--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, turquoiseb <no_reply@...> wrote: > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Xenophaneros Anartaxius" <anartaxius@> > wrote: <snip> > > Oh, I am soooo not special. I flunked the test. Take pity > > upon my wretched mundane soul*. > > Don't be such a drama queen. No such putdown was ever > intended, nor do I think it even existed. Some hear > a rock song and it has no meaning or emotional loading > for them; some hear it and it clicks a circuit on in > their brains and unlocks a set of memories and emotions > for them. No harm, no foul either way IMO. I mean, there > are probably people on this forum who cannot comprehend > why I don't get all choked up and emotional and bhaktified > when I hear Paul McCartney's "Cosmically Conscious." They > can hear something special in the song, something that > makes it meaningful to them. I cannot. So even if the > putdown you imagined were true, in this case I'm the > person who is not "special." :-)
Um, no. With regard to "Cosmically Conscious," Barry is "special" because he *doesn't* like it. And not just because he doesn't find it "meaningful," but because he thinks it's a horrendously bad song and has made it crystal clear he believes anyone who disagrees has terrible taste. He uses the song as a counterexample in this post because he knows Xeno wasn't on FFL at the time he was busy making himself special for excoriating it and those who liked it (I don't recall anyone here who did, though, as it happens). Just for fun, let's recall what Barry said about the Stones' song: "Great video, Robert. One of my favorite Stones songs, and a lovely version of it. To some, it might remind them of various stages of the spiritual development process. Others may hear only a rock song." Note that he couldn't just say, "It reminds me of various stages of the spiritual development process." He had to contrast himself with those poor un-special people who are not so reminded. *Of course* it was a putdown. That's how Barry thinks, always in terms of comparing himself--his opinions, his behavior, his likes and dislikes--with others. It's simply not acceptable in his mind for him to be on the same level as everyone else. If he isn't special, he's nothing.
