QOTW New Years's Eve 2008

ahzaz · January 2, 2009, 1:52am

Not gonna lie, i started lifting to look good, not “for myself.” I hardly ever make visible gains becuase theyre usually just hidden away under a nice thick layer, but do i care? I still workout afterschool.

If i really looked GOOD in skinny jeans, and my balls still had space to breathe, why not wear them? Dont YOU feel comfortable in clothing you think you look good in? And who cares if other guys are interested in skinny anorexic looking women?

Doesnt that leave more of the REAL women for you? If theres 200 guys and 200 girls, and 150 of those guys love skinny girls, and theres only 100 skinny girls, they’ll have competition. On the other hand, the 50 that like real women have 100 women to choose from. Seriously guys. And i know im 15 and that my thoughs are different but some of you guys need to keep to yourselves.

Who cares what my neighbor is wearing, becuase at the end of the day the only person you have to worry about is yourself.

FormerlyTexasGuy · January 2, 2009, 1:54am

[quote]Professor X wrote:
Professor X wrote:
I know I usually do these in the T-Cell, but I thought posting it here would allow more responses.

I’m sending this to you knowing that you probably haven’t gone the way of most of the people I’ve been observing on this forum. Specifically on the Sex and the Male Animal threads.

What is going wrong with these people? Anything said by Sickabz or FormerlyTex- would prove to be a prime example of the slippery slope is seems all men are headed?

I’m sure you’ve seen some of these threads that give you the line of though I’m writing about in some perturbed confusion and disappointment. The Beyonce one, the Muscular Legs one. Even the Ass Worship and You Got Curves thread seem to be slowly going out of fashion.

The women! What happened to women like we’re supposed to like them. Curvy, round with hills slopes and mounds, healthy, not gaunt and not fat. I’m sick of reading posts about these men calling some perfect examples of womanly beauty and illustrative inculpable figures of these divine feminines FAT or disgusting or nasty. What happened!? What is wrong with this? I don’t just see it here, I see it all over where I am. Hopefully it’s a new trend and not something in the water.

Hopefully this is some subtle hysteria manifesting itself in the weak willed and weak minded. Preference is one thing, preference is fine and natural and I would respect that, but what I see is forced and zealous opinion, belief, and a strongly inflexible attraction and that makes me think something is slowly going awry as these changes seem to not be limited to all things which rush blood to our loins. I’m slowly beginning to see the metrosexual pretty boy’s come back into style and standard. But maybe this is all just me.

Am I alone on this one? Or does it seem that the so-called T-Men on here need a smack upside the head, to get them reoriented? Or maybe this seventeen year old is looking backwards while everyone is going forwards.

…

Just to respond directly, many of the guys here seem ready to hand their balls over to a girl just so they can get laid. That is the only explanation I can think of for living your life as if you are trying to be all things to all women.

All women do not think alike, even if they act like it when in large groups with their friends. If you are making yourself into some kind of Backstreet Boy clone just to get laid, you may end up losing yourself as a result.

A man is going to do what makes him happy and allows him to reach his own life goals. My personal goals are not based on whether it makes me sexy. That isn’t why I went to school. I like attention like the next guy, but some hoe I’ve never met is not what gets me up in the morning and in the gym.

While I have yet to meet all of these women who hate muscles, and that attention is an added benefit (no doubt), if that is your sole reason for why you are who you are, you are one sad excuse for a man.

As far as people finding Beyonce “FAT”, that is just stupidity at work.[/quote]

Well we were given Fat or Phat as options in that thread.

Responding directly as I was mentioned directly, I did say Beyonce is attractive, but Imo not a super fox.

I think the quoted guy is assuming quite a bit.

I do think many of the women in the thick legs thread are ugly and way too masculine. Most guys do and always have.

Never has the generally accepted ideal feminine physique been that of a man with fake tits.

Now I like a pair of toned legs. Fitness model as opposed to body builder.

Anyways, I’m not sure what this thread’s point is other than calling attention to my opinions, which is apparently a negative thing, but If I offend anyone fuck’em.

I’m surprised I am discussed quite frankly. I had no idea my opinions carried to others so heavily.

Also, I don’t take forums very seriously. I have given serious opinions in the mentioned threads, though most of my posts were largely jokes. I don’t really think the tiger guy is a homo.

Or that people who like muscular women are gay. Unless a guy has sex with a guy he isn’t gay.

I do find it honestly strange that men are attracted to masculine qualities in women however. Technically gay or not.

And if anyone gets butt hurt over internet comments, many of which are obviously sarcastic (though forshadowed with a real opinion) they need to seriously re-evaluate their sense of self worth.

The only thread I can recall being totally serious in, with out being kind of serious and then sarcastic to the replies and flames my opinion recieves, is the Ike thread with HeadHunter because he was just retarded.

So, T-Nation members, flame away.

But read these threads. You will find more often than not, I give an opinion and am flamed for it, which is when I reply in similar fashion, sticking to my opinion too.

Anyways, dry your eyes. I’m sure lots of people love you.

And I don’t hand my balls to anybody for the record. I hate keeping bitches around for extended amounts of time. It creeps me out. I’m usually gone at the first suggestion of a “lets define us” conversation.

I will admit, with no sarcasm, I have major commitment issues.

Anyways, I guess my post can end here. This is a pretty subjective thread so…

FormerlyTexasGuy · January 2, 2009, 1:56am

[quote]Rat Poison wrote:
i feel that a lot peopple in general are brainwashed by what the media and celebrities tell them and that they are selling this image of what an attractive person is supposed to look like.

it’s come to the point of absurdity and some weird type of group image lifestyle cult in order to be happy with yourself and life in general.

[/quote]

Right. The obesity epidemic is ok. The media is evil for portraying healthy and attractive people.

Giving our society in general a cop out is the problem.

FormerlyTexasGuy · January 2, 2009, 2:04am

[quote]Professor X wrote:
Rat Poison wrote:
i feel that a lot peopple in general are brainwashed by what the media and celebrities tell them and that they are selling this image of what an attractive person is supposed to look like.

it’s come to the point of absurdity and some weird type of group image lifestyle cult in order to be happy with yourself and life in general.

But even some of the authors here are promoting that to these younger guys and some of them are in their 40’s.

I don’t think it is a good thing that an entire generation seems to be acting like the most important thing about them is some super-idealized concept of how they look that most can only achieve through plastic surgery, make-up (FOR MEN?) and some weird attempt at being a low budget model with sticks for arms who raises his shirt 50 times a day so everyone can see his abs.

300 dollar skinny jeans and the ability to fit into them seems to be the top goal in life of most of these people.

That’s pretty fucking pathetic.

There was a kid at my gym a few days ago doing that. He came in apparently to ONLY do abs. He would do leg raises from the pull up bar (because it is in the center of the gym so he can be seen better) and then run all of the way to the mirror (about 30 feet away) to raise his shirt up. He did this about 5 times and then left.[/quote]

This is because poison is giving the media and marketing too much credit.

The media does put out an image, a popular image, for marketing purposes. The money is made on selling commercials and advertisements.

I am a marketing professional. The largely non-quantifiable marketing phenomena does not create trends out of thin air that the population buys. That idea and lumping certain people who may fit a popular image as brainwashed sheep is bullshit.

Billions of dollars and man hours are poured in to market research to find popular trends, wants and needs, not create them. Individuals tend to want very similar things with slight variations. We are all people after all.

An MP3 player is a good example. People love music. People love portable music. Computers and P2P networks are becoming increasingly more popular.

You don’t like music because johnny x does. You like it because you like it. Same as portability etc.

Apple and other companies put your desires together in a package that appeals to what you already want. The advertising merely communicates this to you and your own wants move you to the action of buying.

What you see on TV is a reflection of the norm, not the other way around, though it does tend to be exaggerated on many shows and channels.

Technically people who don’t fit the norm are the weird ones, not that it’s a problem. And everybody is an individual. There are no cookie cutter people.

The kid in the gym is a dumbass. Could be he only wants abs. What ever. It’s what he wants. Could be he just doesn’t know.

I started lifting in jr. high. I did bench, squat, dead etc under the guidance of athletic coaches, but the things I thought I knew then being a naive kid and weight newbie compared to now is ridiculous.

Teach the guy. You started somewhere.

FormerlyTexasGuy · January 2, 2009, 2:07am

[quote]Rat Poison wrote:
it seems to me people are afraid to be individuals or independtly think for themselves becuase they are afraid of negative feedback from peers. it’s like they never left high school and now look t.v. and the media in general to learn how to fit in. but guess what when you get older you realize nobody gives a shit and you should be yourself.

This is the problem when people realize that nobody cares about your image or who you are and you should be yourself they won’t be able to because they have been living their life playing follow the leader.[/quote]

Except the people making the posts in question are going against the norm…

FormerlyTexasGuy · January 2, 2009, 2:21am

[quote]Professor X wrote:
Rat Poison wrote:
i think the argument that is being made is do you like something becuase that is what you personally like or do like something because that is what everyone is telling you like.

Hell, is it possible to even tell the difference anymore?

If you get “you won’t get laid unless you are slender, can wear skinny jeans and have abs!” yelled at you from several sources, chances are you will probably think you need to have some specific cookie cutter physical likeness for women (or anyone else for that matter) to like you.

Like most people, they just want to fit in. If there is no voice holding a contrary view, the outcome is a shit load of boys who think all of those traditional traits that are considered “masculine” (physically) should be avoided in favor of that one small ideal.[/quote]

This isn’t true either.

I guess I can only speak for myself, but I only go after what I am attracted to, and occasionally fat women if I’m trashed, horny and striking out.

I normally get what I want. Especially when I resort to fat women. That is pretty much it.

And you can’t honestly tell me there are not thousands of equal to or hotter women than Beyonce here in Houston. or any other city. Or that it isn’t easy to pick them up at clubs and bars.

I understand some internet forum participants may suffer from social issues in real life but for a muscular, especially in relation to the general population, good looking, confident and even cocky guy with normal social skills, picking up bitches is easy.

The threads are asking opinions or the subsequent conversations are.

I think the real issue is many people can’t seem to handle opinions contrary to their own.

As is obvious by an entire post dedicated to this.

It’s the internet! Jesus. And even if it wasn’t, who cares?

The internet brings lots of people together who normally wouldn’t socialize.

The pursuit of more strength and size is something we are all interested in but I probably wouldn’t hang out with 90% of the people on this board and vice versa.

Weights are the end of it. We participate for our own reasons in discussions. I am mostly at work and bored with no appointments scheduled. Occasionally I am home and just feel like it.

And, we are asking questions of and giving opinions to people we wouldn’t normally get along with, as if in a study group of sorts.

My buddies do tend to share my beliefs. Not because we are trying to fit in, but because we have many things in common. It is why we are friends.

There are some verrrry weak self esteems here I think. All this bullshit about fitting in, creating an image, being “cool” etc. It’s bullshit.

There are frank discussions here, often infused with trolling comedy, between people who disagree on many topics.

And there are convos with people who agree. What ever. It’s typical.

There are some hurt feelings and lots of assumptions to fill in discrepancies in opinion.

May the whiners and babies grow some balls and get over it.

FormerlyTexasGuy · January 2, 2009, 2:23am

What about curbing opinions or being “tactful” in order to not be controversial?

Maybe the people holding back opinions or “being nice” are the real frauds and group mentality victims.

Have some balls. Give your opinions. Giving an honest opinion really doesn’t require much of your balls anyways.

Beyonce is pretty but not hot. There. Easy.

FormerlyTexasGuy · January 2, 2009, 2:27am

[quote]Professor X wrote:
Vicomte wrote:
People have been decrying the ‘good ole days’ schtick since they could communicate. It’s expected, but entirely prosaic. I think we can do better.

I happen to wear makeup and think Beyonce is attractive. I’ve never done a hawt abz pose, nor would I, but I own a very stylish jacket I wear as occasion permits.

My father was never a major fixture in my life, but I pick heavy things up off the floor and eat bloody steaks. I want to join the military as a grunt, and I also paint my nails, which, unfortunately, are mutually exclusive activities.

Am I a ‘real man’? A metrosexual with his head in the clouds? Am I what’s wrong with the world today because I may not fit someone’s idea of what a man is or should like? Is Beyonce fat or hot? Is the media doing this to me?

That’s all bullshit. Who gives a fuck if others are doing something you don’t like? I’m sick of people acting like their way is the right fucking way. There is no right way. There is no wrong way.

And it’s incredibly condescending to assume that even the most flaming metrosexual Beyonce-hating douchebag doesn’t have reasons for what he does other than to get bitches and because the media told him so. And it works both ways.

You people are so narrow-minded sometimes. It’s almost annoying.

Almost.

I could care less if you wear make-up in and of itself (even though I find that strange). We are talking about things on a grander scale than just you.

This is a bodybuilding/weightlifting website where most of us are trying to get “better” in some way. It is the ones who are here with the absolute minimum in terms of physical goals who think “hawt abs” are the ticket to getting laid by all women that we are discussing along with whatever makes a grown man look at someone like Beyonce and think “obesity”.[/quote]

You find it weird he wears make up but not that supposedly straight dudes who find women as muscular as dudes attractive?

Hypocritical a bit.

Seriously. No sarcasm here.

krazykoukides · January 2, 2009, 3:09am

[quote]FormerlyTexasGuy wrote:

Right. The obesity epidemic is ok. The media is evil for portraying healthy and attractive people.

Giving our society in general a cop out is the problem. [/quote]

Portraying healthy and attractive people is not evil… but portraying an unrealistic ideal for MOST people… is another thing. Reinforcing the idea that you HAVE to find that ideal attractive is a step in the wrong direction, in my opinion.

I used to think I HAD to find exactly what the media told me to , to be attractive. I was around 13-14 at the time… and I wasn’t attracted to the fake, spray-on, computer-enhanced, unrealistic ‘beauty’… because of this… I was convinced I was gay for nearly 2 years of my life…

until I realized it was ok that I like women who are on the ‘chubby’ side. Not because I was attracted to men either… but because I was not attracted to the ideal being presented… that I ‘should’ be attracted to.

To be frank; that experience wasn’t fun.

I still can’t pop a boner for the ‘super models’ either… I guess I’m a chubby chaser in its truest form.

wonders how horribly his post will be mis-interpreted, picked apart, or made fun of

FormerlyTexasGuy · January 2, 2009, 4:34am

[quote]krazykoukides wrote:
FormerlyTexasGuy wrote:

Right. The obesity epidemic is ok. The media is evil for portraying healthy and attractive people.

Giving our society in general a cop out is the problem.

Portraying healthy and attractive people is not evil… but portraying an unrealistic ideal for MOST people… is another thing. Reinforcing the idea that you HAVE to find that ideal attractive is a step in the wrong direction, in my opinion.

I used to think I HAD to find exactly what the media told me to , to be attractive. I was around 13-14 at the time… and I wasn’t attracted to the fake, spray-on, computer-enhanced, unrealistic ‘beauty’… because of this… I was convinced I was gay for nearly 2 years of my life…

until I realized it was ok that I like women who are on the ‘chubby’ side. Not because I was attracted to men either… but because I was not attracted to the ideal being presented… that I ‘should’ be attracted to.

To be frank; that experience wasn’t fun.

I still can’t pop a boner for the ‘super models’ either… I guess I’m a chubby chaser in its truest form.

wonders how horribly his post will be mis-interpreted, picked apart, or made fun of[/quote]

That is a sad story, and while teenage awkwardness is common, I would wager your experience was pretty unique.

Maybe you could wonder why you didn’t find a particular person attractive when everyone else did, but that sounds a little extreme to be the case for most people.

I am glad you found yourself however and feel sorry for any twenty or thirty somethings still in that mind set.

John_S1 · January 2, 2009, 9:00am

[quote]Vicomte wrote:
Professor X wrote:
Vicomte wrote:

And possibly the most important thing I’m saying is that just because something seems strange doesn’t mean it isn’t backed by something solid. Who knows, maybe hawt abs boy will save us all one day. Or make-up guy.

You heard it here.

This is our SALVATION.

For the record, I look nothing like that ponce.

I’m special. Like a snowflake.[/quote]

I recommend Army Infantry for you, Lets see how long you like wearing makeup after Benning gets done with you.

sen_say · January 2, 2009, 3:48pm

[quote]FormerlyTexasGuy wrote:

You don’t like music because johnny x does. You like it because you like it. [/quote]

Not exactly true…this is from Scientific American:

You might think the “best” songs would be the biggest hits. But the fickle tastes of music listeners continue to defy expert predictions–or objective measures of quality. According to new research, that may be largely because of peer pressure

Sociologist Matthew Salganik and his colleagues at Columbia University set out to test the theory that music listeners simply like the music they know other people enjoy. They set up a Web site and recruited more than 14,000 participants–mostly American teenagers–by offering free, licensed downloads of 48 songs by different up-and-coming (and therefore unlikely to be known) bands. They randomly assigned new participants to one of two groups. The first group picked songs to listen to just by title or band name, ranked them on a star scale ranging from one (the worst) to five (the best), and then were offered the opportunity to download the song. The researchers argue this gave them a measure of a song’s inherent quality.

The second group, however, saw the same song and band names but also the number of times other participants in the group had downloaded that particular song. This second group faced two experimental conditions: one in which songs were randomly presented and one in which they were presented in descending order of popularity. The subjects in this group were also divided into eight subgroups, called worlds by the researchers, in order to assess whether hit songs varied from world to world.

That is exactly what they found. Although popular songs remained relatively popular from world to world, they did not achieve the same level of success. The sociologists also found that a song’s overall popularity or disfavor was generally higher or lower in the presence of peer information than without it. In other words, hit songs in the groups that saw ranked lists were even more popular than in the groups working without any knowledge of what their counterparts thought.

The researchers argue that this means would-be impresarios (and sociologists) will continue to struggle to identify surefire hits. “Experts fail to predict success not because they are incompetent judges or misinformed about the preferences of others, but because when individual decisions are subject to social influence, markets do not simply aggregate pre-existing individual preferences,” the team writes in the report detailing the findings in today’s Science. “In such a world, there are inherent limits on the predictability of outcomes, irrespective of how much skill or information one has.”

FormerlyTexasGuy · January 2, 2009, 4:42pm

[quote]sen say wrote:
FormerlyTexasGuy wrote:

You don’t like music because johnny x does. You like it because you like it.

Not exactly true…this is from Scientific American:

You might think the “best” songs would be the biggest hits. But the fickle tastes of music listeners continue to defy expert predictions–or objective measures of quality. According to new research, that may be largely because of peer pressure

Sociologist Matthew Salganik and his colleagues at Columbia University set out to test the theory that music listeners simply like the music they know other people enjoy. They set up a Web site and recruited more than 14,000 participants–mostly American teenagers–by offering free, licensed downloads of 48 songs by different up-and-coming (and therefore unlikely to be known) bands. They randomly assigned new participants to one of two groups. The first group picked songs to listen to just by title or band name, ranked them on a star scale ranging from one (the worst) to five (the best), and then were offered the opportunity to download the song. The researchers argue this gave them a measure of a song’s inherent quality.

The second group, however, saw the same song and band names but also the number of times other participants in the group had downloaded that particular song. This second group faced two experimental conditions: one in which songs were randomly presented and one in which they were presented in descending order of popularity. The subjects in this group were also divided into eight subgroups, called worlds by the researchers, in order to assess whether hit songs varied from world to world.

That is exactly what they found. Although popular songs remained relatively popular from world to world, they did not achieve the same level of success. The sociologists also found that a song’s overall popularity or disfavor was generally higher or lower in the presence of peer information than without it. In other words, hit songs in the groups that saw ranked lists were even more popular than in the groups working without any knowledge of what their counterparts thought.

The researchers argue that this means would-be impresarios (and sociologists) will continue to struggle to identify surefire hits. “Experts fail to predict success not because they are incompetent judges or misinformed about the preferences of others, but because when individual decisions are subject to social influence, markets do not simply aggregate pre-existing individual preferences,” the team writes in the report detailing the findings in today’s Science. “In such a world, there are inherent limits on the predictability of outcomes, irrespective of how much skill or information one has.”

[/quote]

That is an interesting theory but not one anybody would put money in to. Which says a lot.

More likely johnny x introduces a song to you that you hadn’t heard but like. johnny x didn’t make you like a song. THat is ridiculous.

This mentality is one purported by weak people imo. Even if they are trying to project it on others.

Theories are what they are, but no concrete statistics support theories, social or otherwise. If they did, they would be fact.

And the facts are, marketing, through the media, serves to introduce ideas to people who have not seen them yet and like them. Or don’t. Ultimately they decide for themselves whether or not they want what is introduced to them.

Often advertising mirrors the popular image of a given target market to catch attention so it can sell what ever it is selling.

In the middle ages, it was theorized and widely believed the Bubonic Plague was a direct punishment from God. We now know it was a disease.

Theories only go so far.

Professor_X · January 2, 2009, 4:53pm

[quote]sen say wrote:
FormerlyTexasGuy wrote:

You don’t like music because johnny x does. You like it because you like it.

Not exactly true…this is from Scientific American:

You might think the “best” songs would be the biggest hits. But the fickle tastes of music listeners continue to defy expert predictions–or objective measures of quality. According to new research, that may be largely because of peer pressure

Sociologist Matthew Salganik and his colleagues at Columbia University set out to test the theory that music listeners simply like the music they know other people enjoy. They set up a Web site and recruited more than 14,000 participants–mostly American teenagers–by offering free, licensed downloads of 48 songs by different up-and-coming (and therefore unlikely to be known) bands. They randomly assigned new participants to one of two groups. The first group picked songs to listen to just by title or band name, ranked them on a star scale ranging from one (the worst) to five (the best), and then were offered the opportunity to download the song. The researchers argue this gave them a measure of a song’s inherent quality.

The second group, however, saw the same song and band names but also the number of times other participants in the group had downloaded that particular song. This second group faced two experimental conditions: one in which songs were randomly presented and one in which they were presented in descending order of popularity. The subjects in this group were also divided into eight subgroups, called worlds by the researchers, in order to assess whether hit songs varied from world to world.

That is exactly what they found. Although popular songs remained relatively popular from world to world, they did not achieve the same level of success. The sociologists also found that a song’s overall popularity or disfavor was generally higher or lower in the presence of peer information than without it. In other words, hit songs in the groups that saw ranked lists were even more popular than in the groups working without any knowledge of what their counterparts thought.

The researchers argue that this means would-be impresarios (and sociologists) will continue to struggle to identify surefire hits. “Experts fail to predict success not because they are incompetent judges or misinformed about the preferences of others, but because when individual decisions are subject to social influence, markets do not simply aggregate pre-existing individual preferences,” the team writes in the report detailing the findings in today’s Science. “In such a world, there are inherent limits on the predictability of outcomes, irrespective of how much skill or information one has.”

[/quote]

Likewise the perception of what is “hawt” currently is largely based on peer influence and NOT whether the individual actually favors it or not.

This is proven by the changing aspects of “hawtness” just based on era. Marylin Monroe was the shit 60 or so years ago. Now, you have women leaner than her getting called fat and being told to lose 30lbs.

In the early 1900’s men with beer bellies were considered socially “elite”, largely based on the scarcity of good jobs, decent income and the ability to afford enough food.

Alone, humans may conform to a certain standard of beauty. Social influence, however, is what creates passing trends that won’t be in style even 5 years from now.

Therefore, when it comes to trying to be all things to all women (a retarded goal if there ever was one unless your job title is escort and male play toy), you would be foolish to simply go by current trends. It won’t last long and changes even based on location.

FormerlyTexasGuy · January 2, 2009, 6:07pm

[quote]sen say wrote:
FormerlyTexasGuy wrote:

You don’t like music because johnny x does. You like it because you like it.

Not exactly true…this is from Scientific American:

You might think the “best” songs would be the biggest hits. But the fickle tastes of music listeners continue to defy expert predictions–or objective measures of quality. According to new research, that may be largely because of peer pressure

Sociologist Matthew Salganik and his colleagues at Columbia University set out to test the theory that music listeners simply like the music they know other people enjoy. They set up a Web site and recruited more than 14,000 participants–mostly American teenagers–by offering free, licensed downloads of 48 songs by different up-and-coming (and therefore unlikely to be known) bands. They randomly assigned new participants to one of two groups. The first group picked songs to listen to just by title or band name, ranked them on a star scale ranging from one (the worst) to five (the best), and then were offered the opportunity to download the song. The researchers argue this gave them a measure of a song’s inherent quality.

The second group, however, saw the same song and band names but also the number of times other participants in the group had downloaded that particular song. This second group faced two experimental conditions: one in which songs were randomly presented and one in which they were presented in descending order of popularity. The subjects in this group were also divided into eight subgroups, called worlds by the researchers, in order to assess whether hit songs varied from world to world.

That is exactly what they found. Although popular songs remained relatively popular from world to world, they did not achieve the same level of success. The sociologists also found that a song’s overall popularity or disfavor was generally higher or lower in the presence of peer information than without it. In other words, hit songs in the groups that saw ranked lists were even more popular than in the groups working without any knowledge of what their counterparts thought.

The researchers argue that this means would-be impresarios (and sociologists) will continue to struggle to identify surefire hits. “Experts fail to predict success not because they are incompetent judges or misinformed about the preferences of others, but because when individual decisions are subject to social influence, markets do not simply aggregate pre-existing individual preferences,” the team writes in the report detailing the findings in today’s Science. “In such a world, there are inherent limits on the predictability of outcomes, irrespective of how much skill or information one has.”

[/quote]

Also, you are talking about teenagers. MOst people here are adults.

I don’t know about you, but I can’t just sit and listen to music I don’t like.

Most of my buddies like rap. I hate it. If we are out, in someone’s car, at a house etc, I listen to it because it is what my host is playing. I don’t like it though. Some times it actually gives me a headache.

If we are at my condo, in my truck or I’m by myself, it’s country, classic rock and some early 90’s grunge stuff.

I it is true for most adults that they make decisions based on their own likes and dislikes. Teens and adults can’t be lumped together for most social studies.

Or marketing studies, which ultimately are big sociology experiments, with a strong likely hood of profitability (theory realization) being the difference.

When people seem to like the same songs, it is because they are good songs, likable by most. It has less to do with the audience fitting in together than it does the song just being good.

There is a reason Led Zeppelin, The Who, The Rolling Stones etc are still popular, mulitple generations later. ANd it isn’t teens trying to be like their parents for sure.

Hell, I think I remember Puff Daddy writing a rap song to Led Zeppelin music even. Why? Because it is good. That bridged generational and yes, racial gaps. Aerosmith and Eminem, Anthrax and Flava Flav’s group. I can’t remember their name. Etc.

FormerlyTexasGuy · January 2, 2009, 4:58pm

[quote]Professor X wrote:
sen say wrote:
FormerlyTexasGuy wrote: