So, I just joined this little online shindig specifically in order to post a comment to this outrageous piece of shit article. I've never blogged, never done message boards, nothing. However, there are few things in this world that make me more angry than an ignorant writer, considering that it is my goal one day to become the exact opposite of that. This being said...
Your entire point makes absolutely no sense. Sure, this kid was "emo," but have you ever thought that maybe labeling someone like that in the first place could have been one of the problems in this young man's life? Have you ever thought that maybe it takes a LITTLE bit more than the music you listen to or the movies you watch or the video games you play to make you do the things you do? If you listen to The Clash, does that automatically make you a punk who has to be anti-government and therefore a danger to society? If you listen to Phish, does that make you a "hippie" who doesn't shower and walks around wearing tye die everyday? No. And IF this man listened to Bright Eyes in the first place, I'm pretty sure that the only effect it would have on his life would have been a comforting one.
Bright Eyes, as many people have probably mentioned, isn't emo. I'm not even sure that Bright Eyes can be labeled anymore in terms of music, and I'm not sure that it should be. It's music, and it reaches millions of people. The lyrics that you pointed to in your article, are possibly some of the most touching and ANTI violent lyrics that you could have chosen. As someone who has every Bright Eyes album ever made, I feel pretty confident in saying that. The entire album that you're quoting from is an anti-war and pro-peace album. So if this kid listened to it, he certainly wouldn't have gotten any of his homicidal ideals from it.
As someone who has thought of suicide, who has wanted to die, and who has gone through hard times like this young man has, I can confidently say that listening to Bright Eyes only made me feel better. Not like I wanted to go and kill anyone that ever made me hurt. Bright Eyes is some of the most peaceful, soulful, and insightful music that is being written nowadays. If you want to look to violent music, look anywhere else but here.
Just because Saddle Creek is based out of Omaha doesn't mean that Bright Eyes, the record label, or Conor Oberst had anything to do with this young man's terrible decision. As stated before, he probably had severe mental issues that were going untreated, coupled with the regular pain of being a teenager, coupled with a bad family life. If you want to blame anything, which I do not think is wise in the first place, blame those things. But most of all, blame his own selfishness. Not Conor Oberst or Mike Mogis' genius. But do you even know who Mike Mogis is? Probably not. Because you know nothing about Bright Eyes. If you wanted a monster of the week, you should have picked someone who is wholly responsible for their music, not someone who is in a BAND. Sure he's the lead singer, but there are others involved in the music-making process.
I'd like to end my rant and rave with some harsh, and probably un-intelligent sounding words. One of my teachers once told me that swearing is an excuse for not having a good vocabulary, but I think in this case, my profanities should be let go. You're a fucking douchebag and I hope you seriously understand that. Listen to the music, put it in context of the fucked up and crazy world that we're living in, and then try to tell anyone that it's negative and violent. I honestly think that you might be one of the dumbest people on planet earth if you really think Conor Oberst is a monster. So with that, fuck off. And have a great day.
So, I just joined this little online shindig specifically in order to post a comment to this outrageous piece of shit article. I've never blogged, never done message boards, nothing. However, there are few things in this world that make me more angry than an ignorant writer, considering that it is my goal one day to become the exact opposite of that. This being said...
Your entire point makes absolutely no sense. Sure, this kid was "emo," but have you ever thought that maybe labeling someone like that in the first place could have been one of the problems in this young man's life? Have you ever thought that maybe it takes a LITTLE bit more than the music you listen to or the movies you watch or the video games you play to make you do the things you do? If you listen to The Clash, does that automatically make you a punk who has to be anti-government and therefore a danger to society? If you listen to Phish, does that make you a "hippie" who doesn't shower and walks around wearing tye die everyday? No. And IF this man listened to Bright Eyes in the first place, I'm pretty sure that the only effect it would have on his life would have been a comforting one.
Bright Eyes, as many people have probably mentioned, isn't emo. I'm not even sure that Bright Eyes can be labeled anymore in terms of music, and I'm not sure that it should be. It's music, and it reaches millions of people. The lyrics that you pointed to in your article, are possibly some of the most touching and ANTI violent lyrics that you could have chosen. As someone who has every Bright Eyes album ever made, I feel pretty confident in saying that. The entire album that you're quoting from is an anti-war and pro-peace album. So if this kid listened to it, he certainly wouldn't have gotten any of his homicidal ideals from it.
As someone who has thought of suicide, who has wanted to die, and who has gone through hard times like this young man has, I can confidently say that listening to Bright Eyes only made me feel better. Not like I wanted to go and kill anyone that ever made me hurt. Bright Eyes is some of the most peaceful, soulful, and insightful music that is being written nowadays. If you want to look to violent music, look anywhere else but here.
Just because Saddle Creek is based out of Omaha doesn't mean that Bright Eyes, the record label, or Conor Oberst had anything to do with this young man's terrible decision. As stated before, he probably had severe mental issues that were going untreated, coupled with the regular pain of being a teenager, coupled with a bad family life. If you want to blame anything, which I do not think is wise in the first place, blame those things. But most of all, blame his own selfishness. Not Conor Oberst or Mike Mogis' genius. But do you even know who Mike Mogis is? Probably not. Because you know nothing about Bright Eyes. If you wanted a monster of the week, you should have picked someone who is wholly responsible for their music, not someone who is in a BAND. Sure he's the lead singer, but there are others involved in the music-making process.
I'd like to end my rant and rave with some harsh, and probably un-intelligent sounding words. One of my teachers once told me that swearing is an excuse for not having a good vocabulary, but I think in this case, my profanities should be let go. You're a fucking douchebag and I hope you seriously understand that. Listen to the music, put it in context of the fucked up and crazy world that we're living in, and then try to tell anyone that it's negative and violent. I honestly think that you might be one of the dumbest people on planet earth if you really think Conor Oberst is a monster. So with that, fuck off. And have a great day.