Comments on: Three types of maturity http://www.luxfx.com/journal/archives/2004/01/30/323/ A frequently updated blog about life running a solo web development business, being a brand-new daddy, and a daily quasi-political photoparody cartoon Sun, 12 Feb 2012 07:39:21 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0 by: Katie http://www.luxfx.com/journal/archives/2004/01/30/323/#comment-143 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.luxfx.com/journal/archives/2004/01/30/323/#comment-143 I think you make a great case--yours is a point of view I hadn't really thought of before. And even though Trav disagrees with me on some of my views on depressed lyrics, he completely agrees with what you've said. It's sad but true that many people don't really realize what kind of effect they have on others. Unfortunately, it's a fact that some people just never mature past a certain point, no matter what. Also unfortunately, getting that kind of fame and yes, power, often seems to actually work against maturity--if you can have whatever you want, whenever you want it, of course you regress to some degree. I think it's only natural...natural, and terrible. Anyway, very well said, Dave. Love you much, talk to you soon (I hope)! I think you make a great case–yours is a point of view I hadn’t really thought of before. And even though Trav disagrees with me on some of my views on depressed lyrics, he completely agrees with what you’ve said. It’s sad but true that many people don’t really realize what kind of effect they have on others. Unfortunately, it’s a fact that some people just never mature past a certain point, no matter what. Also unfortunately, getting that kind of fame and yes, power, often seems to actually work against maturity–if you can have whatever you want, whenever you want it, of course you regress to some degree. I think it’s only natural…natural, and terrible. Anyway, very well said, Dave. Love you much, talk to you soon (I hope)!

]]> by: Heather http://www.luxfx.com/journal/archives/2004/01/30/323/#comment-144 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.luxfx.com/journal/archives/2004/01/30/323/#comment-144 I do agree with the theory that public figures need to be conscious of what they do and say. However, you make me think of a related problem that could come up. It was specifically the reference to songs with destructive lyrics. What do you do about artists who present destructive behaviour in their art in order to show how bad it is? You end up getting people who absorb the art at face value and decide they want to emulate such behaviour because they think it's cool, even though the artist was trying to achieve the opposite. I believe that satire and social commentary through reenactment is a valid way to try to raise social awareness about negative behaviour. But then you get people who blame Marilyn Manson for what those two boys did at Columbine. So who's right? It's all grey area. I've told you before how I fault parents and more immediate role models like teachers or chemical imbalances when children aren't able to tell the difference between fantasy and reality. Similarly, I think that it's up to the immediate role models to PAY ATTENTION to their kids to make sure that their emotional health is stable. I do agree that many artists glorify very negative behaviour (drugs, unsafe sex, violence, self-destructiveness), but occasionally it's not an attempt to glorify, but to villify. I think the problem there is simply the Awareness of the consumers much more than the artist. Maybe teachers should spend more time on "satire" and "irony" in literature units in school nowadays. I do agree with the theory that public figures need to be conscious of what they do and say. However, you make me think of a related problem that could come up. It was specifically the reference to songs with destructive lyrics. What do you do about artists who present destructive behaviour in their art in order to show how bad it is? You end up getting people who absorb the art at face value and decide they want to emulate such behaviour because they think it’s cool, even though the artist was trying to achieve the opposite. I believe that satire and social commentary through reenactment is a valid way to try to raise social awareness about negative behaviour. But then you get people who blame Marilyn Manson for what those two boys did at Columbine.

So who’s right? It’s all grey area. I’ve told you before how I fault parents and more immediate role models like teachers or chemical imbalances when children aren’t able to tell the difference between fantasy and reality. Similarly, I think that it’s up to the immediate role models to PAY ATTENTION to their kids to make sure that their emotional health is stable.

I do agree that many artists glorify very negative behaviour (drugs, unsafe sex, violence, self-destructiveness), but occasionally it’s not an attempt to glorify, but to villify. I think the problem there is simply the Awareness of the consumers much more than the artist.

Maybe teachers should spend more time on “satire” and “irony” in literature units in school nowadays.

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