1. Born Ruffians, "Hedonistic Me", Alternative, 2006
2. Devendra Banhart, "Can't Help But Smiling", Folk, 2009
3. Stornoway, "I Saw You Blink", Alternative, 2010
4. Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, "Somewhere Over the Rainbow", Pop, 2010
5. Vetiver, "Rolling Sea", Indie, 2009
Community Service:
1. Bob Dylan, "Gotta Serve Somebody", Folk, 1979
2. Bob Marley, "One Love", Reggae, 1995
3. Otis Redding, "Chain Gang", Soul, 1966
4 Band Aid, "Feed the World", New Age, 1984
5. The Scorpions, "Wind of Change", Rock, 1990
My Thoughts:
The aim of pleasure was addressed significantly more than the aim of community service. This didn’t really surprise me at all, in fact it was what I expected. I don’t mean to sound cynical, but honestly, I think there are far more hedonistic people than selfless people in American society. The focus of the entertainment is on what sells, and songs about seeking and obtaining pleasure are much more marketable than songs about bettering the community. Back in the 1960s, there was a cultural shift toward community service and peace, and as a result, folk music became especially popular, but since then the popularity of those songs and subjects has waned. Even before the 1960s, majority of popular music in America was dedicated to love and romance. Currently, love still remains a popular subject in American music, but it now shares the spotlight with songs about sex, drugs, money, and leading a grossly decadent life. This shows that even the scope of “pleasure” itself changes throughout time and is certainly not in accordance with the Hindu aim. The Hindus did not disvalue sex or love by any means, but it had a different emphasis. Sex and love were meant to go together and sex was more than just an act of pleasure. It was something spiritual, physical, mental, and emotional.
To be honest, it is a lot easier to live your life for your own self. Meaning, seeking personal pleasure is an easy and attainable goal. Dedicating yourself to serving others, the community, the environment, etc., takes time and sacrifice. Pleasure is a lot harder to achieve through indirect means. Serving others can be downright not pleasurable at times and very exhausting, making it a less appealing choice for many Americans. America has an individualistic culture and while that has many benefits for business and personal well-being, it can also carry the consequence of selfishness. I do not mean to say that seeking pleasure or enjoying yourself is a bad thing or makes you a selfish person. I don’t think it does. However, I do think that always seeking excessive pleasure can put the individual and the greater community at risk. The job of the entertainment industry is just that, entertainment, and so it will always promote what is pleasurable, enjoyable, and entertaining. People themselves have to find a balance between their own happiness and that of other people in the community.
You selected some songs related to pleasure that I would have never even thought about, but they make sense after listening to them. I specifically like your point about how the entrainment industry is going to focus on what sells, and that is sex, drugs, and alcohol. Not trying to help someone in need. Good job!
ReplyDeleteThanks Joe :) I wanted to pick songs that I listen to that have an emphasis on a less carnal form of pleasure, because it seemed more challenging and also less likely to be duplicated haha
ReplyDeleteI liked how you referenced the 1960's in your post and compared pop-culture from then to now. I actually noticed after reading your post that your song choices reflect that. The release dates of your pleasure songs range from 2006-2010, whereas your community service songs range from 1996-1995. That right there proves your point!
ReplyDeleteI like that you included Bob Dylan in your list of songs for community service. He is one of very few artists who became famous for singing about changing the world, instead of sex. You see popular artists today, with all their bling, singing about Haiti, and it's hard to believe they are sincere. Bob Dylan made a career out of calling attention to the world, and I think he sets a good example in our culture.
ReplyDeleteGlad to see that someone finally answered the question of WHY we prefer to listen to songs about pleasure. Yes... obviously that is what most people like to listen too. I like how you thought more in depth about the question and commented on the difficulty of achieving the third aim in Hinduism. Nice post! :)
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with Kelly Lewis about Bob Dylan being part of the community service aim absolutely. So many of his songs were about change in society. Also, you made some really relevant points in your blog about pleasure and how it's very easy to live for yourself. I really liked the point that you made that its harder to dedicate yourself to serving that just serving yourself. Good songs!!
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