Tuesday, March 28, 2006
VOE silenced on AI
I have to make this quick,
because otherwise I will rant for-freakin'-ever.
(Is that a hollow threat, yet?)
Last week, Kevin got voted off of American Idol. And I was thrilled.
I had no opinion on that guy's actual talent... Nor on his looks... But here's why I thought it was time for him to go home.
There's this theory I've been developing for a while, called "The Voice of Entitlement," and essentially, I postulate that a generation raised with insanely easy access to information, possessions, and comfort tends to approach the world from an entitled perspective.
Kevin was pure embodiment of this. Scarily so. As soon as the guy got his "Golden Ticket" (A phrase that always makes me want a Scrum-diddly-umptious Wonka bar), the guy became all ego. He wasn't quite pompous, and he certainly didn't approach his middling fame with irony. He just thought he freakin' deserved it. My opinion is that he didn't... Since he was at the big dance, he should have shown humility, grace, and gratitude. Instead, he claimed he was a sex symbol (again, no irony...) and seemed angry when he was voted out. Not sad, angry. Like he wanted to blame someone.
America...
He was blaming you.
But for all of us that are fighting the VOE, I say:
America...
God Bless You.
In short, most of the people that have been voted out so far have approached the world with VOE convictions. But we seem to be keeping the ones that have the mix of understanding and empathy. Any guesses on where I think the remaining contestants fall? I'll toss you a gimme: Taylor does not speak with the Voice of Entitlement...
All assail.
because otherwise I will rant for-freakin'-ever.
(Is that a hollow threat, yet?)
Last week, Kevin got voted off of American Idol. And I was thrilled.
I had no opinion on that guy's actual talent... Nor on his looks... But here's why I thought it was time for him to go home.
There's this theory I've been developing for a while, called "The Voice of Entitlement," and essentially, I postulate that a generation raised with insanely easy access to information, possessions, and comfort tends to approach the world from an entitled perspective.
Kevin was pure embodiment of this. Scarily so. As soon as the guy got his "Golden Ticket" (A phrase that always makes me want a Scrum-diddly-umptious Wonka bar), the guy became all ego. He wasn't quite pompous, and he certainly didn't approach his middling fame with irony. He just thought he freakin' deserved it. My opinion is that he didn't... Since he was at the big dance, he should have shown humility, grace, and gratitude. Instead, he claimed he was a sex symbol (again, no irony...) and seemed angry when he was voted out. Not sad, angry. Like he wanted to blame someone.
America...
He was blaming you.
But for all of us that are fighting the VOE, I say:
America...
God Bless You.
In short, most of the people that have been voted out so far have approached the world with VOE convictions. But we seem to be keeping the ones that have the mix of understanding and empathy. Any guesses on where I think the remaining contestants fall? I'll toss you a gimme: Taylor does not speak with the Voice of Entitlement...
All assail.
# posted by ACoolKid @ 8:44 PM 
Comments:
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Speaking as someone who works w/ a lot of kids, and sometimes unfortunately their parents, I can agree w/ the whole "entitlement" idea, but also consider this...
SO many kids, kids like Kevin, have grown up w/ their parents telling them how WONDERFULLY TALENTED they are. How they can sing and dance and draw and skip the 4th grade and be anything they want to be.
I am sure Kevin's mom also told him that he is a singing sex symbol to be hailed by all.
Their parents fill their heads w/ all sorts fantastic lies.
She's probably been telling him that he is a great singer since he played Elf #4 in the Christmas Pageant in 1st grade...and clearly he's been a sex symbol since his mom caught all those ladies from the Red Hat Society stealing secret glances at him in Bill Knapps last year...
To get to the point...of course he was mad. His mom told him he was great, probably that he was the BEST one and wouldn't be voted off, and she lied. I'd be mad too.
Too bad she didn't spend any time teaching him humility...or getting a speech therapist.
SO many kids, kids like Kevin, have grown up w/ their parents telling them how WONDERFULLY TALENTED they are. How they can sing and dance and draw and skip the 4th grade and be anything they want to be.
I am sure Kevin's mom also told him that he is a singing sex symbol to be hailed by all.
Their parents fill their heads w/ all sorts fantastic lies.
She's probably been telling him that he is a great singer since he played Elf #4 in the Christmas Pageant in 1st grade...and clearly he's been a sex symbol since his mom caught all those ladies from the Red Hat Society stealing secret glances at him in Bill Knapps last year...
To get to the point...of course he was mad. His mom told him he was great, probably that he was the BEST one and wouldn't be voted off, and she lied. I'd be mad too.
Too bad she didn't spend any time teaching him humility...or getting a speech therapist.
# posted by 
: 9:20 PM, March 28, 2006
: 9:20 PM, March 28, 2006
You know... I have to disagree that Kevin felt entitled... Keep in mind, I agree that he had to go, though.
I think he felt like a 16 year old kid who for the first time in his short life had some attention thrown his way.
Now... He's not a sex symbol... he's a dorky, underweight kid and that's probably all he's ever heard in his life.
So some 8 year olds thought he was cute and he took it to heart.
I think that's probably an easy mistake to make when you are 16 and not accustomed to listening to the things you don't want to hear. Confusion about who you are and how you are viewed is a characteristic that goes for all 16 year olds, no matter the generation... (See Teen Angst Movies circa 1984).
If we are to direct our anger at anyone affilitated with the show, I recommend pointing the rage at the people voting for Bucky and Kelly Pickler.
The NASCAR contingent continually keeps them out of the bottom 3.
Who honestly believes that these people are undiscovered stars???
Bucky can barely talk and what the hell is the deal with the back-woods, never-been-out-of-my-backyard-inbred-DaleEarnhardtJuniorRules-Rodeo-NotSkeertBumperSticker illiteracy that everyone seems to find so endearing about both of them???
16 was a long time ago for me... but I can tell you that if it were me on stage, having endured the sudden fame and the just as sudden crushing blow, I would not have been mad... I would have flat-out cried for all of America to see. I thought he handled it with quite a bit of poise for a kid.
If he seemed mad, maybe he was mad at the NASCAR contingent.
I think he felt like a 16 year old kid who for the first time in his short life had some attention thrown his way.
Now... He's not a sex symbol... he's a dorky, underweight kid and that's probably all he's ever heard in his life.
So some 8 year olds thought he was cute and he took it to heart.
I think that's probably an easy mistake to make when you are 16 and not accustomed to listening to the things you don't want to hear. Confusion about who you are and how you are viewed is a characteristic that goes for all 16 year olds, no matter the generation... (See Teen Angst Movies circa 1984).
If we are to direct our anger at anyone affilitated with the show, I recommend pointing the rage at the people voting for Bucky and Kelly Pickler.
The NASCAR contingent continually keeps them out of the bottom 3.
Who honestly believes that these people are undiscovered stars???
Bucky can barely talk and what the hell is the deal with the back-woods, never-been-out-of-my-backyard-inbred-DaleEarnhardtJuniorRules-Rodeo-NotSkeertBumperSticker illiteracy that everyone seems to find so endearing about both of them???
16 was a long time ago for me... but I can tell you that if it were me on stage, having endured the sudden fame and the just as sudden crushing blow, I would not have been mad... I would have flat-out cried for all of America to see. I thought he handled it with quite a bit of poise for a kid.
If he seemed mad, maybe he was mad at the NASCAR contingent.
# posted by : 12:14 PM, March 31, 2006
: 12:14 PM, March 31, 2006
Y'all make great points.
As you can tell, I haven't worked out all the kinks in the VOE plan.
Anon, Yes, I can see the parent's view warping little Kevi's mind, and Fatty, I can see attention doing the same.
But I still feel that some of these young'uns, like Lisa even, handle it with more aplomb and appreciation. I'm sticking with Kev being a little warped by Entitlement, but kudos and Cool Points for making me think about it for a while. You flippin' rock.
Extra Fatty Cool Point for bringing up the Red-State contingent. It's uncanny. Though I enjoy laughing at Boomhauer's interviews, I don't enjoy him cleaning up the competition. It's as scary as Jeff Gordon in a Ditech commercial.
Mad props,
or should I say, Matt props.
So glad you dropped by!
;-)
As you can tell, I haven't worked out all the kinks in the VOE plan.
Anon, Yes, I can see the parent's view warping little Kevi's mind, and Fatty, I can see attention doing the same.
But I still feel that some of these young'uns, like Lisa even, handle it with more aplomb and appreciation. I'm sticking with Kev being a little warped by Entitlement, but kudos and Cool Points for making me think about it for a while. You flippin' rock.
Extra Fatty Cool Point for bringing up the Red-State contingent. It's uncanny. Though I enjoy laughing at Boomhauer's interviews, I don't enjoy him cleaning up the competition. It's as scary as Jeff Gordon in a Ditech commercial.
Mad props,
or should I say, Matt props.
So glad you dropped by!
;-)
I read a snipit today that said that Kevin was to be returning to his hometown this weekend and he is "surprised" that he had not yet received any offers from record companies.
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# posted by : 9:30 PM, April 01, 2006
: 9:30 PM, April 01, 2006 << Home
