Serious thoughts!
Apr. 23rd, 2010 07:51 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lesmisloonyOkay, so around the beginning of 2010 I first saw this moment in last year's Big Fat Quiz of the Year (hilarious show, by the way):
And for some reason, that random bit of comedy made me take a serious look at who I am. Strange, but true.
Because my whole life I've been kind of elitist. Heck, when I was in middle school I read "The Cat Who..." series by Lilian Jackson Braun, and I remember thinking that I wanted to be like Qwilleran and Polly, someone who could quote Shakespeare in any situation and had read any classic you cared to mention. It probably came from the fact that I was such a fierce reader as a child and, given that I'm overweight, I've always been desperate to prove myself to everyone around me, even if it means I have to prove myself by embracing my "weirdness" and appearing to love that I've never fit in. If you can't beat them, I thought, then pretend you're better than them. Then, raised by a middle school drama teacher, of course I found the theatre, and where better to cultivate a tendency toward elitism than in theatre circles?
It all came to a head a few years ago, though, when I realised that elitist theatre people hate Wicked. I'd already had to give up my love of Phantom of the Opera for my need to be better than everyone else, plus I had to sit through movies that, quite frankly, bored and depressed me. It was about the time I went to a five week film program at the School of the Arts that I realised that you can never win when you're trying to be elitist. There's always going to be another movie you haven't watched or another classic you can't quote.
It wasn't until I had had my job at my old indy cinema for about a year until I understood how lame elitism really was. I *like* big budget, ridiculous movies. I like cheesy one-liners (time to shuffle the deck!) and I even like sequels (most of the time). You know what else? I like Wicked. And someday I might be able to freely admit that I like Phantom of the Opera. Sometimes I'd rather hum something by Lloyd Webber than Sondheim--there, I said it!
And I know it should be common sense to like what you like without having to apologise for it, but it's something I've never done before in my life. I've only been able to see a commercial for a popular movie and think, "Oh YEAH that looks awesome!" for about a year and a half. And you know what? If I want to wear a feather on my head, then by GOD I will wear that feather and I will love it, because I can wear what I want when I want. And sometimes I just want to crank Lady GaGa and look at the things that make me happy and bask in it.
It's the same thing with Seth Aaron from Project Runway. He designs clothes the way he wants them to look, he's nice to everyone, and he genuinely had fun during the competition. There was a moment where the three finalists were walking the length of that white runway before their Bryant Park fashion show, and Seth Aaron threw himself to the ground and made an imaginary snow angel while the other two protested that they didn't have time to be silly with so much at stake. Yeah? Well, guess who won the competition. Even before the final results were in, Seth Aaron was the one saying how great the whole experience was while the other two crap-talked each other and sneered about how they were definitely going to win.
I follow Jonathan Ross on twitter, and his tweets are almost always my favourites (though Russell Brand has had some really great ones). Today he said: "Apparently I am third happiest tweeter!! But let's face it, I don't have a lot to complain about! And sun is shining-so have a great weekend" THAT's the attitude I want to have about my life. I don't have to apologise to anybody for my tastes or for how I spend my time. I am who I want to be, and if anyone has a problem with it, that's none of my concern, because their opinions should never change mine.
David Mitchell is funny and I thoroughly respect him and his intelligence, but wouldn't life be better if we all just let go and unapologetically enjoyed who we are and what we have like Jonathan Ross?
End self-affirming rant.
And for some reason, that random bit of comedy made me take a serious look at who I am. Strange, but true.
Because my whole life I've been kind of elitist. Heck, when I was in middle school I read "The Cat Who..." series by Lilian Jackson Braun, and I remember thinking that I wanted to be like Qwilleran and Polly, someone who could quote Shakespeare in any situation and had read any classic you cared to mention. It probably came from the fact that I was such a fierce reader as a child and, given that I'm overweight, I've always been desperate to prove myself to everyone around me, even if it means I have to prove myself by embracing my "weirdness" and appearing to love that I've never fit in. If you can't beat them, I thought, then pretend you're better than them. Then, raised by a middle school drama teacher, of course I found the theatre, and where better to cultivate a tendency toward elitism than in theatre circles?
It all came to a head a few years ago, though, when I realised that elitist theatre people hate Wicked. I'd already had to give up my love of Phantom of the Opera for my need to be better than everyone else, plus I had to sit through movies that, quite frankly, bored and depressed me. It was about the time I went to a five week film program at the School of the Arts that I realised that you can never win when you're trying to be elitist. There's always going to be another movie you haven't watched or another classic you can't quote.
It wasn't until I had had my job at my old indy cinema for about a year until I understood how lame elitism really was. I *like* big budget, ridiculous movies. I like cheesy one-liners (time to shuffle the deck!) and I even like sequels (most of the time). You know what else? I like Wicked. And someday I might be able to freely admit that I like Phantom of the Opera. Sometimes I'd rather hum something by Lloyd Webber than Sondheim--there, I said it!
And I know it should be common sense to like what you like without having to apologise for it, but it's something I've never done before in my life. I've only been able to see a commercial for a popular movie and think, "Oh YEAH that looks awesome!" for about a year and a half. And you know what? If I want to wear a feather on my head, then by GOD I will wear that feather and I will love it, because I can wear what I want when I want. And sometimes I just want to crank Lady GaGa and look at the things that make me happy and bask in it.
It's the same thing with Seth Aaron from Project Runway. He designs clothes the way he wants them to look, he's nice to everyone, and he genuinely had fun during the competition. There was a moment where the three finalists were walking the length of that white runway before their Bryant Park fashion show, and Seth Aaron threw himself to the ground and made an imaginary snow angel while the other two protested that they didn't have time to be silly with so much at stake. Yeah? Well, guess who won the competition. Even before the final results were in, Seth Aaron was the one saying how great the whole experience was while the other two crap-talked each other and sneered about how they were definitely going to win.
I follow Jonathan Ross on twitter, and his tweets are almost always my favourites (though Russell Brand has had some really great ones). Today he said: "Apparently I am third happiest tweeter!! But let's face it, I don't have a lot to complain about! And sun is shining-so have a great weekend" THAT's the attitude I want to have about my life. I don't have to apologise to anybody for my tastes or for how I spend my time. I am who I want to be, and if anyone has a problem with it, that's none of my concern, because their opinions should never change mine.
David Mitchell is funny and I thoroughly respect him and his intelligence, but wouldn't life be better if we all just let go and unapologetically enjoyed who we are and what we have like Jonathan Ross?
End self-affirming rant.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2010-04-24 01:14 am (UTC)Also, Seth Aaron is amazing.
no subject
Date: 2010-04-24 01:25 am (UTC)Thanks for the rant -- I can relate to what you're talking about, you've just voiced so many of my own frustrations better than I could.