The World is a Scarier Place

Three days ago, I discovered Blip.fm and ever since I have been creating the internet-digital-revolution version of "The Mix Tape."  I have always been a fan of "The Mix Tape" - I should admit that right up front.  I made them nearly every week, for me, to give to other people - I even made at least one for Somebody Else to give to Her Boyfriend.  (I sometimes wondered what that said about their relationship - but, still in all, I was just grateful to get to make the tape.  I even bought a 45 record (yes those black things that spun . . ) that I didn't like because she wanted it on the tape.

Of course, I progressed to making CDs, MP3 CDs, MP3 player mixes, and finally iTouch MP3 player mixes . . . and then Blip.fm.  

It is an entire community of Dj's making mix tapes. . . . & exchanging music for mix tapes & commenting on each other's mix tapes.  I'm so addicted it's a wonder I remember to eat or sleep.  (Confidentially, I discovered Blip.fm late Thursday night and had problems going to sleep, I had so many songs swirling through my brain.  It was like it was the night before the first day of school.)

Just as with Twitter, I'm sure there are people that just don't understand.  Why bother?  Aren't you just making more work for yourself?  Why not just listen to your iTouch?

Because.  Probably.  And weren't you paying attention?  This is an entire "community" that is an entity with it's own life . .  unlike an iTouch  . . you find songs you never heard before, you get the joy of sharing songs with someone else that they've never heard before, you're hearing music appreciated by people all over the world, and you can find kindred spirits that actually like that song no one else you know does.  

But like any "community" there are moments when everybody just isn't in concert with each other.  Some people want the old lady with all the cats to paint her house and cut her lawn.  Some people think the people with the kids who play in the street should have them play in the backyard . . or better . . . at the park.  Some people will smile and nod to you, but essentially want everyone in the neighborhood to mind their own business.

Anyway, on Blip.fm, I'm blissfully blipping away-I just may have the fastest growing music list on my page.  (I'm afraid to know for sure.)  I'm about to take a break from the computer and I blip what should be a nice, bluesy, benign version of Disney's Zip a Dee Doo Dah.  (It is actually a 2 song medley containing Zip . . )  I set it up, get about 5 feet away from my computer, and the song begins saying some of the most vile racist trash I've ever actually heard aloud.  (I'm fairly small town naive-I'm aware of such crud, but it is not a part of my life experience and I am not looking for it to be.)  

And here I've blipped it to my treasured community like it is something I believe in.

Luckily, I've advanced far enough in my understanding of Blip.fm to get the danged thing deleted pretty fast.  I apologized on Twitter & Blip in case anyone was offended.  I admitted that . . . . I was.  No one emailed, blipped or tweeted anything.  As far as I can tell, the incident passed entirely unnoticed.

Except by me.

For me, the internet became a little bit scarier place this afternoon.  Because I got a reminder that while we're all gleefully enjoying each other's company, we're not all the same.  We don't have the same backgrounds.  We don't KNOW how each other thinks.  Even though it removes the barriers and some snap judgements of that other community that we live in; this world will also require patience and tolerance and, occasionally, just removing yourself from a bad situation.  

To (roughly) paraphrase Aldous Huxley - What brave new world!  That has such (wonders) in it.

BTW, for those who "get it" - there was a quote on Twitter the other day - Twitter isn't better than sex, but it has sliced bread on the run.  (Sure does and Blip.fm does too.)