7: Music-3

The other day I was wandering around youtube watching music videos and I stumbled across this: (Warning: F-Bomb)

That's right, it's a Weezer cover of Green Day's immortal "Brain Stew" performed by Rivers with two random people while wearing onesie pajamas. Personally, I think that this is a really good cover. Not necessarily better than the original, mind you, but I think that a good cover doesn't totally HAVE to be better than the original, just different enough to give you another perspective on the song itself.
For example, here's another cover I like of The Beatle's "Eleanor Rigby":

Kinda creepy, check. Slightly sacrilegious, check.
Now, I'm definitely of the opinion that The Beatles was one of the (if not the) most important bands ever to be assembled from a standpoint that their music is awesome, still holds a great deal of sway and influence in the world today and is transcendent in that it seems to have an unsurpassed ability to span generations that I believe music today just doesn't have. But that doesn't mean that the stories they told through their music can't be told from a different perspective. Godhead's cover is extremely different from the original while still holding on to the same form and general mysterious nature of the original. Once again, different, but not necessarily better.
I will say however that there are certain covers that should not have been made. Case in point:

Come on, Plain White T's, I really want to like you guys, but then whenever you lull me into a false sense of security with a decent single you record something like this. Quit screwing with me.

6: Stereotypes

Alright, so I had a really good summer, but all you really need to know about it is that I got married and moved to New York where I am now happily living and going to school some more.
So ever since moving here to New York, I've been very much in shock about the cultural and racial diversity that exists here. Mind you, this is coming from someone who just moved from Bend, OR, where there's probably a total of 8 black people. Now, one thing that you must understand about me is that I'm not necessarily a horrible person, but if I were to say all of the off color, racist things that creep into my head, I would offend the bulk of non-white-christian-males that I come across. And this is primarily because I find stereotypes hilarious.
And the thing that troubles me a little bit is that I don't see anything wrong at all about them, mostly because I don't take them too terribly seriously. In no way do I think that all white people are stiff and awkward or that all mexicans are dirty and lazy or that all jewish people are extraordinarily greedy. Just enough to where a sweeping general statement that is made by a stereotype is not only excusable, but very funny. Also, since when does enjoying fried chicken and watermelon make you black? My general point of view has been that all worthwhile people enjoy fried chicken and watermelon because it's delicious.
I just think that this whole avoiding stereotypes being a horrible thing that should never be brought up thing is just really dumb. Maybe it's just because there isn't a ton of bad press out there against Asians, but I think that there is generally something wrong with people who can't laugh about themselves and are too sensitive to be able to, for lack of a better term, embrace all aspects about themselves.
Which brings me to the other thing that really bugs me about stereotypes. I absolutely hate it when people will gladly accept any positive stereotype about their ethnicity and then freak out about any negative one. For instance, many black people that I know often make jokes about being outstanding athletes, but then absolutely freak out at the hint of a black man joke. That just doesn't seem right to me.
And to me, it shows a certain amount of insecurity with one's self to find offense in parts of yourself while elevating other parts. I, like many Asians, am a terrible driver, but I really love being Asian for many reasons including a generally large prowess in mathematics and so I take the downsides gladly. Why can't it be okay to be an awkward, stiff white man who is in charge of everyone else? Or a lazy, Mexican berry farmer who is really good at boxing and baseball? Or a greedy jewish jeweler who has a very well funded 401k? Show some pride by not freaking out.