I can’t imagine there are many people who don’t love some form of music and if you have followed this blog for any considerable length of time you may be aware that I’m a huge fan of…
The power ballad.
Obviously not a specific genre of music, but that’s the beauty of a power ballad, you can find great examples throughout almost all genres including; Country, Soul, Pop, Dance, Jazz, Rock, R&B, Gospel and Indie music, not to mention the incredible vocal artists past and present that include Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, Beyoncé, Christina Aguilera, Kelly Price, Mariah Carey, Maria Callas, Aretha Franklin, Jazmine Sullivan, Adele, Patsy Cline, Anita Baker, Edith Piaf and Ariana Grande to mention a few.
But what is it about listening to a power ballad that somehow manages to uplift both the soul of my heart and the heart of my soul? You might be surprised to know it isn’t always hearing a singer belt out the big power note, as Mariah Carey’s classic 1993 ballad “Hero” wouldn’t work if she sang every note with full force.
What makes a power ballad really work are the pauses and the silence. If you are unsure of what I speak of just listen to the tender control of the 42 second acapella intro of Whitney Houston’s rendition of I Will Always Love You.
Or the integral one second pause (at 3:51) just before the soul searing 12 second power note delivered by Jennifer Holiday from the 1982 classic And I Am Telling You.
Or in the case of singer Loren Allred ending the incredible song Never Enough on a note so tender not only could I feel it’s loving embrace, but I wanted more…
I don’t speak as a music critic or someone who has ever studied music theory, but as a man with a deep appreciation of the dynamic range of the female vocalist.
What makes a power ballad really work is the nuance and the varied tonal range you experience within a song. The key changes, the high note, the build-up, the low note, the pause. It’s a combination of all these elements that make the sustained high note shine even brighter and give value and meaning to the song.
So, imagine we applied the same sensibilities to human beings?
Our poor serving mass media (and perhaps society at large) have influenced us to believe that people, situations or circumstances come in easily characterised, convenient bite sized categories and there is a sweeping assumption that all individuals within an identified collective can only think one way.
I love Trump! (yeah, I said it!) I think that Donald Trump is one of the most fascinating and entertaining US presidents in history! I love his arrogance and his complete disregard of political protocol…the man is refreshing and seems more relatable than the vast number of politicians that have previously sat in the oval office.
But does this mean I love his policies? Does that mean I like the language he uses? Do I agree with his stance on US gun control? Does this mean I think he should spend so much time on Twitter?
No.
My thoughts and opinions have a right to breathe, grow evolve and change, as the “average” human brain has an estimated 100 billion brain cells. So it makes sense not to get to stuck in a rigid way of thinking and question my own set of ideals on what I believe to be true.
Lately I’ve been watching a range of interviews from a broad spectrum of opinion including names like Thomas Sowell, Blaire White, Russel Brand, Ben Shapiro, Candice Owens, Jordan Peterson, Colion Noir and Coleman Hughes and I only mention these names because they represent very diverse thought and opinion…
But despite consuming such a diverse topical diet, the one thing the aforementioned individuals had in common is they tended to broadly categorise people whose perspectives differ from their own. Freely using generalisations such as; the liberals, the left, the right, the feminists, the rich, the poor, the radicals, the environmentalists, the blacks, the whites, the asians…etc…etc. The minor issue I have is that no matter the categorised term used, this doesn’t mean a broad collective think and feel the same way.
For example, let’s take the ridiculously full title of LGBTTQQIAAP (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transsexual, queer, questioning, intersex, asexual, ally, and pansexual…for those who are curious?) which is a category that throws anyone who is not heterosexual into a miscellaneous heap. Of course, there are societal prejudices that should be addressed but does anyone think the societal issues of a gay or lesbian person are the same as a transgender person? Or that an asexual person is looking for the same sense of identity as that of a pansexual?
No matter how many new sexualities/categories emerge, putting those into a group will not change the fact there is an internal diversity of thought and opinion within those groups.
So, if I happen to come across a married, black, male comic book nerd, from South London in his 40’s, with three children who was raised by a single parent and has a deep love of power ballads…that doesn’t mean we will view the world through the same lens just because of our shared criteria. Diversity is more than being able to externally identify and classify different groups, it’s truly understanding no two people are alike even if they share more than one generalised classification because just like a power ballad an individual has range, tenderness, power and nuance.
Until next time.
An Inviting Piece of the Pie 
Great post; in my opinion stereotypes are stereotypes for a reason, generalisations are generalisations for a reason; in the same way cliches are cliches because they are more often than not true! I don’t think we should necessarily disregard them completely but everyone should also realise that people aren’t a mathematical equation that always ends the same way. I think it’s a fine balance to strike and one that a lot of people struggle with. Not to mention the whole issue of humans naturally being very judgmental and quick to an opinion based on certain ‘facts’. But that’s a whole over can of worms! Anyways, that’s what I took from your post.. I could be way off though lol.
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Nope! I don’t think you are way off at all, in fact I think your onto something…
Perhaps it’s controversial but I think many stereotypes exist because their are people who match them…but that stereotype isn’t a one size fits all.
Are all gay men flamboyant? Do all straight men love sport and drink beer?
I think the more we get to know one another the more we realise being that being an individual is more than just what we see on the surface…
For example, you often collaborate with other young, female, lifestyle bloggers…I also notice you share links to their blogs too. Why? 🤔
I’m guessing it’s because despite the fact you could all be technically categorised under the same umbrella…and despite sharing a similar passion for fashion, food, makeup and lifestyle living you are all diverse and have individual experiences unique only to you…right?
Which why your blog stands out and continues to grow because despite covering similar topics with other young, female bloggers we love your unique voice.
And I certainly agree humans are quick to judge, which is why it’s important to get to know a person, but I certainly welcome any further thoughts you may have! 😊😊😊
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I think its down to the fact that humans don’t like not knowing or understanding something. We don’t know what happens after death so we imagine a heaven and hell. We don’t know why or how we are here so we either believe in god or use science to explain everything away – at least until we are later proved incorrect. (for instance we were sure the earth was flat until we were sure it wasn’t)
It’s the same with people. We want to look at someone and immediately be able to place them into this box or that box. We want to understand them without having to get to know them. Which is not only to do with our discomfort at being unsure but our growing nature of wanting everything immediately.
And god forbid people change with time. Because from the perspective of sitting outside and looking in on a person, their evolution messes with our predetermined and set opinions of who they are as a person, in OUR opinions of them. Their evolution means we have to go back and alter all those little boxes that we’ve already destined them to live in forever.
Essentially it’s causing us unwanted mental paperwork.
Also we don’t particularly like people that are grey. It’s troubling for us to have to think that maybe that homeless person on the street isn’t a drug addict that has brought this unfortunate situation upon themselves. Because that story is easy to digest. And I think that’s the crux of it.
We like easy to digest stories, we work well with stories that go from A to B. We like a straightforward trajectory that makes sense. Because having to accept that maybe that homeless person on the street was failed by their family. Maybe they were abused as a child, maybe the social services failed them. Maybe they were deemed unhirable for no valid reason. Maybe they had no one to turn to and they slipped through all systems in place to help them. Maybe the systems aren’t as reliable as one may hope?
And that version of the story does what? Makes you uncomfortable. Makes you unsure, makes you feel like you don’t have quite as strong a grip on life as you did when you were able to just pass by thinking; “bloody druggies. That’d never be me in that situation because I would never do drugs.”
Next point (lol): I think some gay men are flamboyant, whether naturally or playing up to that stereotype. Just like I think some straight men love sports and drink beer. Either because they genuinely have a passion and enjoyment of those things or because they view that as one the overarching characteristic of being a man.
Which then gets on to the fact that sometimes, we ourselves, play up to the stereotypes we believe we should be. So not only are we judging other by stereotypes but we have internalised those stereotypes and alter how we behave because of them.. which just greater fuels the fire for people to judge us by those stereotypes!
Anyways. This is one of those topics where it’s too easy to go off on some convoluted tangent. So I’ll stop now. I hope I’ve made sense. It’s difficult to keep my thoughts in line with subjects like this as they easily jump to something else I feel is related.
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I love the disco classic “It’s Raining Men” the Disney movie Tangled is one of my favourite animated films of all time. I don’t drink beer and (get ready!) don’t support a football team! I do agree it’s far easier to mentally work less by finding the comforting arms of the nearest available stereotype, but I do think that things are changing for the better?
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Well I never said it was the best way of getting to know someone without getting to know someone. Just the most used way of pigeonholing someone 😉
And of course you enjoy Tangled! You’re not a barbarian 😊
And I hope so. I think there will always be those who go only with the stereotype and close their ears to anything else. Likewise their will always be those that break away and judge a person’s character on more than just their gender, race, religion.. – hair colour etc. But hopefully we are getting better as a whole.
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Your vantage point is magnificent as always!
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Coming from such a poetic creative force, your comments mean a lot.
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🙏🏽💕
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An excellent post on true diversity! I am so tired of stereotypes…..I know too many people who don’t fit into them to have much use for them.
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Thank you Ann! I just wish people would understand that diversity is way beyond the surface. 😊
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