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April 16, 2005

Mock Me

Lani, getting the last laugh...

In a world where everything is suitable for mockery – like, for instance, Dr. Ruth Wordheimer – I thought I’d come out here today and admit to my most mock-worthy obsessions because... well because I believe that even worse than the superiority-addicts - who can only enjoy things that are obscure enough to almost guarantee no one will mock them for their tastes because no one knows what the hell they’re talking about - are the superiority-victims who are afraid of expressing their tastes for fear someone might disapprove.

So, cover me. I’m going in.

Billy Joel. It has come to my attention is recent years that Billy Joel is becoming the subject of mockery, mostly by the younger crowd but I find that some people from my world are beginning to file their Billy albums under M for Manilow. And while there can be some argument made for a post-Glass Houses degradation in quality in the Joel arcana, I see no shame in rocking out to the occasional “River of Dreams.” So there. And to anyone who has been shamed from exploring Joel because of the mockery, I say, start with “The Stranger.” Vienna waits for you, baby.

General Foods International Coffees. I realize in the days of a Starbucks on every corner – which, just for the crime of being successful, is also endlessly mocked – that enjoying powdered coffee is just about the most mock-worthy of mockable sins. But I’m enjoying a nice cup of Cafe Vienna right now, and I have to say, it’s good, and quite a bit cheaper per serving than anything I’ve ever purchased in any fru-fru cafe, Starbucks or otherwise.

Joss Whedon. Okay, Joss is a bit different from the other examples because the people who know him love him and the people who don't, don't know him to mock him. But still, I've been on the business end of multiple eye rolls since I became a Whedon convert. For those of you unfamiliar with the name, he’s the creator behind Buffy, The Vampire Slayer, Angel: The Series, and Firefly. I myself was an anti-Buffy snob up until last year. When my friends would tell me they thought it was genius, I would mock. “Buffy The Vampire Slayer?” I’d say, my voice dripping with superiority and mocking. “Oh, please.” Well, in the grand tradition of my sitting down to a big steaming plate of crow, I have to say I’ve learned more about writing from watching Buffy The Vampire Slayer than in any workshop I’ve ever taken, hand to God. I’d say Whedon got the last laugh, but what the hell does he care that one more former snob was converted? I definitely got the better end of that deal.

Chick Lit and Romance novels. Okay. I know. I write them, so it doesn't count because I'm only defending myself. But it burns me that anyone has to defend their taste in books. And why is it only women that have to defend themselves? There are just as many bad horror or spy novels out there as bad romance novels, yet it's romance that gets mocked. And, typically, I find it's women doing the mocking. Why? Beats the hell out of me. But I'll take two people falling in love and finding their happily ever after over submarines threatening nuclear holocaust every day of the week and twice on Sundays. S'all I'm saying.

I guess the big picture here is that everyone should just enjoy what they enjoy and don't worry about what other people think. Blast "Copacabana" from your house if it feels good, and doesn't violate any city noise ordinances. Read the pink books if they make you happy inside. Life’s too friggin’ short, I say, to avoid liking things simply because too many other people like them.

Unless you're translating books into Klingon. That's just weird.

Posted by Lani at 2:57 PM