Letters to the Editor
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A Tiny bit of "Self-Loathing" - Good Thing (In Rock & Roll, Anyways)
learn to stop hating themselves, as adolescent girls are wont to do.
There's nothing wrong with an adolescent girl (or boy, too...may I remind Broadsheet that many/most teen boys suffer their own share of self-loathing) feeling okay about themselves, their talents, etc.
But please: let's hope they don't go to the other extreme and promote mindless self-esteem either! (As many schools/camps are wont to do.)
Look - there are already enough Hannah Montanas making music out there. (Which is to say: one is enough) I've got nothing against tunes about feelin' happy and well-balanced and crushin' on cute hotties and always obeying your parents and teachers and God and all of that...
But Rock & Roll??
Man, rock & roll is at least partly descended from the blues - which is at least part of what makes it so f#^kin' great. It's also partly descended from the music of hellraisers like Hank Williams and Jerry Lee Lewis...
A little...just a little...loathing - of maybe yourself, of maybe the asshole(s) who broke your heart, of all the teachers/preachers/cops/politicos who are all just bricks in the wall - can make for some righteous rock & roll.
So hear's hoping that this camp not be a Disneyified "Angst-Free Zone"...
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agreed with lonewolfy
The kids in our society seemed to be trapped at two extremes of the self-esteem spectrum. First, there are the people that this camp is clearly aimed at... low self image, depressed, etc. But as a 21 year old college student, I can also say that there are a shit ton of kids who are spoiled beyond belief, and are apparently victims of the self esteem movement. These people feel like they are entitled to anything and everything they desire, they think that having a thought every now and then is evidence of their unparalleled genius, they think they will all be the next best thing and not have to work an ounce to get there. Yeah, there are a lot of people who suffer from too little self esteem, but there are also legions of people who have been warped by being constantly told by their parents that they are special and unique and naturally smarter than the other kids and incredibly talented, etc.
Hopefully this camp will not feed those egos that should be kept in check by reality and the simple fact that not everyone is good at everything, all the time.
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Speak loudly and carry a soft stick
The microphone bit is the essence. Girls, even ones raised in forward-thinking environments, are still often taught that boys may be loud, boistrous, and flamboyant but that girls should be well-behaved and quietly turn their work in on time.
Implicit in that dynamic is the idea that, as women, their voices will remain quieter and less public. If something as goofy as a rock and roll camp teaches girls how to speak with a voice that fills rooms, then more power to everyone involved.
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send them to jazz camp
At least the resulting movie wouldn't be like a 90-minute Shaggs concert.