Intolerance Is Everywhere!
Why can’t we be more open-minded as a society? Everyone walks a different path through life, goes through different trials and tribulations, and we all have different likes, dislikes, needs and wants. So with this in mind, why is it that we let our forms of entertainment become such touchy subjects?
“It Seems Like They’ll Let Just About Anyone On TV These Days.”
We all have at least one celebrity that we can’t stand. You know who I’m talking about. When he or she appears on television, it makes you want to bicycle kick the screen. Seeing his or her face makes your skin crawl, and you wish severe bodily harm against the person directly responsible for making them famous. Just seeing their stupid face on your tv makes you instantly change the channel, and question the fairness of life. If someone you know confesses to you that they like this celebrity in question, your opinion of that person instantly drops, and you can no longer take their viewpoints seriously.
Maybe that’s an overstatement, but I feel comfortable stating that everyone has pet peeves about the entertainment industry. I find it ironic that people can get so upset over the entertainment industry. It’s funny that an industry that exists in order to entertain people holds the power to piss them off so badly. The phrase “You can’t please everyone” comes to mind. There’s a lot of truth there. Which is sad, because aren’t there better things to get riled up over besides the content of a movie that you don’t plan on seeing anyway.
Just Let It Go.
It is best to live and let live. If you don’t like something, let it go and try to find something instead that you do like. Do you honestly expect Hollywood to only release movies that appeal to everyone? Do you honestly expect everyone else to share your opinion on what can be deemed entertaining? Recognize that you have the freedom to choose your forms of entertainment from many, many sources. Also recognize that the celebrity that annoys you and makes the veins in your eyeballs pulsate wouldn’t be famous if there wasn’t a group of people who appreciate their work.
Learn To Let Other People Enjoy Their Lives.
For example, I personally don’t care for The Jonas Brothers. I’d be perfectly content living my entire life without hearing another song by them. I don’t wish them any harm or lack of success though. On the contrary, I recognize that they make over two million people happy with their music, so who am I to take issue with that? The people who enjoy their music can go ahead and enjoy it, while in the meantime, I’ll enjoy my own music, and be glad that there are a wide variety of musical groups out there to satisfy every niche audience, including my own.
But What If You ARE the One Who Is Being Criticised?
This is a subject that every successful artist must make peace with. Nobody is immune from criticism. You should expect criticism to come along with praise, and not always in equal amounts. As a matter of fact, if what you are doing is revolutionary and unorthodox, then you can probably expect less praise and more criticism. That doesn’t mean that what you are doing is wrong. You need to concentrate on providing value for the people who is in your target audience, and not let the people who refuse to live and let live get to you.
Embrace Diversity!
The entertainment industry becomes more and diverse and spread out. While we used to have 3 television channels, we now have hundreds. Not only do we have that, but we now have DVRs that we can use to watch only the shows we want to. On the music side of the spectrum, the era of the record label is coming to an end, and in its place comes the era of digital distribution, where all artists are on a level playing field, and the listener can find thousands of artists of all styles, locations, and skill levels. As the industry continues to evolve, we are less likely to endure products and celebrities that we dislike.
So Take Your Intolerance Somewhere Else!
The next time you see some no talent hack on television and you wonder who in their right mind could enjoy their work, just remind yourself that there’s someone out there on this planet that thinks the exact same thing about your favorite actors. There’s nothing wrong with having different opinions. On the contrary, it’s what makes people unique. Variety is the spice of life, after all. So just live and let live.
Besides, look at it from their point of view. The only thing they are trying to do is earn a living doing what they love to do, and for some reason, that pisses people like you off. They don’t need your permission to do what they want with their life. Get over it.
There are a lot of individuals on TV that we might wonder about, leading us to question their presence in the public eye, but your points here are a suitable way to handle thoughts that come up about them. They are following a certain interest of theirs, and we as the viewers can only either observe, look to join in, or look to take over their position in the media. Intolerance doesn’t really benefit them or us, as you have alluded to here.
@ Armen
Thank you for your comment. This has been something that’s bothered me for years, and it felt good to put it online. Some people are downright snobby about what they watch, listen to, and follow. I mean, if we are trying to pursue happiness, then why do we dwell on what doesn’t entertain us?
Hi Trey
I like the tittle of this post live and let live. The world need Intolerance! Personally, I don’t care what people think about what I watch or listen to. It doesn’t matter…I am who I am.
Giovanna Garcia
Imperfect Action is better than No Action
With the Internet, it’s pretty easy to find your own niche or create one. No reason to worry about the interests of others. How boring would it be if we all had the same beliefs and interests?
@ Giovanna
I think you meant “the world needs tolerance”
At any rate, I like your attitude towards the subject. Thanks for your comment.
@ Gennaro
You’re exactly right. Now that we can get movies, tv shows, and music on the internet, we aren’t a captive audience anymore. Thanks for contributing!
It becomes bit easier when we read this live and let live. But its not easy every time. Sometimes people never allow us to live and sometimes we are so frustrated that even we never allow them.
Its good not to give a damn for any one, but sometimes situation doesn’t favors us..
I liked your post. It reminded me that I don’t have to care for anyone and move on with flow. Thanks for sharing your experience..:)
Love this post.If we let and let live and appreciate the differences that bring diversity among us, most of the conflict surrounding our selves will eventually dissolve.
@ Web development training Ahmedabad
Yes, sometimes it’s difficult to do this. It’s hard to lead by example when people are being intolerant to you. Our natural instinct to be defensive kicks in. The thing is, I believe that it’s easy to get sucked into a vortex of hatred and misery if you choose to let lower forms of humanity bring you down. There’s always going to be someone out there who is going to hate you and what you stand for and enjoy. So, I say, try to make peace with that! Thanks for posting.
@ Saeed Jabbar
Thanks for your comment. Embracing love, instead of hate is the first step toward appreciating our differences. Just like how we, as a society, have learned to appreciate people of all races a little bit more, the next step is to appreciate the hobbies and nuances of other people, even if we don’t share them. People who are intolerant simply want everyone to be like them, in every way. We have to strike this disease in humanity at the very core, instead of hacking away at all of the side effects of intolerance. And the thing is, I’m not perfect. Not by a long shot. There are things that I am less tolerant about than others. Being intolerant of others is a natural instinct. We have to want to be better than what we are by default. We have to work at being tolerant, and it doesn’t happen overnight.
Trey – great article on a subject we ALL need to work on just a bit. I think mainstream media tries to drill the idea into our heads that what they are offering is important to us, and we NEED to care about it.
As you touched on, this is simply not true. You don’t NEED to care about anything that you see/hear/read these days unless it affects your health. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t care, it means you always have the option, so why let it ruin your day?
Another quick thought – Dr Seuss once said “Those who mind don’t matter, & those who matter don’t mind.” A great idea to remember next time you encounter someone trying to shut you down.
@ Sean
I am a big fan of Dr. Seuss. He’s an inspiration. He published his first childrens book when he was 33 years old. That was only the very beginning of a long and healthy career. I just roll my eyes at people who think that their lives are over when they turn 30.
Plus, I like your insight, that the reason people care, is because the media tells them to. It’s scary when you think about how much power they have over us. With that in mind, I think you’re going to like the subject matter of some of my upcoming postings.
Sometimes it’s tough watching someone that you don’t like. There are certain movie stars that I refuse to watch. But like you said they are just trying to carve out a living. It’s what they know.
We can’t take them too seriously or we are just going to be hurt by our own anger.
Karl Staib – Work Happy Now’s most recent blog post..Does Your Mission Inspire?
@ Karl
In this day and age, I don’t really see a reason to watch anyone that you don’t want to. There’s so many forms of entertainment and media, that one could very easily find a niche and stay 100% in it.
I agree very strongly with the idea that our anger towards celebrities only hurts ourselvers. Thank you for you comment!