Where Macklemore consistently pushes progressive social issues forward through his music, Kanye seems only to try and better his own ego‰Û_

Why are you here? Why did you click on this article? Anyone with any semblance of appreciation for the arts knows full well that there‰’s no argument to be made here, not to mention the gross economic and racial undertones that it would undoubtedly carry. Maybe you wanted that perfect anger-inducing mixture of unacknowledged stupidity and self-seriousness. You could share the link with a caption that adequately demonstrated disagreement without seeming too involved, proving to all of your friends that you aren‰’t bottom-of-the-barrel stupid.

This is my issue with the state of viewership and audience. No one seems to have the time to read serious writing, but we‰’re all somehow able to devote hours to clicking on titillating, half-witted crap day in and day out. Of all the pieces that I‰’ve written, the one with the most views (and thus most successful in the Internet-journalism model) was essentially a multiple paragraph, unedited joke to myself, scrapped together in half an hour because of an inability to come up with something worthwhile to write about. I have no delusions of changing opinions or being taken seriously as a writer, but it‰’s extremely debilitating to learn that all the time I‰’ve spent gushing over life-changing artists is ultimately less noteworthy than pretending that a boring synth-pop artist is better than musical pioneers.

This doesn‰’t end at music, either. Just yesterday there was the uproar over the bloody Kent State sweater. A team of marketers for a massive clothing company isn‰’t unaware enough to think that anyone will approve of or buy that product, but a nation of social media activists are certainly stupid enough to give them free advertising with their impotent outrage over a non-issue. That reflexive negative identification is their marketing plan and the more you do it, the more advertisers are going to up their game. So here‰’s to you, “Grimes vs. Velvet Underground‰” reader. Another titillating title and the guise of an argument that is so outlandishly moronic that it should get no attention whatsoever. Please, let your friends know what an idiot I am, post your angry comments on the link, but whatever you do, don‰’t actually read.

There‰’s an aspect of all of this that is purely psychological and I get that. Visual information is quicker and requires less effort than reading. Click-baiting titles have more of a pull than serious ones. Your tastes are so cemented that you‰’re only entertained by the stupidity of others. Just make an effort to quit eating the fast-food trash information, I promise it‰’s more rewarding in the end. Yes, it takes some self-control and mental effort, but that gets easier with time. Instead of watching another three hours of Gilmore Girls, go watch a Kubrick film. Instead of spending another hour researching indie star gossip, go read the history of some musical movement you‰’re unfamiliar with. Instead of clicking on the article praising Macklemore, go read what any of my fellow columnists have to say about music that‰’s worth listening to.