Freshmen Mixer: American Studies Edition

Yeah... and the host is Jack.. heh

Dead Carrot said:I guess that’s why I never quite understood the whole Adele phenomenon.

I'll skip commenting on the first half of your post—honestly, not my cup of tea—but what you quoted here actually gave me some food for thought.

My take? In the 90s, we saw this massive inflation of rock music meeting the rising wave of electronic sounds. Add a bit of societal anomie to the mix—basically a breakdown of traditional structures—and you get a generation growing up on the stuff their parents used to blast, which, in my case, was Adele. Just some personal musings based on my own experience. Being born in '83, I still find it totally fine to spin some Adele today—it brings back those vibes from, say, '96 or '97, when things in America felt strangely similar to the era she was most active.

peace

Ethan Parker47 said:I’m skipping the first half of your post because I honestly don't care, but what you said about the quotes actually gave me something to chew on.

The way I see it, back in the 90s, rock music was hitting this massive inflation point just as electronic music started blowing up. Combine that with the social chaos of the era, and you get a total breakdown of the old rules. Younger generations ended up listening to the same stuff their parents loved—for me, that was Adele. Just my two cents based on my own life; I was born in '83, and even now, I find myself spinning Adele to revisit those vibes from '96 or '97, when things in the States felt a lot like the era when she was at her peak.

peace

That right there? That's what we call a sociological explanation for a social phenomenon.👍 😁

I call this being overly pedantic, which is also just plain incorrect

Drew Adams58 said:I’d call this dodging the question while being flat-out wrong.

Personally, I’d call this dodging the issue squared—it's just unnecessary provocation. Your critique didn't open any doors for actual constructive dialogue or correcting errors (which is what criticism is actually for). My stance is based on the fact that I reached out via DM to give you a chance to explain your take on the Adele phenomenon politely and honestly, and you just didn't respond. Like I mentioned in my previous post about Adele, that was just my perspective—I never claimed it was the absolute truth. Regardless, that isn't the point of this thread, so I'm going to treat your message for what it really is: a provocation that deserves to be ignored.

On-topic—hey, two days after the university arts festival, some sophomore group 😁 is throwing some kind of party. I'm not sure if it's an open or closed thing yet. Honestly, I'm a bit worried that if they go too hard, it might scare off the more high-quality crowd from showing up to the festival next year.🙂

Eh, I’m really not sweating it... honestly, I think everyone can handle getting hammered twice in three days.🙂 🧐

Ethan Parker47 said:I see this as nothing more than stalling and unnecessary provocation. Your critique didn't open up any doors for constructive dialogue or error correction—which is the whole point of criticism, isn't it? I base my stance on the fact that I reached out via private message to ask for your honest take on the Adele phenomenon in a very polite and respectful manner, yet you chose not to respond. As I mentioned in my previous post regarding Adele, that was merely my own perspective; I never claimed it was absolute truth. Regardless, that isn't the focus here, so I will treat your message for what it actually is: a provocation that deserves to be ignored.

When I say "completely inaccurate," I am referring to your comparison between the era when Adele rose to fame and the year '96. I'm curious, what experience are you drawing that conclusion from? When Adele was at her peak, both you and I were barely out of diapers, and by '96, you were only thirteen, so I find it hard to believe you can make that comparison. In my view, the breakdown of traditional social structures happened because of the war, not because of the rise of electronic music or the saturation of rock. At that time, Adele served as a sort of rebellion for the youth because she represented something counter-cultural—much like Billy Joel did. We also have to consider that in the early nineties, there weren't many local bands playing music that truly captured the spirit of the times. Why anyone would insist on glorifying the old guard right when such incredible new bands are emerging is something I will never quite grasp.
My apologies if my comment about stalling offended you, but that is simply how communication works on this subforum.

Drew Adams58 said:When I say "completely inaccurate," I’m talking about comparing the era when Adele first emerged to 1996. I'm not sure what experience you're basing that conclusion on. When Adele was around, both you and I were still in diapers—and by '96, you were thirteen, so I doubt you can really make that comparison. My take is that the collapse of social norms happened because of the war, not because of the electronic music wave or the inflation of rock. Back then, Adele served as a sort of rebellion for the youth because, at the time, that kind of thing was taboo (similar to how Billy Joel was viewed). It's also worth noting that in the early nineties, you didn't hear many local bands playing stuff that actually fit the zeitgeist. And why anyone would elevate geriatric acts to such heights right when incredible new bands are emerging is something I'll never understand.
My apologies if my comment about "running your mouth" offended you, but that's just how communication goes on this subforum.

Great—see, this is actual dialogue. From what I can tell, you misunderstood me, likely because I wasn't clear enough myself. Regardless, the specific cause of societal anomie isn't the point here; the point is the fact that older generations don't know how to act in new times, while the new ones learn from the old. Quiz? 🙂 I didn't say electronics caused the anomie; I said the popularity of electronic music eclipsed rock, which led to an inflation of rock—basically a flood of new bands churning out new sounds (suddenly everyone wanted to be a DJ 🤣). Where did rebellion manifest most in '96? In the sports fan culture, which was a melting pot of everything—skinheads, rockers, metalheads, new wave followers, and punks who were only punks by musical taste (and any of those groups could have categorized Adele as "universal"). Even though I was only thirteen, I was at the games back then, and Adele's track "Just Don't Hit Me in the Head, Blue Friend" describes '96 perfectly.

peace

On topic—looking at the forum, I see people complaining about how our freshman orientation is better than theirs 😬 👍

Ethan Parker47 said:anomie

anomie

Huh? 🤔

Raymond Barrett12 said:Huh? 🤔

Anomie was coined by the French sociologist Emile Durkheim—it basically refers to what a professor might call a "breakdown of normative structure." It’s that state where people can't grasp new values or norms during times of social upheaval, while the old ones have lost their relevance.

+Also, it's the name of the sociology student association over at the Slavic Studies department.

Ethan Parker47 said:Great, look, this is what a real dialogue looks like, and from this, I can see you totally misread me because maybe I wasn't clear enough myself. It doesn't matter why society hit this state of anomie right now; the point is that the older generations have no clue how to act in these modern times, while the younger ones are stuck learning from the old. Quiz? 🙂 I didn't say electronics caused the social breakdown; I said the explosion of electronic music overshadowed rock, which basically led to "rock inflation"—this massive wave of new bands just churning out new sounds (suddenly everyone wanted to be a DJ 🤣). Where did we see the most rebellion back in '96? In the sports fan scene, which was this weird melting pot of everything under the sun—skinheads, rockers, metalheads, new wave followers, and punks who were really just punks because of their record collection (and any one of those groups could've claimed Adele as a "universal" favorite). Yeah, I was only thirteen, but I was at those games back then, and Adele’s track "Just Don't Hit Me, Blue Friend" describes the vibe of '96 perfectly.

peace

On topic—I see on the forums from Phil that people here are actually arguing that our freshman orientation is better than theirs 😬 👍

Is someone here actually trying to trash electronic music? 🙂

Ethan Parker47 said:The concept of anomie was coined by French sociologist Emile Durkheim. It basically refers to what a professor might call a "breakdown of normative structure"—essentially the inability to recognize new values and norms during periods of social upheaval, combined with the fact that old values and norms have lost their relevance.

Plus, it's also the name of the sociology student association over at the Slavic Studies department.

You people are pathetic.

So, here is what Google says about the term: "Anomie is actually an interpretation of the sociological definition (anomie = alienation—ed. note)."

And here is how the Brookings Institution puts it: "Two terms describing states of social pathology apply to conditions that hinder flow: anomie and alienation. Anomie—literally 'lack of rules'—is the term French sociologist Emil Dirk used to describe a societal state where behavioral norms have become scrambled. When it is no longer clear what is permitted and what isn't, or when general values become uncertain, behavior becomes unstable and senseless. Those who rely on social rules to organize their own consciousness end up anxious. Anomic situations can arise when an economy collapses or when one culture destroys another, but they can also occur when progress happens too rapidly, rendering old values like thrift and hard work irrelevant."

But hey, look what else Google is offering me here in Virginia: "Did you mean: nokia" 🤣 🤣

Well, that’s that. Can we just wrap this whole discussion up now?

Clearly we can..