Pleasure
Katy Perry, "I Kissed a Girl", Pop, 2008
Boys II Men, "I'll Make Love to You", R&B, 1994
Guns N' Roses, "Paradise City", Rock, 1987
Barry Louis Polisar, "All I Want is You", Folk, 1977
Ghetto Boys, "D*mn, it Feels Good to be a Gangsta", Rap, 1992
Community Service
The Beatles, "Help!", Rock, 1965
Michael Jackson, "Man in the Mirror", Pop, 1988
Dave Matthews Band, "You Might Die Tryin", Alternative, 2005
Jewel, "Hands", Folk/Rock, 1998
Black Eyed Peas, "Where is the Love", Hip Hop, 2003
The songs above are examples of popular music that reflect the Hindu aims of pleasure and community service. The aim of pleasure was extremely easy to connect with popular music as the ideas of love and partying dominate our popular culture. The aim of community service was not as prevalent, but not lacking. However, pleasure will always beat out community service simply because community service just isn’t as glamorous as pleasure. Our society puts emphasis on beauty, love, money, and happiness. Musicians know this, and they create music that will sell. On a Friday night, people want to dance to party music, not feel guilty for not donating money to Haiti.
I did notice a trend in songs dedicated to helping people. It’s almost as if it’s a popular subculture for musicians to better their career by releasing a song about an impoverished country. I’m not saying that every ‘heal the world’ song is fake, but that the possibility of a morale boost to an artists’ credibility shouldn’t be overlooked. I used a song by the Black Eyed Peas, who are a great example of this somewhat hypocritical idea. They release the song “Where is the Love”, about helping the world, but then release the song “My Humps”, about being given ridiculously expensive, designer label ‘things’, for simply looking extra fly. If they were as concerned for the less fortunate, or “practiced what they preached’ in “Where is the Love”, they wouldn’t be dumping their money into driving pimped out rides and wearing the latest from Versace. They’re not alone though. Most people, including myself, are like this to some extent. Yeah, community service is great, but it’s never going to be as great as falling in love and owning that sick ride you’ve always wanted.
The Hindu aims are different from the ideas expressed in popular music in a few ways. For pleasure, American culture typically does not follow the key Hindu aspect of moderation. In most cases, music today emphasizes over-indulgence. You hear songs all the time about getting fully intoxicated, like a G6. (i.e.: “when we drink, we do it right, gettin’ slizzard”. ) We differ in the aim of community service as well, only not in a bad way. In Hinduism, there are lists of things you can do based on your class or status. However, in western culture, there’s no suggestion, limit, minimum or forced amount of community service one can do. Anyone is free to do or give, or abstain from, anything they want in the realm of helping others.
You make a good point on our ability in Western culture to help others with no restrictions based on class. This is the first positive analysis that I've seen of the Hindu v. American understanding of the community service aspect, and it's an interesting argument. It's just disappointing that although we do have so much power and potential to help others, we do not always use it in the way that we could. I also agree with you on the hypocrisy of music about community service. But then again, if there was a musical group devoted only to making songs about helping others, we probably wouldn't know about them. Maybe then it's necessary for bands to make songs like that, to get themselves into the public eye and spread their message.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about the community service to an extent. I feel like in the traditional Hinduism that we learn about in class there are a "list" of things you can do and cannot do for the community. But I come from a family of Hindus that range from the two totally different sides of what economic group they belong to and I don't really see that distinction between what the two do in terms of public service (besides the simple fact about how much money they can afford to give).
ReplyDeleteYou made a very good point by comparing two popular songs by the Black Eyed Peas. If I had read the lyrics to each song without hearing them sung, I would NEVER assume they were by the same artist. They play pop music and sing about sex and love for a reason-that's what the listeners want to hear. That's why it's ironic they came out with "Where Is The Love?", a song concerned about the world and making it a better place.
ReplyDeleteI noticed that most of the songs that you chose for community service were older music, not really contemporary. I also had difficulty finding contemporary music that addressed this aim, and it's probably because, as you say, community service just isn't as glamorous as indulging in the pursuit of pleasure. I also thought you made a really interesting point regarding the two different songs by the Black Eyed Peas. They seem really hypocritical, and I feel as though they just came out with the song "Where is the Love" to maybe improve their own self-image, and act as though they are charitable and kind-hearted, even though most of their other songs tell us otherwise. Overall, I really liked your post because it pointed out some of the hypocrisy of the modern day music world.
ReplyDeleteYou made a very good point with " Yeah, community service is great, but it’s never going to be as great as falling in love and owning that sick ride you’ve always wanted." People tend to care more about their needs and wants and while helping others can bring satisfaction, there will always be people who would rather be relaxing or living lavishly than out working hard to benefit others. Even those who do do volunteer or charity work, still have have that selfish side to them and they realize that.
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