Admit it. We all love to have a good moan about something. I do it daily, it has become the new small talk. We moan about the weather, restrictions, traffic and, of course, the trials and tribulations of parenting.
What happens when we have nothing left to complain about? What do people do who have grown tired of the usual targets? We look for something else. I for one have been known to moan about the fact that there is nothing left to moan about. How about you?
I have often wondered if it is a part of British culture or whether it is an international past time.
I came across an article on social media. After reading it I came to the conclusion that some people search for things in society to fill that void. The reason that I reached that conclusion was due to the subject matter. It was an article complaining about the lyrics in emo punk songs from the 2000’s.
Why was this of interest? Fun fact, I listened to a lot of “punk” music during my formative years. A few of the bands mentioned in that particular article had provided some valuable memories to the soundtrack of my life. We all have one and on that soundtrack there will be some guilty pleasures and embarrassing entries that we would never want to admit, nevertheless, it exists.
So the article was criticising the lyrics of various bands talking about how they slut shame women and even implying that there could be links made between these lyrics and the rising incel movement. Personally, I think that is a bit of a leap.
As I was reading I began to wonder is this what happens when we grow bored of the weather? Do we begin to attach alternative meanings and draw conclusions from songs? Why would this person make the jump from a band performing a song that has been written about life experiences that we all encounter and decide that they are against women or equal rights or slut shaming?
Granted, they may have a point to some degree but personally, in my experience, if someone cheats on you the natural reaction is pain and anger. Anger makes people express themselves differently. If a woman has cheated on a man does that man not have a right to express his feelings about that situation in the same way that a woman would. Is this something that is now only acceptable for women to do.
Has anyone else noticed that men seem to have fallen silent again? The media is no longer trying to actively encourage men to speak out and seek help for their mental health. That may be untrue, I stopped following the media a while ago. However, when I do check in the conversation seems to have shifted back, once again, to the needs of women and the lack of resources for women.
Where are the refuges for the men who are victims of domestic abuse. Where are the support groups for men or the services for men in their hours of need? They exist, I know that they exist but the general conversation seems to have changed. No, that’s not accurate, from where I am sitting, the conversation has come to an abrupt stop.
The point that I am pondering is this. Who are these people that have the time to analyse songs, for example, and then follow that up with an article about how ashamed they feel because they listened to the music when they were a teenager, due to the nature of the lyrics. Were those bands successful because they were singing mysoginistic slut shaming songs? No, they were successful because their songs were relatable the pain and angst expressed was the draw. You can be called a slut regardless of your gender. Heck, when I was a teenager bands and artists got bonus points for having an explicit content sticker.
I also have to question whether the people writing these articles have ever actually been to any of these artists gigs. Every pop-punk/ska gig that I have been to the bands have been particularly vigilant when it comes to the safety of the crowd, especially with females. I have been to gigs where the artists have stopped the performance to call out inappropriate behaviour or to ensure that help is provided to whoever may need it.
With everything that is currently happening in the world what we really need to be thinking about are those bad bands with their bad lyrics. After all, we all know that songs and violent video games are the causes of all the evil things that happen in the world. The fact that domestic violence and murder has been happening for centuries is irrelevant.
It must have been the fault of the fool which caused Henry VIII to divorce and behead his wives, and the dancing a waltz or polka triggered Jack the Ripper to tear through Whitehall that August in 1888. That’s clearly the impact of entertainment. It is a ridiculous argument.
Whilst reading it I did think maybe I have travelled back in time to the fifties. Turned out I hadn’t been transported back in time, we are still in 2022. I couldn’t help but laugh. I cannot wait to see what the next article will be that pops up on my newsfeed.
Maybe next time it will be an article telling me about how the Rugrats or Hey Arnold promotes gender inequality because the majority of the protagonists are male. Never mind the fact that one is a group of babies (who would have no concept or, frankly, care about such things) and the other is a boy living with his grandparents, at their boarding house, complete with an array of tenants from varying backgrounds and cultures, because his parents are missing. Maybe it will be an article about the Powerpuff Girls and how they serve to reinforce gender stereotypes despite the fact that they kick ass.
Anyway, that’s enough of that otherwise they may start getting ideas for future articles.
Apologies for the delay in posting. Birthdays are exhausting and I have a few other events on the agenda at the moment which I will update you on in due course.
In the spirit of this post I will leave you with a little moan. I didn’t have enough in my life to moan about so we added a new member to our family. She is now six months old and goes by the name of Pickles. (Guess what my favourite show was growing up). I have come to the conclusion that she is broken.
This cat is obsessed with water. If you turn a tap on she is there as quick as flash to catch it. I go to the toilet, lift the lid, go to sit down and boom! A kitten is blocking the seat. That has proven to be a little awkward at times. No need to worry, since it happened the first time I always check now before I sit. I have not as yet sat on her or caused her to fall in the bowl. Pickles likes to steal forks and hide them around the house. Under the sofa seems to be a favourite spot for this activity and today, after I had packed the dishes away she decided that the best place to sleep was, as you can see, in the empty dish rack.
It’s a good job she is pretty to look at and soft to the touch. It certainly helps that she is also very keen on cuddles, particularly with me, which nowadays is a rarity in my house. So that is why she isn’t going anywhere.
Mumma Bear Roars 