182 It is tempting to read Evyn and Jocelyn’s emphatic disliking of MTV, and Jesse’s
automatic mentioning of, and strongly dismissive attitude towards Disney music, and argue that what is demonstrated in the above extracts is a form of cultural
resistance to the mainstream. However, as I argued in Chapter 3, the term resistance has a political connotation, and thus I argue that, if not for any other
reason, it should be used appropriately for the sake of conceptual accuracy. Hence, the
ArtsyIndie
young people do not like most mainstream media culture because it clashes with their aesthetic preferences. This is not the same as having a political
and ethical objection to it as expressed by some of the
CriticalPolitical
young people. To put it simply, the
CriticalPolitical
young people tend to resist mainstream media-culture, the
ArtsyIndie
young people tentatively reject it.
Jose’s response is especially exemplary of this more tentative rejection, where he expresses an informed and sophisticated structural understanding of why
mainstream music and radio are so bland and formulaic, but at the same time admitting, and rather surprisingly given his obvious Heavy-Metal look and
identity, that he listens to some very mainstream pop songs, again noting their positive affective properties as his rationale for doing so.
6.2 Apolitical Dispositions
Another key characteristic of the
ArtsyIndie
young people is that they tended to separate their aesthetic agency from their political agency, keeping the two
forms relatively mutually exclusive. Although pronounced affective and aesthetic dispositions can be arguably expected from individuals that partake in cultural
production of whatever form, what struck me as interesting is that these young people’s aesthetic agency was not explicitly linked to a form of political agency.
Indeed in some instances the
ArtsyIndie
young people seemed hostile to the fusing of musical aesthetics with politics. Phillip, Zack, Tiffany, and Gloria, for
example, all of whom I asked specifically if they engaged with political media seemed to prefer to keep the domains of music and politics separate:
Rudy: What type of music do you listen to mostly?
Phillip: Pink Floyd, is most definitely my favourite band. I don’t only like it
because it’s different from other bands, but because it’s sombre. I like sombre and it’s really good music with a really good message?
Rudy: Like what kind of messages do you get from it?
183 Phillip:
Like in The Wall [song by Pink Floyd], I don’t like how Roger
Waters turned it into a political message, but before it was the social message [that I liked]. Like how little things can break down a
person’s stability and make them be ostracized from society. […] Music is very important you know it’s kind of like a drug.
59
Zoo participant
Rudy: Do you listen to any political music?
Gloria: I don’t really listen to music to get a meaning from it. I mean some
people do and good for them, but I rea lly don’t. South-Central LA
participant
Rudy: Do you listen to any political music?
Zack: Like what?
Rudy: I don’t know, like Rage Against The Machine or something like that.
Zack Um. Not really. I mean I listen to them, and I’ve heard a few of their
songs… Rudy:
But political music in general doesn’t do it for you? Zack:
No I guess not. Zoo participant
Rudy: Do you ever listen to any types of political music?
Tiff: Not really?
Rudy: Any particular reason why not?
Tiff: I don’t know, it doesn’t really interest me. South-Central LA
participant
These strong valence apolitical dispositions, manifested in an automatic avoidance of, andor disinterest in politics, can also be inferred from the rationales
they gave for their consumption practices, which, while use-value oriented, did not tend to invoke any political or ethical concerns. For example, in the following
extracts, Gloria seems to be aware of the exploitative origins of her clothes, but is admittedly unconcerned about this, while in the cases of Zack and Veronica, their
awareness of the likely exploitative origins of their products is noticeably absent. Rudy:
Well besides Luz who doesn’t purchase brand name clothing because of where they come from. Lupe and Gloria, how does this affect your
shopping? […]
59
Phillip’s answer can be contrasted to the following short response from the CriticalPolitical youth Luz.
Rudy: Give me one particular song that you really like? And Why? Luz: Pink Floyd -
Comfortably Not. I think it’s a commentary on society.
184 Gloria:
I think it’s a biased. Let’s say you don’t like Nike’s so you go and say hey you know little kids who get paid ten cents an hour make those.
But when it’s something you like you kind of ignore it. Rudy:
So because it’s a particular brand you don’t like you’re more disposed to say well it’s made by so and so where as if it’s something you like
it doesn’t really matter? Gloria:
I thinks it’s you try but you don’t really care. I’m not trying to sound mean but yeah. South-Central LA participant
Rudy: Now some of the stuff that you do purchase in these malls, do you
know where they’re usually made? Zack:
No, I’m not sure. Zoo participant
Rudy: Are you aware of some of the conditions where certain clothes are
made? Veronica: kind of.
Rudy: Can you sort of elaborate on that?
Veronica: Like what do you mean? Rudy:
Like you said kind of, what came to your mind when you said kind of?
Veronica: Like do I really care? Rudy:
No not necessarily, um just like do you know what kind of conditions certain clothes are made?
Veronica: I don’t really get the question.
Rudy: Like sweatshops for instance, stuff like that. Are you familiar with
these concepts? Veronica: Not really.
Rudy: Or like environmental impact that certain products have?
Veronica: Sort of I guess, it depends on the pers on. For me, I don’t really care.
I’m more into like my stuff, like pictures and stuff. I don’t really look outside.
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Bresse participant
6.3 Complicated Contestation of Neoliberalism
