I'm a Loser, Baby

By Salem Ross

“Sorry if that makes me sound pretentious” is something I use as a follow-up for half of the music knowledge I have. There is no attempt to be greater in saying a niche fact about an album or finding it interesting to say why a song is so groundbreaking, but the need to apologize for coming off that way has been ingrained into what I say.  Self-depreciation has been made cool with the power of the internet. Having the boldness to negatively talk about oneself with a laugh track at the end is the new way of being relatable. 

Generation Z has taken self-awareness to a new level, having acknowledged and embraced the awkwardness and tuning out the need to be structured with dance tracks and pop melodies displaying the same emotions. In a way, it has been happening for ages, more so highlighted in the 90s. With a resurgence of popularity of whiny catchy guitar music such as Radiohead, Deftones, Beck, and Weezer — we all know you listen to Weezer ironically, it's okay I do too — I think it’s safe to say that being a flawed person is much more preferred in the modern age. A flawed person is creating something attractive and never before seen because, at the end of the day, it's you. The things you enjoy, create, and even find repulsive make you an original copy. Apologizing for sounding pretentious about stuff that I already have a large interest in isn’t even being pretentious in the first place! Embracing your interests as a part of you is ingrained in this generation. 

Growing up with the internet was the first time you could be anonymous without shame. You could run an Instagram account dedicated to Fall Out Boy in 2015 and not have a soul know it was you if you wanted, speaking from personal experience. The popular saying, to be cringe is to be free, goes a long way. Nothing is cringe if you take it as a part of yourself. If that type of media is your strong suit, there is no need to apologize or apologize for it. Music highlights this now with a stretch to become relatable to a generation in love with their flaws. Having a sort of “I’m just like you” connection with the audience. Songs like Blood Orange’s “You’re Not Good Enough” is music that you can dance to. It crowds the floor with lyrics that describe an affair gone wrong, but it gets lovers together when it comes on shuffle, unlike the relationship in the song. 

I could apologize for what I know about the hit 1982 album, Lexicon of Love by ABC, but why apologize if no one expects one? Embracing what you love and acknowledging the lesser parts of a person is a part of yourself. My generation takes inspiration from the past but presents it in a modern light. Relating their inventiveness to their relationships, situations, and general feelings. They might be manufactured in a way that hits the pop charts, but that takes none of the meaning away.