Comments on: It’s Friday, Friday! Fun, fun, fun, fun! http://kenan.ethics.duke.edu/teamkenan/its-friday-friday-fun-fun-fun-fun/ Sun, 10 Feb 2013 23:18:02 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 By: Christian http://kenan.ethics.duke.edu/teamkenan/its-friday-friday-fun-fun-fun-fun/#comment-48 Christian Tue, 05 Apr 2011 13:39:33 +0000 http://devilsdilemma.wordpress.com/?p=512#comment-48 Is it okay to belittle someone if it's not "harmful"? That's kind of the question, right? If we were to look at the relevant variables out of context we might not be so quick to say yes. Who are we making fun of? A 13-year-old girl. Why? Because she's singing song on the internet. So far, I'm not comfortable with this. Now other variables: She has a record deal apparently. So I wonder if those who find this funny in a "laughing at," not "laughing with" kind of way are really objecting to the prominence of a 13-year-old singing about the mundane life of a middle schooler in pop culture. If Rebecca Black was just some kid singing on YouTube I'm not sure 50 million people would care. BUT, throw in some autotune and an interlude by a decidedly not 13-year-old rapper and you have something worthy of scorn. But are we directing scorn at Black unfairly? Don't we really hate Ark Music for trying to blur the lines between a young adult genre and Kidz Bop? Yes, Black (or at least her parents) seem to be a bit vain. But this seems like the equivalent of Glamour Shots (which according to Google still exists!): in which people too young to really be adults play dress up in the mall. Is it okay to belittle someone if it’s not “harmful”? That’s kind of the question, right? If we were to look at the relevant variables out of context we might not be so quick to say yes. Who are we making fun of? A 13-year-old girl. Why? Because she’s singing song on the internet. So far, I’m not comfortable with this. Now other variables:

She has a record deal apparently. So I wonder if those who find this funny in a “laughing at,” not “laughing with” kind of way are really objecting to the prominence of a 13-year-old singing about the mundane life of a middle schooler in pop culture. If Rebecca Black was just some kid singing on YouTube I’m not sure 50 million people would care. BUT, throw in some autotune and an interlude by a decidedly not 13-year-old rapper and you have something worthy of scorn. But are we directing scorn at Black unfairly? Don’t we really hate Ark Music for trying to blur the lines between a young adult genre and Kidz Bop?

Yes, Black (or at least her parents) seem to be a bit vain. But this seems like the equivalent of Glamour Shots (which according to Google still exists!): in which people too young to really be adults play dress up in the mall.

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