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Freddie deBoer has a new article out in which he argues that our society has become overly permissive (without ever actually using the phrase "the permissive society"). He uses a few recent articles to set the scene (an increasingly defeatist sense among the laptop class that there's no option but to be extremely online; a qualified defense in the New Yorker and New York magazine of the notion of being an iPad parent), before getting into the meat of his argument. Where before our society expected people to behave in a certain way most of the time, increasingly there's a broad sense that all lifestyles are equally valid; that there's nothing wrong with following the path of least resistance (in terms of effort expended), at all times in every sphere of your life; and that people who do hold people to higher standards of behaviour than the bare minimum are being toxic in some way. Where before the expectation was to dress formally in the office, now "smart casual" rules the day (if that); where before it was only profoundly autistic and unemployable men still playing with Lego and cosplaying as Star Wars characters in their thirties, now such behaviour has become entirely normalised among the gainfully employed. The boilerplate celebrity interview question "What book are you currently reading?" was retired years ago: no one is reading books anymore, or if they are, it's the same YA slop their teenage children, nieces and nephews are reading. If modern Anglophone society has a telos, it's "umm, let people enjoy things??"
Freddie's point is well-taken and I agree with most of it: Disney and Marvel adults are contemptible, as are adults taking out second mortgages so they can follow Taylor Swift on tour. Grown adults who don't know how to cook proper meals and eat fast/convenience food for every meal should feel ashamed, even if they don't. Some examples of the trend are conspicuous by their absence: it's interesting that Freddie brings up "adult men who proudly eat nothing but chicken nuggets and Kraft macaroni and cheese" and women wearing snuggies in public without once alluding to the body positivity/health at every size movement, even though it's a perfect example of the relaxing of standards across the board. (I mean, these people spent years complaining about the "toxic and unrealistic beauty standards" promulgated by the fashion industry and social media, and apparently succeeded in replacing them with - nothing, no standards at all.) But one of the specific examples he cites seems oddly in tension with the others:
I agree with him that, in the modern Western world, there's no longer much of an expectation for people to live and present themselves "authentically": among sufficiently online women, using Instagram filters on your selfies is the rule rather than the exception; cosmetic surgery (in both sexes) is more common than ever; the less said about LinkedIn, the better.
But it occurred to me: for all of the other examples of the trend towards relaxation of standards, isn't this precisely how the people engaging in these lifestyle choices would defend them? "I didn't feel comfortable in my own skin wearing a tie to the office - wearing a hoodie and sweatpants makes me feel more like myself." "I used to read boring grown-up books because that's what was expected of me and people would make fun of me for reading Harry Potter on the tube - I like that now I can read Harry Potter without shame." And so on.
What do you think?
RE: the authenticity point, I noticed sometime in the last decade that whole subcultures seem to have mostly died out and there certainly seem to be no new ones arising.
Has anyone actually seen a 'hipster' in real life recently? Is anyone still seriously going around trying to live the Goth or Emo lifestyle, are Metalheads still a distinct, recognizable class of music fans? And this is going to sound weird, but even hip-hop/urban culture seems to have reigned in their stylistic excesses. I haven't seen sagging pants, spinning rims on blinged out Cadillacs or absurdly long chains with absurdly large pendants in a long time. OCCASIONALLY some slightly new music genre spins out but the vast majority of popular music these days seems to fall into about 4 genres.
The only pimped out rides I notice these days are usually lifted trucks with underbody lights.
Its like, despite living in the single best possible era for people with niche, 'esoteric,' and bespoke interests and tastes, we seem to be homogenizing more than ever.
If we are maximally permissive, and there are no real social standards to 'transgress' against perhaps everyone just sort of gravitates to the nearest cluster of peers and just apes their style, with minor variations. You can't be 'counter' to any social rules if the rules don't actually forbid much. I suppose nudity is still taboo.
I say this as someone who hasn't really changed my personal style in about 20 years. So it felt like everyone was making things up as they went along either way, but now they're not even bothering to make it up, they just pick from approximately 3, maybe 5 predefined style palettes and buy the recommended brands and then they're good to go. Maybe they change a bit with the seasons. Pumpkin spice gives way to Peppermint Mocha.
My previous job was the first job I’ve had in 20 years where none of my coworkers wore a metal band shirt. Yes, they very much are. Long (preferably black) hair, all black clothes, band shirt.
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Yes and I work with two.
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Yes, to all of the above. Have you actually been to any metal shows lately? I have, and I assure you that there are still tons of people there who are very visually-identifiable as “metalheads”. Sleeve tattoos, facial piercings, black band T-shirts, etc. There are still plenty of goths, too. To the extent that “hipster” ever meant anything coherent, there are still plenty of hipsters, too.
There are also plenty of musical subgenres all over — both new entries in genres you’d recognize, and totally new genres you wouldn’t know anything about unless you sought them out. Young people are still innovating musically, no more and no less than they were thirty years ago. Perhaps you are just out of touch with what’s new and hip among the new generation? There’s no shame in that; it happens to everyone.
I'll push back on this some. Yes, if you go to the events specifically for this group, you'll find people dressed up for the occasion, and you'll get the impression the culture is strong and the fanbase is numerous. Doesn't really tell you how many of them are actually consider it a significant part of the identity.
I'll also ask, what's the median age of the members of the crowd these days?
As far as I can tell, sleeve tattoos and facial piercings don't necessarily mark you as any particular subculture anymore. A sleeve tattoo could be a biker, a veteran, an SJW, or a handful of other types. And part of my point is I haven't seen people wearing those black band shirts out in public very often.
I don't think the kids these days are falling into the 'standard' categories where they define themselves in large part by the music they listen to. I'm also guessing they don't attend concerts with the same regularity as previous generations.
What are some examples? Because every so often I DO go seeking out new genres because I get bored with music pretty quickly these days. I've found spinoffs of known genres, like Argent Metal or Folk Metal. I discovered The Hu in 2020 and Bloodywood in 2021, and more recently Gloryhammer.
But none of those have achieved much 'mainstream' cachet, they're simply not known beyond their own subculture, and they aren't playing at large venues, although occasionally they'll be the opener for a larger act.
The only genre I can think of that seems 'new' is Phonk, which is pretty interesting on its own and gets more interesting when you combine it with metal
I'll just point to the part of my comment where I said "as someone who hasn't really changed my personal style in about 20 years." I have literally never been in touch with what's 'new and hip,' so my exposure to it was usually what percolated through to everyday life. And my point is in 'everyday life' I'm not seeing the folks who are obviously identifiable as metalheads, goths, emo, or hiphopheads as often as it feels like I used to.
I don't want us to talk past each other. I hear you saying "These scenes are alive and well! There's dedicated fans and active bands and there are regulars shows at many venues!" And I'm replying "Great. Awesome, but their penetration into the overculture appears to be virtually nil."
Although I have heard from friends in Nashville that the current scene for Country and Blues is on fire right now, as old as those genres are.
So, here’s where I somewhat agree with you: There are far fewer people nowadays who define themselves in terms of their relationship to a single genre of music, in opposition to other genres. My mother is a traditional Gen X metalhead; she was going to thrash metal shows as a teenager in the 80’s, and has made “I listen to metal music” a central pillar of her identity for her entire adult life. I was raised around this (by her, at least — my father’s musical tastes are significantly more broad) and I have a very intimate exposure to the way that culture operated both when she was younger and when I was first entering into it.
One of its central tenets was: we hate pop music, we’re separate from mainstream culture, we’re proud to listen to metal and nothing but metal. Watching TV shows like VH1’s Most Metal Moments, this was driven home to me; being “metal” meant hating mainstream culture, and it usually also meant partying extremely hard and engaging in varying degrees of antisocial behavior. (Example: Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx fatally overdosed on heroin, but was resuscitated back to life. He partied so hard he literally died and lived to tell the tale! How metal is that?!)
Needless to say, I found these aspects of the culture extremely cringe and alienating, combined with the wanton interpersonal violence I witnessed and at times experienced in the “mosh pit” at metal shows. I drifted away from the culture, even as I continued to be interested in the music. I ceased to make “listening to metal, and making sure other people know I listen to metal” an important part of my self-image, and I embraced listening to a wide variety of genres. I saw no reason to feel embarrassed to listen to Job For A Cowboy and to Katy Perry in the same day. I think that most people my age and younger have embraced this sense of being musically and culturally omnivorous. Even someone who decides to cultivate a visual aesthetic of being a metalhead — the piercings, the tattoos, the dyed black hair, the black band T-shirts and ripped jeans and denim jackets with iron-on patches — is very often okay with also partaking in the fruits of other subcultures. In other words, millennials and zoomers don’t do “guilty pleasures”. If something brings me pleasure — especially something as harmless and anodyne as listening to a particular song — why on earth should I feel guilty about it? So yes, in that sense, subcultures have become more permeable and less dedicated to exclusivity.
As for specific musical genres/subgenres that have only become popular in the last 5-10 years, I could name a few: K-pop, hyperpop, synthwave/vaporwave, drill rap, rap-country, and, as you named, phonk. I’d also point to significant shifts or evolutions in particular genres which had been previously established. For example, Latin pop and reggaeton have undergone something of a renaissance and mass popularization with acts like Bad Bunny, J Balvin, Ozuna, Rosalía, and Anitta. Hip-hop and pop-punk have begun an interesting fusion at the hands of acts like Machine Gun Kelly, Sueco, POORSTACY, Iann Dior, and Magnolia Park. And then in the realm of indie rock, there’s been a sort of refinement of the vague constellation of the new-wave/post-punk-influenced dance-rock sound popularized in the aughts by bands like The 1975, The Killers, Phoenix, and Two Door Cinema Club. Newer bands like The Strike, Sub-Radio, Wild Cub, and The Griswolds have strengthened the 80’s synthpop influences, and have also integrated elements of disco as well as some of the African-influenced sounds from Paul Simon’s Graceland album.
As to the question of whether young people attend concerts as often as they did thirty years ago, my assumption is that they probably don’t, but I don’t have any strong data to back that up. Certainly some newer acts like Charli XCX, Chappell Roan, Travis Scott, and Khalid can still fill up arenas of young people. They’re still breaking into the overculture, despite none of them merely aping older musical styles.
This rings very true to me.
The phrase "I like everything but rap and country" had proliferated in the past 10 years, and I think now rap and country have snuck into respectability for the majority of people.
So the subcultures can survive, but maybe people prefer not to pigeonhole themselves by saying they only listen to certain genres because they damn well know they're missing out on great music elsewhere.
At the same time, I think the 'mystique' of the performers has been dissipated in the current era, and there's now a real layer of irony over 'antisocial' lyrics and 'edgy' genres because everyone knows that the vast majority of popular artists live cushy lives in gated communities and do normal people things with their families when not performing, so much like professional wrestling, we all agree to accept the kayfabe for purposes of enjoying the product. Although I'll say that Ronnie Radke might actually be living his music. Although irony of ironies his partner is a pro wrestler.
Being MEGA controversial, I don't see any of those aside from Phonk as a notable 'new' genres in that they aren't forging new paths, but following ones that are rather well-trodden already. If I wanted to piss a bunch of people off, I'd argue that drill rap is a regression to a less impressive and sophisticated form of music, but then maybe that's the point; a lot of modern hip-hop is arguably 'overproduced' now. I just wonder at the fact that Two 70 year old Englishmen are arguably the best Drill rappers operating right now. Helps that they're not in prison or dead, which seems the most likely end to a Drill artist's career.
Rap-Country (I love the term "Gangstagrass" myself but alas) is a great innovation but its still two very identifiable genres mashed together rather than its own 'thing.'
Like, is Nightcore really a genre that stands on its own when its just pitch/tempo-shifted version of existing songs?
On that note however, I think there's a LOT of room to experiment with covers of existing songs and mild remixes.
I keep a playlist of metal/hard rock covers of songs that I think are arguably superior to the originals. Its gotten larger as of lately, I think artists have noticed you can get attention for skilled but surprising new takes on popular songs
When you run out of novel material, why not try mashing up existing stuff to see what comes out.
Now with AI, this is easier than ever. I managed to get Suno to produce a Spanish hard rock/metal song that incorporated the Marimba, that's something I haven't heard before ever!
This all reminds me of a time when I was in a random liquor store and the clerk sold me on "the future of brewing": Two different beers that were brewed and packaged with the intention of being combined and drank together by the customer. And after trying and enjoying what he gave me, I never saw such a concept again. I suspect they realized they can just mix beers together themselves and sell it as its own beverage rather than going with the gimmick of the beers coming in separate cans.
Huh. I just realized this conversation could relate over the issue of everyone's beer preferences converging on IPAs,, letting the various other 'genres' of beer suffer for it.
Maybe we can also analogize in how Mixed Martial Arts is no longer about actual competition between different martial arts practitioners, but has now led all fighters to cross-train muay thai, jiu jitsu, and some form of wrestling (sambo, nowadays) since that's simply optimal, so while the original disciplines still exist, its the blended/homogenized version that gets the most attention.
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