Weekly Essay Day

[flipped]

A friend of mine on LJ was talking about how it's sometimes hard to make more personal opinionated posts without having to worry about offending someone. It seems that she has a bunch of backed up things she wants to talk about but feels she can't. My feeling on that is you should start a club. Whenever you feel alone, or isolated, or

Comments

[bery]

Hmm, even with that post, your lj still only scored at a Grade 5 level. Odd.

[flipped]

I'm a high school drop out. Cut me some slack. ;)

Plus, your mom thought I was a lot older (I think that's about 6th grade humor).

[zanzara]

Now just clarify for me: Are we starting a community for this idea (which is a very good one), or just adding a certain friend's filter...

I mean I don't think I know this other friends, and I'd like to all be tuned in to the same topic...

You may have explained, but I am slo sometimes.

Oh, and I want to start an LJ community just about Flipped and Women.

[bienvenida]

I think we take turns picking a topic, and then flipped puts it in his journal for everyone to attack/shred/whatever...

I think. I'm not sure on that part.

[flipped]

You know Bien. :)

I kind of like the idea of putting it in your own journal though instead of a community. It has more a grass roots feel to it, and importantly there is a feeling of your essay being your own more that way. Plus, I have a difficult time thinking of a second post for a day if I want to keep my own journal up. ;)

As far as picking topics, we were going to take turns. That way everyone's pus gets addressed. I don't know how to handle that. Maybe a community for just picking the topics. Whoever's turn it is can notify us through that?

There will be no community creation titled Flipped and Women! You guys had your fun with the Try To Imagine What Flipped Looks Like Game.

[bienvenida]

I am the worst for not knowing the name of artists, yet probably the guiltiest of being affected by music. Maybe one day I should learn the names of those able to make me laugh and cry just by the notes they play

[flipped]

Music, I think, is just another way to communicate. It's the same kind of thing as reading a poem or a book or listening to someone talk. Either that sinks in and you get it, or you don't. Why do poems move us? Because it can communicate something eloquently and succinctly and deeply that we maybe want to hear

[bienvenida]

Why do poems move us?

The thing is, words don't affect me at all. Just the actual music, and it is a very strong effect. The words to a song are just there to sing along with, but it is the music that grabs me. Maybe thats why I never pay attention to the artist... I just don't care... and the poor sap that wrote the actual melody is usually someone else.

[anevilyak]

It's about the same here actually...the music itself tends to have more effect on me than lyrics ever do. Heck, half the CDs I own have no lyrics. I dunno.

[zanzara]

I believe that music bypasses the cerebral cortext, the "thinking" part of the brain, and activates other parts of the brain that control various mood states

[flipped]

We do seem to associate songs with memories too. Things that we haven't heard in a while and dusted off from the collection can bring quite a bit back.

I think what some of Bien is wondering is why certain sounds affect us that way. Why do we call hard harsh sounds hard and harsh and soothing gentle sounds just that? Why isn't it reversed. Maybe it kind of stems all from what our voices can do. We view a loudness as a sort of threat and a softness as a kind of welcoming.

All of this is really interesting though! Thank you. :)

And I vote for next weeks essay to be "The Reasons Why We Are So Screwed Up." That should generate some good offensive pus. ;)

[zanzara]

The response to sounds is hard wired in the primitive parts of the brain.

We naturally speak softly to infants, "coo" at them and such, and they naturally respond to that cuz they are "wired" to.

Loud, harsh voices make them cry.

That stays pretty similar for all of us as we develop.

Although during adolesence, the natural rage they feel is vented through the loud angry stuff (which some of never quite outgrow...).

[pggmilltn]

What if the guy likes a lot of different kinds of music?

[flipped]

I think anyone whose like of music has survived past the teen years does indeed like a lot different kinds. The taste has expanded and grown. It's good. :)