Why do the masses gravitate to blandness?

Aliza Greasy Codfish wrote: »

Many people, busily juggling multiple responsibilities in life, don't have time to endlessly research craft beers or listen to obscure music. I daresay all of us have a particular passion, something we've devoted 10,000 hours to or know more about than 99% of people. It could be gardening, cooking, gaming, abstract art, nineteeth-century French poetry, etc. But most of us don't have time for more than one or two such passions in our lives, and so we have to be mainstream about everything else.

In another thread, a poster talked about the appreciation he developed for the experimental, avant-garde music of Autechre over years of deep, attentive listening. To put this in perspective, their latest release is 8 hours of dense, abstract electronica.

That is all very well for some — and I appreciate his dedication to the band and the genre — but it's just a reality that most people don't have the time. That doesn't mean they should be disparaged for humming along to pop songs in the car or drinking a pint of Carlsberg in a pub.

Respectfully I disagree.

I've a very busy life with work and kids but you don't need endless time to try something new and different.

I will try a new craft beer just to see what it's like. Most mainstream lager tastes exactly the same. Why not lift a can or bottle of something that's not sold in every pub in the land.

Music is the same. Go on to Spotify and listen to a different genre. Shazam is great for getting the names of music you might never know. I've found some seriously random music recently that is very good. My mate also sends me songs which are likely to never get close to the charts. We had friends over recently for drinks and I had a Spotify playlist on. One of the lads told me I had a brilliant taste in music and he admitted he really only listens to kodaline when he's driving. I shared the mix with him and told him to keep searching and listening to anything random. He has since messaged me back with some really good stuff I'd never heard of!!

There is a huge amount of everything from food to clothing to music that 90% of people will never venture towards be it through laziness or that they are content with what they know.

badabing106 wrote: »

The drinks industry. The most bland and tasteless products are the best sellers

The music industry. Adeles music is absolutely dreadful, but it is manufactured in such away to appeal world wide. Bland, mid tempo, inoffensive supermarket music. Her last album sold 50, 000, 000 times

Ooh , this sounds like a rant by a fanboi cos his band has "sold out"! Sure let them at it. Live and let live, man!

Craft beer is piss.

Raspberry flavored beer produced in some piss ridden shed in Wicklow called some quirky name.

You’re grand mate I’ll stick with Heineken.

Greyfox wrote: »

Not true, craft beer is too beery for some people's tastes and some people can't be bothered with something been an acquired taste. I love Erdinger but sometimes you can't beat a light beer like Heiniken, it depends on my mood.

There are so many different beers out there though you will find something you like no matter your tastes. There are lots of lovely light beers that are way nicer than heiniken.

I suppose the issue is that these are not widely available in pubs whereas Heineken is.

If anyone can have it, I don't want it No, I think it's because mild beer and mild music is palatable without taxing your mind or evoking any tricky or complex emotions. Wind-down products.

Reminds me of someone who said he hates anything, as soon as it gets popular, which is illogical and could rule out something very good. And plenty of popular things were once obscure and only appreciated by those who would consider themselves to be discerning connoisseurs!

Suppose its just that pop is the compromise that enough people can agree on.

Some want death metal, some want funk. We've the one radio, we'll meet in the center at pop.

My colleagues can have 104 on in the background at work all day and I'm only ever mildly annoyed*.
There may even be the rare moment of pleasure.

Most of its so vanilla you don't even hear it.


*(except if it's lighthouse family, or m people)

riemann wrote: »

The definition of blandness is every tom dick and harriet painting everything in their homes grey.

Grey. The most bland colour imaginable, and depressing.

Is white by definition not the blandest colour? Thank god I have arctic blonde on the walls!