(trying to get people to consume what they don't want to)
It seems there is always the question of accessibility vs. honesty, peace vs. genuineness, the voice of the masses vs. my own voice. I live in a world where the only way to say what we have to say and be heard is by coloring it with a voice that's appropriate for the audience. There's this dynamic conflict between what we are trying to express (what we know to be true) and how we will be received. And how we will be received directly affects the impact our message makes on other people. It's a sort of pragmatism vs. idealism.
While in couples counseling with an exboyfriend, we talked about what pisses us off. I was infuriated when I saw that the cereal box was open . . . my cereal box. My possessions were violated and, more objectively, the cereal would become stale or fall over and spill. I decided that I was going to behavioristically train my exboyfriend not to do this by reminding him every time I observed him leave the cereal box open, to close it. I guess I was nagging him and it caused a lot of strife between us. The couples counselor suggested I observe a spectrum of genuineness and peace to deal with the situation. I would ask myself: "how important is it to me to express myself about this; how important is it to me that I not have conflict with my boyfriend" and in this way I would assess the situation and make a decision about how to talk to him. I found myself silenced by shame at the idea that I would sacrifice peace with this man I loved for my selfish desire to express myself. So the cereal went stale and he and I broke up.
Sometimes vulnerable words are discarded because they are boring or ugly. Beautiful art is ignored because it is too complicated or unrelatable. Audiences still hate Schoenberg's Expressionism of the early 20th century that sought to express something without being swayed by artistic pleasantries, musical mores, or anything the audience might want to hear. I’ve never heard of anyone being offended by Mozart's music that was designed to be clear, symmetrical, repetitive, and mostly accessible. In music and maybe in general, it's hard to be heard if you're not making it easier for people to listen.
There might be a sort of compromise or a middle way. It is so important that we express ourselves honestly, but choosing the situation to express ourselves might be the key. I feel like a vapid lyer when I become a social chameleon, but sitting at home at night watching anime sort of sucks too.
