Swift Economic Impact

All monkeys and apes have opposable thumbs. They and many other animals make crude tools. Neanderthals had all those things as well, as well as larger brains, according to more recent research. They all have lacked our cognitive abilities to imagine things that don't exist in reality, and then to communicate and organize with each other based on those "imagined truths."

Our ability to make things like MRIs or particle accelerators is based on our ability to collectively collaborate across family or intimate tribal lines, and to communicate our imagined ideas to each other.

 

I don’t listen to her at all, and I am indifferent at best about her music, but why is what she does any more trivial than college or professional sports or any of the other things relating to entertainment? Clearly people value these things. In the scheme of things she seems like she is more positive, normal and “wholesome” than most artists so I’ll give her credit for that.

 

One could even ask how what she provides is more trivial than religion. She is a corporeal being that provides real content that benefits those who follow or believe in her. Contrast that with a higher power or god that offers no tangible proof of existence and no tangible benefit to believers beyond what they provide for themselves based on their faith.

 

Hello I Boy -

I'm not so much dissing Ms Swift as pointing out the ridiculous lengths our society goes to when projecting famous people such as herself. I actually like some of her combative songs directed against boyfriends that jilted her.

But at the end of the day she makes vocal fold vibration by modulating airflow through the glottis with accompanying instruments. Also refeered to as "singing" or "music".
Something almost ANY human can do, just with far more limited popularity.

If I were in charge of the shit show called American Culture I would be rewarding: Scientists, Academics, Archeologists, those in the Medical Profession, and Intellectuals far more than those blowing wind through the glottis.

But I'm not in charge, so lets ponder the wisdom of rewarding the Swifts and Little Wayne's far more richly than those that make actual contributions to science, human welfare and things of that sort.

 

Off the top of my head, I think a key difference is the collaborative nature of major scientific breakthroughs makes it hard for one individual to claim ownership. So people don't exactly know who to celebrate when they use their microwave, receive antibiotics or cutting edge chemo to kill their cancer, etc. It's much easier to put a name and face to the ultimate creator of something like "Shake It Off" or "Born to Run."

Same reason that movie actors have all the crazy fans, and much less so the directors or producers of the movies. The actors ultimately "create" the characters that people connect with on the screen.

And on top of that, with minimal preplanning or equipment, musicians/performers at least can recreate their product on the fly, making it easy to repeatedly showcase to those who appreciate it.

Lastly, music and arts connect on an emotional level, which trigger much more brain chemistry around dopamine and serotonin levels compared to things like commercial airplanes or satellite telescopes.

 

That’s kind of an elitist point of view. I was listening to a podcast Huberman lab and he was saying that some people think music actually became before language. By your analysis you could say the same think about talking - just the vibration of vocal cords, while totally discarding the advanced communication that may be taking place.

Obviously there is something visceral about music and to some degree entertainment. While star worship seems kind of trivial that is pretty common trait of humans. Would you rather them worship someone like Taylor Swift, as an opposed to Vladimir Putin or Kim Jung Un?

Ultimately Taylor swift is a wealth creator. People gladly pay to listen to music and attend shows. Clearly people value it and will spend hard earned money to experience it - and that wealth ultimately gets back to areas such as science and medicine and more serious matters.

 

Well I Boy, go buy her collection and send her a donation. My position remains, a better society would value others contributions far more than "singers", and those "others" would be rewarded more richly for those contributions.

I made no mention of totalitarian dictators, totally off subject IMO.

And how you got to the Putin / Kim Jung Un comparo is beyond me.

 

Your notions of better society often lead to totalitarian / socialist notions where some think they know best for everyone, but yet that often just leads to those in power seeking power.

I assume in your world you would shut down college football and redirect funds to academics?

 

I agree with your take about overly rewarding certain artists, but couldn't disagree more with your general point about musicians. Music is an art, a craft, a skill, and a discipline. It has the potential to stimulate intellect as much as just about any other endeavor. Further, it has the potential to impact health and well-being in unique and profound ways.

Music, along with logical/mathematical and linguistics, is one of Howard Gardner's discrete intelligences. Further, certain musical activities (esp. instrumental performance and improvisation) uniquely stimulate both hemispheres of the brain. The neuroscience is relatively new and compelling. Here's some light reading on the topic:

Activities That Work Out Your Brain

Keep Your Brain Young with Music

Why is music good for the brain? - Harvard Health

How Music Affects Your Brain
Turns out that not only listening to music, but making it, also has significant benefits. For example, mothers sing to their babies to help relieve symptoms of postpartum depression and enhance bonding by reducing cortisol, a major stress hormone. And people with dementia are singing too, accessing autobiographical musical memories encoded in multiple brain regions that have not been damaged by the disease. The result is a radical presence with family and friends, if only for a short time.

 

Minimal preplanning? To produce a meaningful work of musical art? You're kidding, right? You're right about the emotional power of music and art, but seem to be neglecting music's intellectual value.

 

Try this - go two days w/o any music. I double dog dare ya. No TV. No football. No radio in the car. You can go shopping, but must wear ear muffs. Avoid also: Hotel lobbys, restaurants, computers, virtually any sort of media, coffee shops, gyms, public spaces where musicians are performing or where music is projected on speakers. You may need muffs in the car, too, to avoid Mr. Hip Hop thumpy bass in the next vehicle.

Your assertion about a "better society" is patently absurd. A society that devalues or undervalues music sucks. John Adams, otoh, got it:

"I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy. My sons ought to study mathematics and philosophy, geography, natural history, naval architecture, navigation, commerce and agriculture in order to give their children a right to study painting, poetry, music, architecture, statuary, tapestry, and porcelain."

 

Sounds like you have a problem with free market capitalism. And I agree - I don’t think there is a billionaire on this earth that is “worth” what they have. I’m just not singling out singing/entertaining like you seemingly are.

 

Minimal preplanning to reproduce. Creating music or any art obviously takes a ton of work and planning, but Taylor Swift (or any singer) can probably perform almost any of her hits acapella with very little prep needed.

 

I need to read Sapiens again. He explains this brilliantly in that book and you’re spot on. Things like countries and the economy or the value of money or gold only exist in our collective imaginations and that’s most certainly what sets our species apart.

 

I don't think that's correct in any way. Performing music at a high level takes a ridiculous amount of preparation. I'm not really sure what your point is. You seem to be claiming that performing music is easier than certain other disciplines. Singing is certainly an attainable skill that most can achieve at some basic level. Most non-musicians, though, have little idea the extraordinary lengths that high level musicians go to in order to create and perform. Folks think it's just done, like magic. It's just made up and it's just "fun." Bullcrap. As I stated above, it's art, but also discipline, intellect, and a shit ton of roll up your sleeves and work your ass off - to do it well, that is.

 

That's amazing. The NFL is a behemoth in and of itself and deserves no help marketingwise.

I love the game but hate the business.

But the one area they do feel deficient and in which they aggressively pursue growth is female fans. Taylor's going to be a big help with that. I can't think of any organization that is less deserving, but it is what it is.

 

She has actually donated a sizable portion of her ticket sales in each city to local food banks. Some have received enough to fund themselves for a year or more.