Lately I’ve really taken to the Netflix function on my xbox360 and I’ve been watching some showtime stuff, especially the show weeds. I really like the show but I’ve been really starting to pay attention to the theme song “Little Boxes” by Malvina Reynolds, here are the lyrics.
At first I just sort of went along with it without thinking about it, now that I’ve heard it about 30 times and read the lyrics I find the whole song distasteful. It puts forth and promotes this idea that people who live in the suburbs aren’t unique in any way and their lives are somehow lacking because of the fact that they live in the suburbs. At least, it seems to. Maybe I’m over-thinking or analyzing this wrong.
The writer, I feel, is trying to express that she thinks the suburbs are all full of houses that look the same and all the people match the houses. They all look the same and lack individuality. I can’t help but feel that she is simply wrong. I don’t know everyone in every suburb; I don’t even know everyone on my street. But I know a few and each one of the people I’ve met while living in the suburbs were just as unique and filled with love and compassion as any other person I’ve known. There isn’t any deficiency in individuality that I can see here, I’m not saying they’re all perfect or that I agreed and got along with everyone but they were all very much different entities. I feel that in order to reach a conclusion, such as hers, that all the suburbs are copies of each other filled with people that are also copies of each other, one must have a truly closed off mind and soul. On the outside a cursory glance into a community might make it seem as though all the members are the same. But if one truly opens themselves to others and allows themselves to give all people a true chance, I am often surprised by the things people I never knew existed can do and teach me about life. I just feel the general vibe of the song is one of superiority and arrogance, to suggest that people are somehow lacking because they grew up in an environment like a suburb is in my opinion very wrong and a sad view to have. Then again maybe I’m full of shit, who knows.
-Dave ;)
Weeds Has an Arrogant Theme Song
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