Range_This11

Recently (as in this morning) I heard a bit on public radio about an increase in narcissistic lyrics over the last thirty years or so. Essentially, the researchers have concluded that lyrics are now focused more on "me, I, my, mine, etc." whereas during previous decades, there was less focus on the self and more on a communal "we, us, etc." Here is a link to a conversation with the head of the research team, Dr. Jean Twenge, Tom Moon, and Minnesota Public Radio's Midmorning host Kerri Miller. [spoiler=And Here's the Other Side] Source The New York Times, NPR and others have been hyping psychologist Nathan DeWall's recent claim -- based on extensive computer analysis of pop song lyrics from 1980 to 2007 -- that there is "a statistically significant trend toward narcissism and hostility in popular music." Because "the words 'I' and 'me' appear more frequently along with anger-related words, than 'we' and 'us' and the expression of positive emotions," DeWall further argues, contemporary youth must be more self-obsessed than those in previous generations. Do "late adolescents and college students love themselves more today than ever before," as Dr. DeWall concludes? I don't know. Neither does DeWall or his computer. Common sense dictates that using song lyrics to prove almost anything -- stripped of the irony, humor and ambiguity that so often inform those lyrics -- is inherently bogus. To compare the words used in certain '80s hits with those of contemporary charters to support yet another iteration of the "nothin's no good no more" trope is a stretch that would be laughable if it weren't taken so seriously. Specifically, DeWall's article in the journal Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts points to Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder's "Ebony and Ivory" and Diana Ross and Lionel Richie's "My Endless Love" ("two hearts that beat as one") as exemplars of the "happy togetherness" of the '80s. They then compare these lame tunes favorably to such more recent tracks as Weezer's "The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived (Variations on a Shaker Hymn)" "Sexy Back" by Justin Timberlake and Fergie's "Big Girls Don't Cry", in which the line, "It's personal, myself and I" supposedly proves not only her massive self-involvement but also that of those who like the record. Another '80s tune the researchers point to, John Lennon's "Starting Over," is a good, warm-hearted effort. But it hardly approaches -- in quality or cultural resonance -- Lennon's '60s masterpiece of self-reference, "Strawberry Fields" ("No one I think is in my tree/I mean it must be high or low"), written at the height of the supposed "peace and love" era, or " Imagine", that paean to togetherness that kicked off the '70s, widely regarded as the "Me Decade". It's silly on its face to characterize the '80s -- a decade dominated by such ego-enthralled superstars as Madonna, Prince and Whitney Houston, whose 1986 anthem "The Greatest Love of All" celebrated, above all, learning to "love yourself" -- as a benchmark of musical or societal harmony. The biggest '80s star, of course, was Michael Jackson, the "King of Pop" whose self-obsession would have made Narcissus himself blush. Even Jackson's "We Are The World", which raised a ton of money for a great cause, can be seen as something of an act of self-glorification. (Saturday Night Live's parody, with Billy Crystal as Prince singing "I am the world, I am the children..." brilliantly sent up the "we left our egos at the door" pretensions of that enterprise. On the flip side, a far better, more communal and more meaningful song, Lady Gaga's 2010 anthem "Born This Way" has already become a cornerstone of self-acceptance to an entire generation of record listeners. If young people were so darn communal in the '80s, how come punk rock was so easily co-opted as capitalism's way of bottling and selling revolution during those years? And why did so many young adults help elect Ronald Reagan twice by landslides and then cheer him on as he dismantled as much of the New Deal and the Great Society as he could get away with? I yield to no man in my revulsion of narcissism. In fact, I can say without hesitation that some of my worst friends are narcissists. And no doubt there are plenty of budding narcissists out there. Most young people I know combine an understandable dose of self-absorption -- in the face of skyrocketing health care costs, record unemployment for workers ages 16 to 24 and student loan debt now exceeding total credit card debt -- with some kind of spiritual practice and/or commitment to making the world a better place. Green Music Group is just one of many contemporary organizations promoting eco-friendly rock tours, which often include "green" accommodations. Maybe a computer comparison of this movement with the hotel room trashings of the halcyon days of happy togetherness will reveal that today's kids aren't as full of themselves as conventional wisdom, and DeWall's pseudoscience, suggest. I'm hoping to get a nice discussion going on this. So, any thoughts?

If it is clear who the users are that are part of this RS Mafia and that they have help from player moderators, this should be an easy fix for JaGex. Do not simply remove their player moderator status, ban them from the game altogether. The problem does not lie in the gambling companies, but the corrupt player moderators who assist them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFIMWRXWY90 Guurrrrlllllll you thought he was a man but he was a muffin!! I love Frank Zappa.

Yeah, it's definitely different but those things are great. They are great from 0-25 so if you ever get stuck you can drop it in to four wheel drive; they are absolute tanks at getting out of ditches. If you can find a 4-door automatic the insurance shouldn't be toooo bad, but I can understand if you're dead-set on a manual.

Everyone that has owned a Jeep is crazy about them (including this guy :-P).

Demby, if you're looking to get a small hauling vehicle, I'd suggest trying to find an early 90's Jeep Cherokee. Those AMC engines NEVER die and they're great for hauling things around. Pre-1995/6 is what you're looking for. Check Craigslist, there are many for sale.

Finally a time to put my education to work! :razz: Here's an economic take on slavery. Eric Williams, in his book Capitalism and Slavery [1944], has argued that: In my opinion though, slavery is always morally wrong. One group of humans--ethnically grouped or not--exerting complete control over another group in order to benefit (while simultaneously disregarding the basic human rights of the enslaved) cannot possibly be morally justified under any circumstances.

First, I am defending the concepts of constructive criticism, not the content of his article. Never have I said I agreed with his article. In fact, I don't! Second, Croce is very capable of defending himself. He doesn't need me to defend him, I chose to. Just like how I am choosing to leave this thread. Have a good day.

If you think you can demonstrate how weak an author's argument is in seven words, you are out of your mind. Your attempt seems to be the turd in this situation, but you just keep on polishing.

Fancy words describing the same core content. I believe you were implying Croce's article was nothing more than a twelve year old's rant that used "fancy words". It is a base, juvenile response that gives no consideration, respect, or helpful advice to the author. I will not sit idly and watch that happen. If I am wrong, then I am genuinely sorry for my responses, but if I am right in my interpretation, what you said could not be--in any way--considered a form a constructive criticism.

I'm not against criticism, in fact I'm all for it because it makes writers (or anything, for that matter) better, but only if it is constructive criticism. What you posted was nowhere near constructive criticism. It was an insult.

I didn't think so.

Fancy words describing the same core content. [spoiler=Here's a bridge, just for you!] We've got a spot in the Times later in the month that is open, would you care to write an article? :-)

My friends can fend for themselves when it comes to women. There's no "bro-code" as far as I'm concerned except the no [rooster]-block rule. That kind of goes without saying though.

You forgot to add the part where they took forty five minutes to decide which flavor Doritos to pick up at the convenience store. (Even though they eventually settled on Funyuns)

Saying marijuana isn't addictive might be true, but it's misleading at the same time. I would say that it is highly habitual but doesn't have the withdrawal symptoms of an addictive substance. EDIT: Ring World, your post saddens me. Marijuana does not impair you in the same way alcohol does neither in operating machinery nor making decisions. If anything, I think it would make you scared as hell to go on a rickety bridge whereas alcohol would make you fearless in that situation.

What are the rates of charms from Spirit Implings, Charm Sprites, and Dorgesh Kaan chests compared to other top notch ways of acquiring charms?

Drunk TIFing is always a good idea. It's best to post in controversial topics when doing so.

Magnolia (1999) It's like a modern Steinbeck Salinas Valley story. Great stuff if you haven't seen it.

Good choice....[bleep] corn syrup.

Today I spent a good hour talking to one of the professors on the review board for graduate studies (who also teaches my Cultural & Intellectual history class) about pretty much everything related to an M.A. program. I'm almost 100% sure I'll be pursuing an M.A. in History after next year. If the M.A. goes well enough, I'm almost positive I'll be pursuing a Ph.D at some point. Oh, and SUMMMMMEERRRRRRR :shades:

Okay, so when you get the Completionist Cape, do a Rhino and a Hydra spawn in your POH??

I watched a few this week that I haven't posted: High Noon (1952)---Much better than I expected, sometimes the black and white westerns take some effort to get through but this one was great. THX 1138 (1971)---Interesting, but not groundbreaking. Dead Poets Society (1989)---One of those movies everyone has seen except me, it was pretty good.