April 25, 2009
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Speaking My Mind About This and That
So I share my opinion on various message boards, and my goal, really, is to explain myself. I had a discussion with my husband about what I want when I have these arguments or debates, and I realize that even though it would be great if I could make someone change a viewpoint, really, I just want understanding. So I post these very long responses on a thread, and the person either argues with me, or ignores me and restates their point. When their response comes immediately after a very long post of mine, and they are clearly ignoring me, I always feel a little annoyed. Like why can’t someone say, “I see what you are saying, but I disagree.”
In any event, here is what I said about Susan Boyle. I’ve said it to my husband in a variety of ways, and he’s tired of hearing it. Someone posted about Why Susan Boyle brings us to tears, and mentioned the media cynics who just don’t get it.
I have to admit that I’m in the camp that doesn’t get it. She has a lovely voice, don’t get me wrong, but there is nothing surprising about her having a lovely voice. There is nothing about how she looks that would make you think otherwise. I know many people who sing really well who look a lot like her. I know people who sing professionally on a local level. They sing in various groups in the area or may get paid to sing at various functions in the community. They may teach voice lessons at the university, they might wow people on the stage in a local musical production. They might sing in light opera compaies, or they may blow your socks off in a karaoke contest or an open mic night. There are lots of ways to be a really good amateur, there are lots of ways to be a professional musician also; it’s not all about being a pop star. We already know, or should know, that pop singers aren’t necessarily very good singers. It’s not about the voice or even how technically good they are, a lot of it is about the whole package of youth and fitting the current social trends of beauty. I’m not sure why we equate how great a singer someone is with the money and fame they may achieve because of it.
So it bothers me because the whole thing is very fake, the goofball hosts of the show monkeying around off the stage with this “ha, we skunked ya, didn’t we” attitude, judges caught with the deer in the headlights look, the audience coached to act a certain way. All because it supposedly makes good tv, which is why the producers do the same kind of leading on shows like American Idol or America’s Got Talent, but to me it’s too unbelievable. OK, so it is tv, it’s a talent show, so we aren’t expecting professionals, but still, it’s a huge televised thing and you’d expect them to actually put people on who will be entertaining and decent at what they do. Maybe not as good as she turned out to be, but still good. Where would you find a panel of supposedly professional judges, supposedly with musical ability, who would sit there, mouths gaping open, basically with this “oh, I thought you were going to suck” kind of expression. It’s just baloney, it feels like a straw man situation.
Also, I felt like in the clip I saw, she came away reasonably well. Yes, perhaps she was a little socially awkward, but she seemed fairly typical, no more odd than I am. She spoke clearly, smiled, shook her hips and seemed fairly confident. I honestly believe that if a thin, young attractive woman had done that, it would have been construed entirely differently. But because she looks the way she does, her actions are suspect and used as proof of her social ineptness.
Finally, the comment that we can’t judge a book by its cover really bothers me. It’s upsetting that people see value in her now because it turns out she has a gift. What if she had been a lousy singer, or just mediocre? People have all sorts of different gifts and abilities, and we can hone our skills and work at it, but really, the core of talent is innate. It’s kind of like beauty, all the surgery or make up in the world can’t change your facial structure to a degree people suddenly find beautiful. She is a worthwhile person in spite of her appearance, she’s a worthwhile person in spite of her intelligence, and she’s a worthwhile person in spite of her singing ability.
