music.

there are many things in my life that i don't understand. the current list for this week goes something along the lines of:

1) men
2) women
3) people in general
4) humans
5) hoes

but i find myself having to chalk up yet another thing i don't understand - music.

music - artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental or vocal tones.

it's not that i don't understand what music is - i do. music is an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental or vocal tones. music is what you feel in your bones as you dance along to its pulsating beat. music is the ripples in your skin that you feel when you get goosebumps from a suspended pleasing note. music is the thumping of your heart as you thrive in the audience of a sold-out concert.

and it's not that i don't understand what music i like - i do. kate nash, playradioplay!, motion city soundtrack, the weepies, the postal service, between the trees, stars, relient k, "weird al", regina spektor, imogen heap, followed by ghosts, hellogoodbye, and death cab for cutie are all what i usually occupy myself with listening to. i sing along when i can, i dance along if appropiate, and i just like it. the end.

no, what i don't understand about music is how today, everyone seems to be all up-tight about different genres and preferences. country, classical, instrumental, rock, pop, traditional, rap, and oh so many more. but it seems like you can't like some of one genre and some of another - i can't like both rock and country! but what if i do? this is apparantly a problem, i am informed.

by whom am i informed of my serious musical blunders? music snobs. people who think they have a refined taste in music. people who think what they listen is not only better than listening to you, but it's better than what you're listening to too. people who think it's not possible to like something from one genre and something from another.

let me tell you: music snobs fucking annoy me.

why can't people just like what they like and not like what they don't?
why can't people not listen to what they don't like and listen to what they do?
and have that be the end?
it sounds simple.
it is simple.
so why isn't it like that?

why does it matter that that guy who listens to lil wayne constantly on his ipod loves the giants too?
why does it matter that that girl who constantly has a kelly clarkson song stuck in her head also listens to iron & wine?
and tell me why it matters that that oh-so-faithful followed by ghosts fan that comes to every single show also has a slight obsession with hinder?

tell me,
why does it matter?

people are allowed to like whatever they want.

why can't i like animal collective but not especially care for lcd soundsystem?
why can't i like the giants but really can't stand dead to fall?
why can't i like kate nash but not really listen to lily allen?
why does listening to a fall out boy song here and there make me an emo?
why does only knowing one jack's mannequin song make me not as a "great appreciator of the music" than you?
why does only liking one album from relient k make me less 'cool' than if i liked all of them?
why can't i like the killers without being "a stupid little sophmore girl who doesn't know what good music is?"

why can't i just like what i like and not like what i don't?

it seems i can't even say that i like a song from any band without being labeled,
"ohmygod, you like that? you're so indie/emo/punk/hardcore/scene/country bumpkin/classical freak/[insert any other musical genre here]."

geesh. people don't seem to get it.

people are different.
musics are different.

why can't we be different without it being a problem?
why can't i like what i like and not like what i don't?
why can't we just all enjoy the music?