Vinyl & Verses

 Recently, I have been fascinated with the social nuances of communication described in Steven Pinker's piece, "Words Don't Mean What They Mean". So much so that it reminded me of a certain Drake song that makes extensive use of social euphemisms throughout its lyrics: Drake's "Diplomatic Immunity"(featured in his 2018 album, Scary Hours) illustrates a sophisticated way to communicate indirectly. This indirectness allows him to accomplish a sort of authority ranking: a social frame that allows individuals to demonstrate their relative authority within a particular social group while still demonstrating appropriate decorum. As Pinker points out, the primary function of indirectness is to allow us to manage relationships and avoid coming off in an undesirable manner.  Drake accomplishes this goal of managing his face by describing his lifestyle through a series of euphemisms that convey his status without simply stating that he's richer or has more pow...

 Firoozeh Dumas' essay "The F Word", focuses on the friction that comes from having a name that most Americans have no clue how to pronounce or use. Just as Jacques Bermon Webster II changed his name to "Travis Scott" in order to move through the music world with greater ease and recognition, so too has Dumas rebranded herself with the social survival mechanism of adopting "Julie" in place of Firoozeh.  Webster's adoption of Travis Scott is a tribute to two of his idols. He chose "Travis" after a favorite uncle of his who was admired for his personality and style, and chose "Scott" in honor of his musical idol Kid Cudi (whose legal name is Scott Mescudi). Webster's fabricated name is a marketable brand, allowing him to separate his personal self from the loud performer that goes by Travis. However, I think this change goes deeper than just musical persona; after all, even the people closest to him refer to him as Travis. Muc...

Anthropologists are often struck by the auditory practices of the tribe known as Srevol Cisum. Day in and day out, the members of this cult-like tribe shove sacred cords into their ears. Some even maintain this sacred level of holiness without cords; they use devices that resemble white stones that seamlessly blend into their appearance. These are known as Sdop Ria. These devices, when paired with a black magic slab, allow the user to perform a brain-pleasing ritual in which they become consumed by the invisible vibrations of sound that are emitted into their ears.  The audiophiles of the Srevol Cisum tribe have come to believe that the human spirit has a natural tendency toward "the silence", a frightening nothingness that may only be kept at bay through the continuous creation of rhythmic sounds. To avoid the emptiness, many members of the tribe go through the ritual of utilizing their holy Sdop Ria. Through their production of an unending series of incantations, each membe...