In the US it is mostly must-recognize but only subset have memorized the whole thing. It’s twice as long, almost as archaic (not a dead language but older English), and most ceremonial performances require standing but not sing-along. In part because it’s a harder melody to sing.
-
Show this thread
-
But back to sat Kanye West as a must-listen. It isn’t authoritarian, and it’s totally opt-in to Nation of Ye, but there is a certain force of necessity there nevertheless. It is a precondition for participation in a temporality; a way of being in historical time.
1 reply 0 retweets 3 likesShow this thread -
To not listen to say John Legend is merely a matter of taste/cultural choice To not listen to Kanye is to forgo an entire timeline, a way of being in time To the extent you think music is a necessary strand of history, it is sitting out *the* timeline. Consensus reality trunk.
4 replies 3 retweets 9 likesShow this thread -
One key idea behind my multitemporality thesis is that it is possible to not read must-reads, not listen to must-listens, etc and still stay not alive, but in time. Ie experience a coherent temporality and be in history. Ie there is no privileged necessary trunk temporality
2 replies 0 retweets 2 likesShow this thread -
I’ve never knowingly listened to Kanye (though I take my musical friends at their word that I’m missing something historic), but unlike the law of gravity, or hard edged laws of justice system, the consequences of not obeying the must-listen law are not as clear. But they exist.
2 replies 0 retweets 3 likesShow this thread -
Kanye is just an example. The general principle is that consensus reality is actually dissensus garden of forking paths, but unlike bitcoin, there is no longest-chain-wins rule. There is no protocol force ensuring universal consensus. So you get divergence. Multitemporality.
2 replies 0 retweets 7 likesShow this thread -
It is tempting to think of there being a ground truth cultural reality with different must-inhabit temporalities being co-extensive and nonrivalrous imperative coverings of it. Many maps for different journeys, one territory. Any journey that is not prohibited is mandatory.
2 replies 0 retweets 1 likeShow this thread -
But I think this flawed. I think in some sense there is no territory. Only maps.
2 replies 0 retweets 4 likesShow this thread -
Venkatesh Rao Retweeted Venkatesh Rao
Must-consumes are like public keys for accessing temporalities. You can’t get out though unless you know the private key. Trapdoor realities. Hotel California temporalities. Self-securing cults that reprogram your log level life semantics.https://twitter.com/vgr/status/1128713731096043521?s=21 …
Venkatesh Rao added,
1 reply 1 retweet 1 likeShow this thread -
Venkatesh Rao Retweeted Venkatesh Rao
Connecting this bunnywarren to the meme du jourhttps://twitter.com/vgr/status/1187795298225016832?s=21 …
Venkatesh Rao added,
2 replies 1 retweet 6 likesShow this thread
Venkatesh Rao Retweeted Venkatesh Rao
Similar energy. Need to explicitly connect, but just logging it here for now.https://twitter.com/vgr/status/1186056484481667072?s=21 …
Venkatesh Rao added,
Loading seems to be taking a while.
Twitter may be over capacity or experiencing a momentary hiccup. Try again or visit Twitter Status for more information.