This past weekend I went to a Twenty One Pilots concert with my 14-year-old sister – the perfect age to become subject to emo culture. I’m not a die-hard fan, but I have been listening to the duo since 2013, so I was looking forward to seeing them live for the first time. In the days leading up to the concert, though, I was hesitant to let myself be excited because of how much online hate the band and its fans receive. I had let myself become part of a social media echo chamber that deemed their discography “cringe.”
Upon arriving at the arena, I noticed many fans were dressed up as the band or recreating looks from their music videos, some more extravagant than others. My first instinct was to be judgemental, but then it occurred to me: I’m just a hater. I looked at the swarm of fans around me, eager to see their favorite band perform, and realized they were just expressing themselves and enjoying the experience. After that, I stopped focusing so much on other people, and let myself enjoy the music, and it ended up being a fun night.
People are often judgmental about various interests, from music and movies to books and hobbies. For instance, after the release of “Stranger Things” season four, it only took a couple of weeks for the internet to decide that one newly-introduced character, Eddie Munson, was cringe. There was nothing wrong with the character until TikTok collectively decided it was embarrassing, discouraging fans of the show from talking or posting about it.
By no means am I a poster child for being yourself and ignoring others. In the past I’ve been guilty of using Spotify’s private listening feature so my friends couldn’t see the music I was listening to, but so what if I want to listen to “Death of a Bachelor” by Panic! at the Disco? I won’t be silenced. It takes time, but once you take away the weight the word “cringe” carries, you will start to feel much lighter.
Ultimately, embracing your interests is important, even if other people don’t like them. You can’t let anonymous people behind a computer screen determine what’s definitively cool and what’s not. Life is much more fun when you’re focused on yourself and not letting yourself be bothered by hateful people.