Ramblings 4: Popularity Philosophy

My dear old elderly ancient not young mother has a saying which I've tended to adopt into my own philosophy of life, the universe and everything. It goes approximately like this: Popularity does not equate to quality. 
 
For my own outlook this statement is true to all things in life the vast majority of the time. By and large those products, works of art, locations, foods which are most popular are with very few exceptions inferior to their less popular counterparts. Examples of this are rife. McDonalds for example is incredibly popular the world over but the quality of food from both a taste and nutritional standpoint is at best barren and at worst damaging. Let's take another example from the world of Hip Hop. There are many popular rappers out there but one of the most popular I can think of off the top of my head, and one of the most appalling, is 50 Cent. Popular rap is a barren place anyway with Kayne West offering some rest bite but then he's a total cunt... Then if you search for even a brief moment into what I, as someone who is unfamiliar with the hip hop hierarchical structure, would call the underground, you find the likes of Diabolic and Immortal Technique. Rappers who have skill, finesse and something to say that doesn't revolve around shooting niggas and fucking ho's. Quaity stuff seriously reccomend you find A Liar and A Thief by Diabolic and The 3rd World by Immortal Technique
 
We find the same thing in Metal, who are more popular: Bullet for My Valentine or Exodus? Cradle of Filth or Taake? Now I'm being purposefully selective but here we have primes examples of the more popular option of the two being the worse. Which do you think is the more popular film franchise? Saw or The Evil Dead? And which is better?  
 
Now maybe some of you are reading these examples and saying "well I know plenty of people who prefer Evil Dead to Saw your talking shit!" But here's the thing; by reading this blog on this gaming specific website you are falling into a group of people who are discerning. This basically means you take care in your pass times. You dedicate time and energy into exploring the very best of your chosen subject, to sample as much as you can to give yourself a grander picture on the subject of choice as a whole and decide what you like based on an established wealth of experience. Moviebob once said: Geeks are people who take something fun and make it a chore. I disagree. I think geeks, and I profess to be one, are people who put effort and passion into their past times because they want to get the most of it be that past time be it football, cooking, video games, comics, sex, music etc. We are geeks because of this and we are in the vast minority. 
 
Laziness keeps us in the vast minority. Most people are too lazy to look past what is readily available. This is the sole reason acts like N Sync sold records and Burger King fills seats. Most people do not have the energy or the get up and go to dig deeper into what they like to spend time doing. As geeks we spend at least some of our time engaged in research. Now this act of research doesn't appeal to a certain type of person who simply doesn't have the time or can't be arsed to make it. For myself as someone who enjoys Mixed Martial Arts (See Ramblings 3) I spend a fair bit of time between other activities at home and at work re-watching old MMA matches and reading biographies of my favourite fighters. By partaking in the "work" activity and "working" for knowledge on my chosen subject to enhance my enjoyment and appreciation and the fact that I enjoy the "work" makes me, in my eyes, a geek. 
 
Non geeks hate this kind of  work. They're happy to eat whatever is easiest to obtain, listen to what the radio plays and watch what Dave (British TV Channel showing mainly reruns) puts out on a Sunday morning. These people are not passionate or energised by what they enjoy in their lives and because of this they are happy to wallow in mediocrity. We, the geeks, are richer than the non-geeks. We appreciate our games, our books, our films on a level that they cannot. Because of this we identify what is popular as repugnant because we are used to so much better as we have put in some fucking effort. 
 
The vast majority of the western worlds population cannot be arsed to put in the effort with the vast majority of their life. They may put effort in with sports or beer or working out or music or any single area but when you have people who neglect other areas where geeks nurture you get McDonalds, Bullet For My Valentine, 50 Cent, Transformers (the movie) etc, 
 
These are two conflicting viewpoints on life and I actually don't think either one is better than the other. Being a geek does tend to alienate you from the general population. Example of this came up when a work colleague and I talked about bands we liked and I realised he hadn't heard of any of the bands I named. Because of this geeks form cliques and secularise themselves in extreme cases. My musical taste has got to the point where I clash with metal heads on taste more these days that people who listen exclusively to Dub Step and Bassline. 
 
On the flip not being a geek means you're left out from some truly beautiful and amazing aspects of this world and the art and food and everything it produces. It also means you're partly to blame for Justin Bieber (oooo snap Bieber bashing ahoy). 
 
I would like to amend my mother's turn of phrase at this point: Popularity is usually a sign of mediocrity, and unpopularity intrigues.
 
To just side step slightly and touch on another one of my life philosophies which I stole from Lord Harvey in Dorian Grey: Everything is An Experience. I feel this is completely essential to becoming a well rounded human being and if everyone took this on board the world over, using it in partnership with their own moral compass, I can only see positives emerging because of it  Experience as much as you can and  your life can only be richer for it! Never shy away from something that is new or wierd. No EMBRACE THEM! Celebrate the bizarre and the fucked up. Even if you hate it at least you experienced it! Watch a foreign language film, read a hentai, fuck someone you wouldn't usually, eat a type of food you've never tried, buy an LP of a band you haven't heard of, next time you're at a bar buy a drink you've never had before. Ignorance is the condition of not knowing. By experiencing we learn and know. The more we experience, the more we know, the more we learn, the richer we are and the more we can stamp out prejudice and ignorance. 

My dear old elderly ancient not young mother has a saying which I've tended to adopt into my own philosophy of life, the universe and everything. It goes approximately like this: Popularity does not equate to quality. 
 
For my own outlook this statement is true to all things in life the vast majority of the time. By and large those products, works of art, locations, foods which are most popular are with very few exceptions inferior to their less popular counterparts. Examples of this are rife. McDonalds for example is incredibly popular the world over but the quality of food from both a taste and nutritional standpoint is at best barren and at worst damaging. Let's take another example from the world of Hip Hop. There are many popular rappers out there but one of the most popular I can think of off the top of my head, and one of the most appalling, is 50 Cent. Popular rap is a barren place anyway with Kayne West offering some rest bite but then he's a total cunt... Then if you search for even a brief moment into what I, as someone who is unfamiliar with the hip hop hierarchical structure, would call the underground, you find the likes of Diabolic and Immortal Technique. Rappers who have skill, finesse and something to say that doesn't revolve around shooting niggas and fucking ho's. Quaity stuff seriously reccomend you find A Liar and A Thief by Diabolic and The 3rd World by Immortal Technique
 
We find the same thing in Metal, who are more popular: Bullet for My Valentine or Exodus? Cradle of Filth or Taake? Now I'm being purposefully selective but here we have primes examples of the more popular option of the two being the worse. Which do you think is the more popular film franchise? Saw or The Evil Dead? And which is better?  
 
Now maybe some of you are reading these examples and saying "well I know plenty of people who prefer Evil Dead to Saw your talking shit!" But here's the thing; by reading this blog on this gaming specific website you are falling into a group of people who are discerning. This basically means you take care in your pass times. You dedicate time and energy into exploring the very best of your chosen subject, to sample as much as you can to give yourself a grander picture on the subject of choice as a whole and decide what you like based on an established wealth of experience. Moviebob once said: Geeks are people who take something fun and make it a chore. I disagree. I think geeks, and I profess to be one, are people who put effort and passion into their past times because they want to get the most of it be that past time be it football, cooking, video games, comics, sex, music etc. We are geeks because of this and we are in the vast minority. 
 
Laziness keeps us in the vast minority. Most people are too lazy to look past what is readily available. This is the sole reason acts like N Sync sold records and Burger King fills seats. Most people do not have the energy or the get up and go to dig deeper into what they like to spend time doing. As geeks we spend at least some of our time engaged in research. Now this act of research doesn't appeal to a certain type of person who simply doesn't have the time or can't be arsed to make it. For myself as someone who enjoys Mixed Martial Arts (See Ramblings 3) I spend a fair bit of time between other activities at home and at work re-watching old MMA matches and reading biographies of my favourite fighters. By partaking in the "work" activity and "working" for knowledge on my chosen subject to enhance my enjoyment and appreciation and the fact that I enjoy the "work" makes me, in my eyes, a geek. 
 
Non geeks hate this kind of  work. They're happy to eat whatever is easiest to obtain, listen to what the radio plays and watch what Dave (British TV Channel showing mainly reruns) puts out on a Sunday morning. These people are not passionate or energised by what they enjoy in their lives and because of this they are happy to wallow in mediocrity. We, the geeks, are richer than the non-geeks. We appreciate our games, our books, our films on a level that they cannot. Because of this we identify what is popular as repugnant because we are used to so much better as we have put in some fucking effort. 
 
The vast majority of the western worlds population cannot be arsed to put in the effort with the vast majority of their life. They may put effort in with sports or beer or working out or music or any single area but when you have people who neglect other areas where geeks nurture you get McDonalds, Bullet For My Valentine, 50 Cent, Transformers (the movie) etc, 
 
These are two conflicting viewpoints on life and I actually don't think either one is better than the other. Being a geek does tend to alienate you from the general population. Example of this came up when a work colleague and I talked about bands we liked and I realised he hadn't heard of any of the bands I named. Because of this geeks form cliques and secularise themselves in extreme cases. My musical taste has got to the point where I clash with metal heads on taste more these days that people who listen exclusively to Dub Step and Bassline. 
 
On the flip not being a geek means you're left out from some truly beautiful and amazing aspects of this world and the art and food and everything it produces. It also means you're partly to blame for Justin Bieber (oooo snap Bieber bashing ahoy). 
 
I would like to amend my mother's turn of phrase at this point: Popularity is usually a sign of mediocrity, and unpopularity intrigues.
 
To just side step slightly and touch on another one of my life philosophies which I stole from Lord Harvey in Dorian Grey: Everything is An Experience. I feel this is completely essential to becoming a well rounded human being and if everyone took this on board the world over, using it in partnership with their own moral compass, I can only see positives emerging because of it  Experience as much as you can and  your life can only be richer for it! Never shy away from something that is new or wierd. No EMBRACE THEM! Celebrate the bizarre and the fucked up. Even if you hate it at least you experienced it! Watch a foreign language film, read a hentai, fuck someone you wouldn't usually, eat a type of food you've never tried, buy an LP of a band you haven't heard of, next time you're at a bar buy a drink you've never had before. Ignorance is the condition of not knowing. By experiencing we learn and know. The more we experience, the more we know, the more we learn, the richer we are and the more we can stamp out prejudice and ignorance. 

What? Everybody knows popularity leads to intimacy.

"  Geeks are people who take something fun and make it a chore. I disagree. I think geeks, and I profess to be one, are people who put effort and passion into their past times because they want to get the most of it be that past time be it football, cooking, video games, comics, sex, music etc. We are geeks because of this and we are in the vast minority. 
 
Laziness keeps us in the vast minority. Most people are too lazy to look past what is readily available. This is the sole reason acts like N Sync sold records and Burger King fills seats. Most people do not have the energy or the get up and go to dig deeper into what they like to spend time doing. As geeks we spend at least some of our time engaged in research. Now this act of research doesn't appeal to a certain type of person who simply doesn't have the time or can't be arsed to make it. For myself as someone who enjoys Mixed Martial Arts (See Ramblings 3) I spend a fair bit of time between other activities at home and at work re-watching old MMA matches and reading biographies of my favourite fighters. By partaking in the "work" activity and "working" for knowledge on my chosen subject to enhance my enjoyment and appreciation and the fact that I enjoy the "work" makes me, in my eyes, a geek. 
 
Non geeks hate this kind of  work. They're happy to eat whatever is easiest to obtain, listen to what the radio plays and watch what Dave (British TV Channel showing mainly reruns) puts out on a Sunday morning. These people are not passionate or energised by what they enjoy in their lives and because of this they are happy to wallow in mediocrity. We, the geeks, are richer than the non-geeks. We appreciate our games, our books, our films on a level that they cannot. Because of this we identify what is popular as repugnant because we are used to so much better as we have put in some fucking effort. 
 
The vast majority of the western worlds population cannot be arsed to put in the effort with the vast majority of their life. They may put effort in with sports or beer or working out or music or any single area but when you have people who neglect other areas where geeks nurture you get McDonalds, Bullet For My Valentine, 50 Cent, Transformers (the movie) etc, 
 
On the flip not being a geek means you're left out from some truly beautiful and amazing aspects of this world and the art and food and everything it produces. It also means you're partly to blame for Justin Bieber (oooo snap Bieber bashing ahoy). 
 
 "

" What? Everybody knows popularity leads to intimacy. "

Your point about popularity is not true about games.  The best games sell the most but this makes sense if you consider all gamers to be geeks.  And about food, people into food are "foodies" not geeks.  The term geek only applies to technology and games.  Movie has "movie buff", sports has "sports fanatic", cars have "car nut" etc.  50 cent was cool and different when he first became popular, now that everyone knows who he is his style of rapping is not considered to be the best.  But his older music (before he went mainstream) is better.

" Your point about popularity is not true about games.  The best games sell the most but this makes sense if you consider all gamers to be geeks.  And about food, people into food are "foodies" not geeks.  The term geek only applies to technology and games.  Movie has "movie buff", sports has "sports fanatic", cars have "car nut" etc.  50 cent was cool and different when he first became popular, now that everyone knows who he is his style of rapping is not considered to be the best.  But his older music (before he went mainstream) is better. "

 @King_Bonzo: 
Awesome post. But of all the subjects I think music is way too subjective. I mean yeah it's possible to make a universally bad song (it varies from genre to genre), I'd have a hard time arguing someone like Justin Bieber (as much as I hate to admit it) isn't talented and puts out quality stuff though it not to my taste. I feel almost the same way about The Beetles, I tried it don't get it but I cant deny the talent.
 
Anyway stuff like this makes me proud of being a geek, keep it up.
 
Also I will FIGHT you on claiming Vanquish is a great game. Style and concept yes but ganepl-I WILL FIGHT YOU... I... ahem had some issues with it to say the least.

Wow, this is a really entertaining, logical, well thought out blog entry. But maybe I just think that because I agree with just about everything you wrote. 
 
I think popularity in certain circles can have a lot to do with quality. For example, if a game is popular on GiantBomb (e.g. Recettear), I have lot more faith in that then if a game is just popular with the general public. 

popularity gets you laid son!

"  For example, if a game is popular on GiantBomb (e.g. Recettear), I have lot more faith in that then if a game is just popular with the general public.  "