Reading an article in a magazine about a guy today made me think of another aspect of the entitlement issue. I'll not write about said person here, because this person is one who has worked hard for what he has achieved: the story, however, tries desperately to tug at our heartstrings and make us sympathetic--that he has achieved what he has achieved in spite of (or because of) all of the adversity he's faced in his life.
This seems to be more and more the case on American Idol, where the stories of the contestants are nearly as important as their singing ability. There's the single mother busking on the streets, the person whose mother died when the kid was very young, the person who is looking after a loved one with some sort of chronic medical condition, etc. Are we voting for these people because they are best singers (and performers), or are we voting for them because we feel sorry for them and this is their one chance to change their life and make all of their problems go away? Mr. Cowell repeatedly reminds us that it's a singing competition, but more than a few contestants made it through to Hollywood partially as a result of their story.
It's the same sort of thing that we read into composer biographies: does it really enhance our understanding and appreciation of a work if we know what the composer had for breakfast that morning, or what debilitating disease he was suffering through? (Can you tell I'm a theorist and not a musicologist? ;) )
Are there people who deserve a break? Absolutely. I had a student confide in me some situations that he was facing and he was worried that it would impact his studies. He's not the most gifted performer on his instrument, and he doesn't have the highest average in my class. But this student is working incredibly hard to earn his music degree and, after talking with him for a half an hour the other day, I would say he could use a break--some sort of helping hand. But the key here is that he's working hard, and I respect that. No one is entitled to a break by birthright.
This seems to be more and more the case on American Idol, where the stories of the contestants are nearly as important as their singing ability. There's the single mother busking on the streets, the person whose mother died when the kid was very young, the person who is looking after a loved one with some sort of chronic medical condition, etc. Are we voting for these people because they are best singers (and performers), or are we voting for them because we feel sorry for them and this is their one chance to change their life and make all of their problems go away? Mr. Cowell repeatedly reminds us that it's a singing competition, but more than a few contestants made it through to Hollywood partially as a result of their story.
It's the same sort of thing that we read into composer biographies: does it really enhance our understanding and appreciation of a work if we know what the composer had for breakfast that morning, or what debilitating disease he was suffering through? (Can you tell I'm a theorist and not a musicologist? ;) )
Are there people who deserve a break? Absolutely. I had a student confide in me some situations that he was facing and he was worried that it would impact his studies. He's not the most gifted performer on his instrument, and he doesn't have the highest average in my class. But this student is working incredibly hard to earn his music degree and, after talking with him for a half an hour the other day, I would say he could use a break--some sort of helping hand. But the key here is that he's working hard, and I respect that. No one is entitled to a break by birthright.