We humans have a fucking mess. The whole world has a mess.
I’m frustrated with humanity. There are enough resources for everyone. No one should have to go without water or shelter or food or healthcare. People have the ability to be kind and compassionate. But what do we do? We hoard, we waste, we are fearful and we are assholes.
We exclude people, disregard people who are not like us, and we judge.
Oh. My. God. We judge so hard.
I am not suggesting that we should never judge another person. There are monsters out there. Some of whom are running the United States government right now.
If we want to help people and shift their perspectives or help them feel safe and remind them of good in the world, then we really have to examine our methods for delivering our messages.
I watched a video this morning of a professional musician who posed as a homeless man playing violin in a D.C. train station. This video was a social experiment.
How many people would recognize one of the best violinists in the world playing a violin worth over 3 million dollars?
Would they dismiss his talent because he was dressed as a homeless man?
I had never heard of Joshua Bell, but violin music isn’t something I seek out. Beautiful though. He played for 45 minutes and the 
commentary scrolling over the video bemoaned the lack of people who stopped. One man paused and checked his watch then hurried on. A 3 year old wanted to stop, but his mother made him keep moving.
This took place just before 8:00 AM on a weekday.
Motherfucker, really? People aren’t stopping to listen to the beautiful music because they are rushing for the train so they can go to work? Because being late for work is a thing. I am sure that most people catching a train to go to their stupid cubicle job would much rather listen to a free 45 minute concert.
Unfortunately, they have bills to pay and a boss who watches the goddamn clock. It’s not a fun choice, but catching the train is the choice they have.
And the mom who hurried her kid along? How the fuck do does anyone know where she was going? Maybe, a doctor appointment. Maybe, they were visiting someone dying in the hospital. Maybe, she had a big fight with her husband and they were going to visit her mother. Who the fuck knows?
Maybe, the people who passed up the violinist were oblivious and missed the opportunity to hear a free concert by a musician who can get over $100 a seat.
I watched this video and, instead of appreciating the music, I got annoyed by the text. First of all, why not set this up in a park at mid-morning where you are likely to get people coming by who aren’t rushing to get to work? Perhaps, then you would get a sampling of people who would be more likely to stop.
It seemed that the “experiment” was set up in a way where humans passing by would look like self-absorbed assholes and wouldn’t know a virtuoso if he bit them on the ass.
I love how we can discredit shit by putting it in quotes. For instance: “People” who eat “hummingbird” eggs are monsters who should be shunned. From that sentence, we know the people aren’t really people, but instead are puppets made from iceberg lettuce. And hummingbird eggs are fictional, like Santa Claus or an honest politician. Or am I confused about how quotations work?
I get the point of the experiment. It’s in our best interest to slow down and appreciate beauty around us. Pay attention to the art other humans make, even if they are dressed in rags. I get that. It’s not a bad message.
How about just presenting the message? Why create a dialogue that is meant to shame people?
Oh, you sad, sad human. This gift was right in front of you and you pissed it away. This is what is wrong with the world.
If we want to make the world a more accepting and worthwhile place to be, then why don’t we try helping people without being supercilious twat monsters? Because that shit isn’t helpful.
I do need to pay more attention to what is happening around me. I do need to take time to appreciate more of the beautiful and artsy and creative side of life. But don’t fucking try to shame me into it.
Don’t create an atmosphere where people are more likely to pass on by and then point your finger and talk about how much they are missing out.
I have to assume the people who set up this experiment knew rush hour in a subway wasn’t when they would get people at their best. So what point were they trying to make? It’s kind of like they were setting humanity up to fail.
By “kind of” I mean “exactly”.
How is this shit helpful?
Or am I turning into a cranky old woman?
Here is my message to you: Please try to notice good around you. Try to find beauty. Bring happiness and light to life when you can. Be receptive when people bring happiness and light to you. Also, if you’re in a hurry because you’re late for work and you miss out on something you would have loved to experience, it’s okay. We don’t have to let anyone shame us or trick us into feeling bad about ourselves. Especially, when so many struggle to feel good about ourselves.
Well said. . . as usual.
Thank you!!!
Thanks, slowing down sounds nice. I think I’ll give it a try! Thanks for the reminder!
You’re welcome!
Michelle,
Today, on the 30th anniversary of the release of Joshua Tree – I urge you to search for the stunt Jimmy Fallon did with U2 that mirrors the violin experiment. It’s music way more relevant to us and just as quirky. It may not prompt us to slow down, but I smiled. Smiled a lot.
Okay!!!! I will do that when I get home!
I saw that video, but didn’t think much about it. You’re absolutely correct. They set it up to make it seem like people are immune to beauty. A concert on a weekend in the park would have gotten lots more attention. But that wasn’t the point. Kudos for pointing that out.
I am just really frustrated because there is SO MUCH we have to work on and fix and shit like this just drags people down. Be helpful. Don’t shame people.
Even a rush hour evening would have been better, people have a few minutes sometimes then. But on the way in it’s “oh fuck I’m late when was my meeting I’m forgetting something shit shit shit.” No time to process anything. And the older I get the harder the mornings are…and I just drive in. And it takes me like 20 minutes…just need to stop being mean.
I am ALWAYS running late in the mornings, because I don’t want to go to work. I would have been someone who hurried by.
Another point to consider is that amazing, uplifting, glorious music is played EVERY DAY ALL OVER THE SUBWAY SYSTEM. The acoustics are said to be superb. So not only did they choose a location where passersby are White Rabitting, but also where this behavior is the norm, so yawn.
I have several pieces of Bell’s in my music library but damn if I would recognize him in that situation, randomly emulating one of the many buskers inside the busyness.
Good callout. Find the video and link this post.
Well, I didn’t think of that. And you are right…another fine point!
You are right! Setting people up to fail is good internet fodder. Fewer people would pass along a video of the same virtuoso playing in the park with all the people watching. That’s not as interesting, nor does it make the same point. I think we do need to slow down and smell the roses, pick up the trash, and listen to the music. But if we have to be somewhere, we can do that later and it will all be OK. Being responsible doesn’t make us bad people. Listening to beautiful music without someone yelling at me through the screen I never want to do. I’ll close my eyes and dream of the park instead of reading their judgemental words.
I watched the video that Doug linked to in his comment and it made me feel MUCH better.
I assume you’re familiar with the book and the movie ‘The Soloist’. And I’m going to say upfront that I’ve only seen part of the movie and never read the book so I’m completely talking out of my ass here but here goes anyway: that encounter between a journalist and a talented but homeless person says more about us than this experiment.
It says how complicated our world is and also how that complicatedness is largely self-inflicted.
But taking what we have, and taking the time when we have it to look for the beauty in the world, can make a difference.
OMG! I was seriously getting on here to recommend The Soloist! Christopher, I am beginning to think more and more that you and I were meant to be Siamese twins.
Seriously, though, that book touched me on about a bazillion different levels, and it is almost exactly this experiment, but real and sincere and not an experiment but real life.
Also, I highly recommend the book. The movie’s good, but the book, written by the journalist, is phenomenal.
Mwah, lovelies!
Okay, I am convinced. I am ordering the book now.
I am familiar with them as in I know they exist, but I haven’t seen the movie or read the book. I am going to remedy that.
Exactly!
Also to “supercilious twat monsters” – LOVE this and am so stealing 🙂
You are absolutely right. I’m a violinist and a great fan of Joshua Bell, and if i’do been scurrying thru the subway that day, I couldn’t have stopped long enough to appreciate this. I’d have applauded, maybe…I hope he was well reimbursed for this stunt
You are absolutely right. I’m a violinist and a great fan of Joshua Bell, and if i’do been scurrying thru the subway that day, I couldn’t have stopped long enough to appreciate this. I’d have applauded, maybe…I hope he was well reimbursed for this stunt
Yes, I would have applauded, too! I am in awe of people who can play music. I am an avid listener, but have zero talent.
Loved your message today, Michelle. I agree that this sounds like a stunt designed to fail (or show our failure as humans to appreciate genius). I guess they chose the right time and place to prove their point.
Thank you so much! XO
You make an excellent point, Michelle. Sometimes it feels as if we’re always being tested/set up, while most of us are simply trying to do the best we can (with the exception of the asshats in the GOP). Thanks for the affirmation!
Nailed it!
Thank you!!!
Well said. Honestly, if nobody actually threw rubbish at him, that’s about as close as you’re going to get to a rapt and respectful audience in that venue. But the folks behind that project got to feel smug and I’m sure the lovely music actually did make a few minutes of everyone’s commute a little bit nicer, so in reality… some good was actually accomplished? For a given value of “good,” that is.
My standards are pretty low these days.
You know, I bet it did make their commute nicer, even if they didn’t react.
I would have recognized Joshua Bell, I would have stopped and listened and given him money! That’s one of the things I like about myself. Pat on own back 🙂 Thanks.
I think we could all stand to pat ourselves on the back a bit more.
The other day and neighbor’s 2yo daughter was out wandering by the road. I noticed her and returned her home. The mother was annoyed with me and I found myself apologizing for helping out so her kids didn’t get run over or snatched up. It takes a village and we’ve lost that mentality. We don’t know our neighbors, we don’t appreciate things because we are mindlessly absorbed in our own wanting. Taking time for the little things is what life is all about! Rant on about this! I’m with you!
What the hell? You SAVED HER KID!!! How is a thank you not in order? Wow.
Well written and very interesting! There are many different issues here as I see them. 1) Whether people can notice the good around them when not in the form they expect it. 2) Whether people can take time for themselves. 3) How certain things are presented and 4) Anon comments on certain sites. There are probably more, but that is what stuck out with me.
In no particular order, I do wonder if maybe the experiment itself just wasn’t thought out that well. Anyone who could take time out in the middle of the weekday to do this maybe comes from a place of unconscious privilege where everyone should be able to take that time Maybe it wasn’t done purposefully to set others up to fail but rather just not thought through. That unconscious privilege is a bitch in and of itself of course, especially as it’s hard to recognize. Of course maybe it was just a dickish thing to do in the hopes people would prove a thesis already set up.
In addition, for the sake of argument, or my argument I guess, let’s say it *was* done instead a sunny day on a weekend and the people still did not stop to listen. And? It would have been their “loss”. (yes, the dreaded air quotes because my point is who knows what someone has to do or has on his or her mind at any time of day). They aren’t hurting anyone by walking by as long as they’re not, for example, spitting on someone else as they walk by (which has been done to homeless people before). Who are they hurting and therefore what is the point of trying to shame them?
Finally, at one point relatively recently (probably after Obama was elected President…seriously), I started to see a pattern on certain sites and I stopped reading comments, for example on youtube, yahoo, news articles and the like because that is where the proof is on how horrible people can be. I look at the video or read the article and then I’m done with it. Too many chances for anon asshats to ruin something by posting comments, usually irrelevant stuff, about how someone looks, or why they hate so and so and want so and so to fail or even die, or how lazy someone is. Et cetera….faith in humanity goes down and I don’t need any more reasons to lose faith.
All of that said (this post really peaked my sociological interests!), in the end, I try and notice kind things people do as nice things–like open the door for others, or flash a smile, or wave a pedestrian through who is trying to cross the street, or stand in line to give blood after a tragedy, or go to airports to protest. I notice the other, opposite actions as well, some days more than others, but I do try and keep my eyes open to the good because really, we all need it.
I had to read this a few times to take it all in. Thank you so much for this.
Oh yes, you have got it.
Walk a mile in my shoes before pointing fingers.
There are days when I am standing in a grocery line and thinking if others knew what was going on for me and my husband right now they ‘might’ forgive me for not noticing the world around me.
We just have to be fucking kinder to each other. Every. Single. Fucking. Day.
Yes! Yes we do need that. Every day.
Yeah, this made me think of “The Soloist” also. That book really resonated with me, as I know more than a few brilliant musicians (maybe not Juilliard students like Nathaniel Ayers, but brilliant all the same) who can’t keep their lives together well enough to do anything with their abilities.
I don’t know if there are just a lot of busking performers around the Bay Area, but when I used to ride BART a lot, it was fairly common to find someone(s) playing amazing music in the BART station. The Embarcadero station has some really good acoustics in certain places, and I’ve seen various instrumentalists playing there, usually in the evening commute hours when people are more likely to have time to listen and money to give.
Once I came up out of the downtown Berkeley station and there was a Peruvian band playing harmonies on pan pipes that brought tears to my eyes, but I didn’t have any money to give them. They didn’t seem to mind.
So a lot of things happen out there in the world, and now there are a lot of people trying to get famous on YouTube by making videos of them, and some are really good, and some not so much. I like this one quite a bit:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbJcQYVtZMo
I was going to post this same video, it’s one of my favorite things on the Internet!!
I loved it so much. So uplifting.
Aaaaand that made me cry. hahaha. I LOVE this. I love how happy music makes people. I think that’s why I dislike it being used to bludgeon people. Thank you for this.
Every time it is an eleciton year, far right wing and far left wing media send people out to rallies for the “other side” to ask fans of the right or the left simple questions to prove how stupid the “other side” is.
I hate that. I feel the same way you felt about this.
After all, not only have I frozen up on camera before, I always think that, hey, at least these people cared enough to show up at a political event.
It’s not hard to find reasons to insult people if you’re looking. I hope I don’t look for that. I’d rather look for reasons to connect with other people.
I am with you on that. I so value the connections I make.
It reminds me of that stupid picture that everyone circulates of a group of teens staring at their smart phones in an art gallery. They were actually watching gallery-sponsored content about the works, so they could discuss it in class.
See? That shit drives me nuts. It is NOT helpful.