Sixth Sense Syndrome

(November 2005)

I realize that many of you who might read my blogs have never had the chance to sit down and chat with me. Half of you I've only been sarcastic with, for instance, and that is all we've done. So hopefully through these blogs, you could get to know me a little better. (curse you, Mike, for getting me into this MySpace thing!)

There's a thought I need to get off my mind.

I'm a fan of worthwhile conversation. I've come to believe over the years that the way one discusses things which are important to them is a pretty sure sign of who they really are. What always intrigues me is when people say they dislike or like something, yet have no reasoning behind it. They haven't bothered to figure out why. That's never settled well with me. God has created man as a rational being with the capacity to develop our mind and skills as much as we do choose to- it's that thing called free agency.

So we all have different tastes. I could hate Neil Diamond, you could hate Tolstoy. He might love Justin Timberlake, and she might think Michael Jackson isn't a freak. One could loathe Kuprick, the Beatles, Mozart, but at least be be able to justify your position! "Because" is not an acceptable answer after Jr. High, and in college it is pathetic if you cannot verbalize your thoughts after so much education. If you cannot justify why you feel a certain way about something which has had a very significant impact on society and culture, I'm sorry, but you are not giving people much reason to value your opinion.

There is this syndrome I refer to as the "Sixth Sense Sydrome." It describes how one finds their "comfort zone" and what works for them, and then dislikes anything which differs. Example: I consider M. Night Shyamalan a cinematic genious. The care and precision he puts into making his films is on a level very few directors care to achieve. Think back to when we all saw the Sixth Sense for the first time. You were probably blown away, thinking, the twist ending and everything was so cool. Then Night goes and makes three more movies which are, on every level, just as good as the Sixth Sense (arguably better), and what happens? Because the tactic isn't as "fresh," they're panned. "Oh, it's just not as good," means "eh, I didn't feel the same shock value." You ask them why didn't like it, and there is no definable answer. Just because the filmmaking tactic isn't as new or as exciting anymore, or has been tweaked a little bit to offer a wider view, they consider everything afterwards to be of lesser value.

There's this little band- Weezer. Blue album. Masses go wild. We all buy "Happy Days" DVD's because of the Buddy Holly video. People running around the streets in their underwear. What happens? Rivers grows as an artist and decides to make the album he wanted to make in the first place- a personal, intimate album that exposes the man we now idolize. Pinkerton comes out. "Oh that sucks! That isn't the same band! Where's 'Buddy Holly'?" Masses pull back, for fear of something outside their comfort zone. So Weezer takes a break for a few years (as Rivers overcomes depression) and releases the Green Album to satisfy our taste for the same old sound. "Ahhh, that's better. Now I could be a fanatic again." Same old story through the years. Pearl Jam is the biggest band in the world, then decides to become men by releasing No Code- which is in many ways their most beautiful, emotional album- and people hate it. "Where's 'Jeremy'? I want to thrive in my teenage angst and depression, not try and overcome it!" Smashing Pumpkins develop a huge gathering, and then decide to become more intimate and personal with Adore. Same old. U2 makes it big with Joshua Tree, and they've released material just as good ever since (their beautiful 90's trilogy is the best three album streak ever by a band. ZooTV is beautiful, and PopMart is genious), yet people just get antsy, and won't listen until they get back to Beautiful Day. "Ahhh, there's that lovey-dovey sound I want to listen to over and over again."

I'll get off my soapbox now. If you stayed through the entire thing, I appreciate your company.