Phresh take 👍 I think what so drives the Swiftie phenomenon is that she gives her fans, especially the young'uns just entering the world and all its conflicting messages around love and romance, a simulacrum for debating what's acceptable and what isn't around relationships. By parsing her lyrics and squaring them with events in her life, they're taking stands on what, how, and why a person should act when exposing themselves to the emotional risk of dating. Who she chooses to muse with, and why, becomes the fascination; as much a part of the appeal as the catharsis of her choruses.
So it's group therapy in the sense that it involves the collective processing of emotions, but it's also something else: a means for digesting and articulating relationship values. Anyway, that's this SWM's take 😅
An example of an album that takes another approach to trauma is SELF-ish by Will Wood, where he sings about his experience overcoming drug addiction, cutting ties with his troubled past and questions the meaning of identity. Highly recommend checking it out as I believe it falls into the category of art as a transformative process that you described.
Just listened - great example of the distinction I had in mind here, too, where there's a definite rising and falling action that feels conclusive in a way and the song leaves the listener somewhere else than from when they started.
Therapy can have side effects, and very therapized people are often deeply annoying, all true. But calling bad therapy a “fruitful framework”.….. I do appreciate you’re aware her examples are cherry picked, but then why take it at such face value? Are you aware of Ozy Brennans (thing of thing here on substack) review series of that book? I think that it’s a very important view on that book, and this entire essay just comes across badly by association now that I’m actually familiar with what she’s claiming and her evidence.
Haven't read Brennan's series - I will take a look!
In the turn of phrase above, I'm not using fruitful as beneficial and bountiful so much as full of fruits to pick, even if the fruit may be sour. Exploring a thesis isn't endorsement, but exploration.
Phresh take 👍 I think what so drives the Swiftie phenomenon is that she gives her fans, especially the young'uns just entering the world and all its conflicting messages around love and romance, a simulacrum for debating what's acceptable and what isn't around relationships. By parsing her lyrics and squaring them with events in her life, they're taking stands on what, how, and why a person should act when exposing themselves to the emotional risk of dating. Who she chooses to muse with, and why, becomes the fascination; as much a part of the appeal as the catharsis of her choruses.
So it's group therapy in the sense that it involves the collective processing of emotions, but it's also something else: a means for digesting and articulating relationship values. Anyway, that's this SWM's take 😅
Witing poetry is my therapy for all my life.
An example of an album that takes another approach to trauma is SELF-ish by Will Wood, where he sings about his experience overcoming drug addiction, cutting ties with his troubled past and questions the meaning of identity. Highly recommend checking it out as I believe it falls into the category of art as a transformative process that you described.
Just listened - great example of the distinction I had in mind here, too, where there's a definite rising and falling action that feels conclusive in a way and the song leaves the listener somewhere else than from when they started.
Therapy can have side effects, and very therapized people are often deeply annoying, all true. But calling bad therapy a “fruitful framework”.….. I do appreciate you’re aware her examples are cherry picked, but then why take it at such face value? Are you aware of Ozy Brennans (thing of thing here on substack) review series of that book? I think that it’s a very important view on that book, and this entire essay just comes across badly by association now that I’m actually familiar with what she’s claiming and her evidence.
Haven't read Brennan's series - I will take a look!
In the turn of phrase above, I'm not using fruitful as beneficial and bountiful so much as full of fruits to pick, even if the fruit may be sour. Exploring a thesis isn't endorsement, but exploration.