I didn’t jump all over you, either, did I? And, if you recall, tried to tone down the last debate so that it got back to economics. Besides, I am a scientist, not an economist. I don’t know enough about econ to jump to your defense. I don’t even like writing the budgets for my grant proposals. All I can go on in that area is my gut. And even though my gut instinct is correct more often than not, I think, given the level of the argument, I would have been more a liability than an asset. So, I kept my trap shut.

Don’t automatically assume we’re all out to get you. Some of us may be, but not ALL. Not by a long shot.

And yes, Sam has a strong sense of humanity. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t bother with contributing and co-running this site. He may be a hard ass at times, I agree. And a bit stubborn. But the SOB is smart as hell, too. As are all the writers on S&R. I suspect you know this, or you wouldn’t keep coming back.

Ubertramp, If you agreed with me on many economic issues, I didn’t notice you spring to my defense.

Jeff

Jeff

I ssem to be on your side of the argument a lot of the time despite being friends with a couple of S&R writers. Especially when it has to do with economics. But what does losing a wife have to do with the presnt argument? Its sad, I agree. But, if anything, that comment pretty much proves Slammys point.

Another thing, Sam, lose a wife and see how sane you are.

Jeff

And THEN Jeff said: http://masteroftheuniverse.wordpress.com/2009/01/26/i-just-dont-understand/

I don’t think anyone here would disagree that there is good music out there. Look at Slammy’s best of list, for instance. Granted, his list is limited to a subset of genre’s, but that’s where his interests lie. If he liked jazz, maybe you’d find Diana Krall or Joshua Redman or Wynton/Branford Marsalis.

Classical music hasn’t lost it’s luster. If it did, movies wouldn’t keep using it. John Williams wouldn’t keep writing scores. The soundtrack for The Lord of the Rings would have been trance. I think the fact that fewer people listen to it now outside of movie scores is probably due to what I mentioned in my previous post, the lack of funding for art education. As it is now, the audience for classical music does tend to be a bit pompous in a lot of ways. I’m not sure if it’s because great orchestral works require a lot of money to present or because the lack of education has ensured that only the older crowd still thinks it’s “cool.”

I don’t know why I stick around. Perhaps because y’all make me think, perhaps I get a lot of entertainment from the sophomoric ideas presented, perhaps it’s a combination of things. One thing I will have to say is that this site does present some great fading opportunities.

As for reminding about how terrible things are, on a regular basis on this blog, conservatism is reviled and we are subject to horrible treatment. The martyr act on my site is a figment of your imagination. My readers are an honorable group of businessmen, speculators, and traders who find the discussions over here very amusing and entertaining. Go over to my site and comment on something you disagree with. Your ideas and dissentions will be heard, and you won’t be treated with invective and will be given a forum. My readers are a very civil bunch and will treast you with respect in the spirit of Franklin. No shrillness, sky is falling, despair over on my site.

Conversations “morph” for reasons. If you’d like to avoid comments about brain-dead relativisms, a good way to do it would be to avoid suggesting that the taste of 12 year-old girls is somehow a valid yardstick of the value of a work of art.

As for acrimony, I’m sure you believe that it has nothing at all to do with things you’ve said and continue to say. And where tolerance of ideas that you don’t agree with is concerned, all I can say is bring me the URL of the blogs that are better on that score than we are.

I do wonder, though. You remind us how terrible we are every couple of days, and I’ve certainly seen the martyr act you’ve trotted out over on your site, where you lead people to believe that we treat you the way George Bush treated the Constitution. If it’s really that awful, why do you stick around? Are you masochistic? Bored? Do you think you can somehow improve us by sticking around? I really am curious.

Finally, “my guy” wasn’t even in the race. But if Obama fails, we’ll know for sure that it was all his fault and had nothing to do with GOP obstructionism or the fact that he’s trying to climb us out of a hole that’s been 30 years in the digging.

I agree with you about the “Clear Channelization” of music. That being said, there’s a lot of good music out there right now, it’s just harder to find.

I mourn the fact that Classical Music has lost it’s luster among the self-described intellectuals and most everyone else for that matter. Now, that was good music.

Jeff

I can almost see using this sort of thing with 12 year olds as an introduction to music. To get them excited about music. Particularly as funding for art in elementary schools seems to be going away. However, there has to be a teacher there that knows music and exposes these 12 year olds to something less…generic.

I think the point that Slammy is trying to make is this. 12 year olds like Brittney because they don’t know any better and they haven’t really been exposed to other music. The “clear channelization” of music has ensured that what’s being played on the radio or MTV is what’s easily controlled by the music industry, not what’s actually good.

I’ve also worked my ass off myself over my lifetime, but my old fashioned work ethic lacks the nobility expressed in this venue.

Interesting how an innocent comment about having fun with a program can morph into discussion of brain dead radical relativisms. I find acrimony even when I agree with the posters. Argument for the sake of argument and no tolerence of ideas you don’t agree with…..reminds me of those all night college bull sessions that didn’t accomplish anything.

People need to lighten up as life’s too short to have their undies in a bunch all the time.

Besides, your guy won and it’s going to be rainbows, lollipops and unicorns real soon.

Jeff

This is both true and irrelevant to the discussion at hand.

Perhaps a good litmus test for art is that if you like it and it makes you feel good, then it’s good for you. It might not be good for someone else, but then again, one man’s wine is another’s poison.

So the opinion of the most intelligent, insightful, well-educated and astute art expert on the planet is of precisely the same value as a 12 year-old girl who never heard of Michaelangelo? Please, tell me more.

You know, we’re starting to sound like a bunch of old fogeys.

I can’t say what we’re sounding like, but I’ve worked my ass off my whole life to learn more so that I can do a little bit toward moving things forward. When smart people abdicate in the face of brain-dead radical relativisms that are designed for no purpose other than to glorify stupidity and ignorance, we’re making the world a worse place.

I can say pretty conclusively that for S&R, this is off-brand.

You make good points about the Beatles not making it today. However, we’re getting a little off topic, as I believe we were discussing the aspects of the Microsoft product. We all tend to become a bit snobbish about music and art tastes(I’ve noticed a bit of that on this blog), and that’s an area I personally need to work on, especially in the works done on canvas and paper. Perhaps a good litmus test for art is that if you like it and it makes you feel good, then it’s good for you. It might not be good for someone else, but then again, one man’s wine is another’s poison.

As for the canonization and culture, one could easily extend that to other areas of life.

You know, we’re starting to sound like a bunch of old fogeys.

Jeff