Apparently, a playlist can fail a personality test.
Too many radio hits, and you have bad music taste. A favorite artist with sold-out stadiums, and you have to be following the crowd. Pick a popular TV show that everyone has seen, and you might as well just announced that you like to watch paint dry.
What is the offense? Liking something popular.
Being “basic” is a convenient insult that needs little to no explanation. Calling a movie boring requires you to explain what bored you. Calling someone’s music tastes “basic” lets you skip that explanation and makes yours sound superior.
Then the question of who gets called basic in the first place pops up. Picture a bedroom covered in Gracie Abrams posters. Now, one covered in Los Angeles Kings memorabilia. Both belong to someone invested in people they probably have never met. Both might involve expensive tickets, merchandise and a schedule built around upcoming events.
Do we react to that enthusiasm the same way?
It is a question worth asking. Before dismissing an entire fan base, it helps to ask what exactly is so embarrassing: the music, the behavior of the fans or simply seeing girls loudly enjoying something.
It turns popularity into a flaw, as if a song loses something the moment enough people learn the words. A chorus does not become worse because an entire arena can sing it, sometimes it is a hit because it is fun to listen to.
Of course, admitting that you like something popular can feel less impressive than naming a band whose monthly listeners could fit into a singular classroom. There is this certain satisfaction of introducing someone to an artist or song they have never heard of. Discovering new music is exciting. So is finding a movie that you think deserves more attention.
The competition starts when discovery becomes a way to rank people. Suddenly, the conversation turns into who found the artist first or who knows the unreleased songs, word-for-word.
At that point, defending your taste in music should count as an extracurricular.
Long time fans can even get caught in the storm of needing to defend themselves. They liked the artist before their first viral song. They prefer the first album over the newest one. They are fans, but not those kinds of fans.
This same kind of judgment relates to movies and TV shows, as well. A comforting, predictable rom-com can be dismissed before anyone even asks why they like it. Maybe the dialogue is different from other movies. Maybe the leads have a genuine kind of chemistry. Maybe after a long week of what feels like endless tests and assignments, you want to put on that movie you have seen so many times, and say the lines before the characters do.
Entertainment is allowed to entertain you. Every viewing choice does not need to show a sophisticated understanding of film.
Besides, familiar favorites often come with some kind of backstory. There is the one Justin Bieber song that your friend dances to every time it comes on, there is the Christmas movie your family watches every year or the one Zach Bryan album that reminds you of a particular summer. Someone else can see an obvious answer, but you see the tabletop that was danced on, the living room couch you cuddled up on or the people singing along.
There are fair reasons to dislike a popular artist or movie. A weak script is a weak script, even with a huge opening weekend. A catchy song can eventually get irritating after its hundredth replay. Nobody owes a bestseller a good review.
But there is more to say than “everybody likes it.” Explain why the ending does not work. Argue about what you think the lyrics mean. Just have that conversation. There is very little to discuss when your only criticism is that too many other people liked it.
And liking something popular does not mean that you can lock someone into a lifetime of predictable choices. The same person can enjoy an underground TV show on Friday and then watch “How I Met Your Mother” on Saturday. Their taste has room for both.
If a friend asks what you have been listening to, it is fine if the answer is the same song everyone else has been playing. Chances are, your friends know the words to the song, too.
