Soundscape #94: L’esprit de l’escalier
August 1st, 2008Sometimes it’s hard to keep a healthy balance between who you are and the people around you. As we all seem to like thinking of ourselves as individuals, it seems inevitable that these individuals would clash and come to blows at some point. Be it the smallest pettiness against a neighbour or a full-out war against another country, arguments/conflicts are usually our ways to assert our point and trying to get that across the other party. I have nothing against arguments nor conflicts; in fact, I think them essential to our social and mental wellbeing. Without opposing views, we wouldn’t know what’s wrong from right. We would not know humility either if we feel we’re right all the time.
Chop1n. Secret Stairs, 2007.
However, when arguments erupt suddenly and take me by surprise, sometimes I’m not well-equipped with the best articulation of my position — hell, sometimes I don’t even know what my position is until I know what it’s not. The other party, no doubt sensing my hesitation, lunges in for the kill and I stand there stupefied. I nod my head dully saying things like “Yes, but…”, “Yes, I see your point but…”.
It would be all fine and dandy if the other party is irrefutably right and nothing else can be said. But such is the vexing fact of life that we are always always able to come up with the perfect, incisive, insightful and elegant comeback 5 minutes after the argument’s ended.
Playlist:
1. (0:00) The Strokes - I Can’t Win (Room On Fire)
2. (2:29) 18th Dye - Can You Wink? (Left)
3. (5:18) The Shins - So Says I (Chutes Too Narrow)
4. (8:07) Superdrag - She Says (Changin’ Tyres On The Road To Ruin)
5. (11:48) Weezer - Say It Ain’t So (Weezer Blue)
6. (16:08) Jason Collett - Nothing To Lose (Here’s To Being Here)
7. (20:34) Headlights - Put Us Back Together (Kill Them With Kindness)
8. (24:48) Dean & Britta - Words You Used To Say (Back Numbers)
9. (29:12) Teenage Fanclub - Say No (Grand Prix)
10. (32:27) Stars - What I’m Trying To Say (Set Yourself On Fire)
11. (35:47) Elliott Smith - Say Yes (Either/Or)
12. (38:05) DeVotchKa - The Winner Is (Little Miss Sunshine OST)
August 13th, 2008 at 2:34 pm
ya, tell me about it. i;m one to know, waking up in the middle of the night with comeback line…