression by numbers is an incorrect view of physical interactions and sex. I have always loved to think of sex as its own art form, and I hate the idea that art is totally quantifiable. I also hate the idea that art must conform to a rigid preconceived structure. And once again, not everyone needs to have this view, but I believe that the Jimi Hendrix CD is not compatible with and possibly disrespectful of people who have this view.
I think that the problem of being respectful of other people's views on sex has produced yet another problem, the taboo on sex. It is impossible to deny that there is a taboo, in some situations it is ignored, but it is there. The issue then becomes how you deal with it. There are some people who stick to the taboo in almost every situation. This sometimes feel weird to me, but once again, I believe that one should be respectful of that. There are others who completely ignore the taboo, and I am respectful of people who are able to say what they think in front of anybody. I personally, try to gauge how offended the people I am with will be by sex talk, and talk about it accordingly. And then, I try to speak openly in general terms, being specific about what I mean, and trying to respect the privacy of girls I have been with. The problem I see with the Jimi Hendrix CD is that the people who talk about it are simultaneously trying to respect and ignore the taboo. I suspect that girls who talk about it, do so even when there are no guys or adults around. I think this suggests that the CD goes beyond being a way of not letting other people know what you are talking about, and it becomes a way of letting girls talk within their comfort level concerning the taboo, while telling themselves that they are ignoring the taboo. I think that people should learn to talk comfortably about things in plain English before they need a code.
Now that I have bashed the Jimi Hendrix CD from almost every angle I can think of, it is logical that you should ask what I would like to see happen to it. My real hope for this essay is that people will consider my opinion closely, and either agree with me on any or all of my points, or refute my opinion with their own arguments. I see five options for girls who know about the CD, to ignore my arguments and continue using the CD, to agree with some of my arguments and only use the CD at certain times, to agree with some of my arguments and continue using the CD while letting guys learn the tracks, to agree with some of my arguments and stop using the CD without letting any guys learn the tracks, or agree with all my arguments and actively destroy the CD by letting guys know about the tracks and encouraging no one to use it. I suppose that it is also my duty to inform you that in this case, I will simply stick to being a man of words. I hope that people are able to evaluate the CD for themselves, but when I consider my own situation, I am not willing to do anything more than simply inform the world about how I feel, and leave any action up to anyone who feels even more strongly than I do. I'm not going to pretend to be on some moralistic campaign when I am not, and I am not accusing everyone who uses the CD of being a bad person, on the contrary, I think there are some awesome people who talk about the CD. I am just trying to get people to consider all of the implications of their words and actions.