I wrote the following piece in May of 2011. I had forgotten about it for a time, but revisiting the topic of relativism jogged my memory. Writing soothes me when I feel stressed, and it is an excellent tool to guide conversation. It saves time, so that I need not repeat myself to different groups as often as I would had I not written on a subject. It catalogues my thoughts at a certain point, which can then be built upon at a later date. I hope you enjoy the voice of a slightly younger me.
Philosophical Critique
Music critics often judge the quality of songs or artists by different means. Some test whether or not an artists' message is positive and uplifting or demeaning and denigrating to society. Others will judge on the basis of the sound or instruments. This basis can be whether a song is personally pleasing or pleasing to the masses. Rarely if ever is there a critic who writes about the philosophic consequences of an artist's work. Today that is my task.
Anti-Establishment
Tyler the Creator is the leader of a large music (I do not want to trap him in a genre as per his requests in interviews) group called Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All, or OFWGKTA for short. I have not heard their entire musical compilation, but I have extensively listened to Tyler's two solo projects as well as some selected works from Domo Genesis, Frank Ocean, Mike G, Earl Sweatshirt and MellowHype. Tyler and his merry band have been gaining a lot of notoriety lately for their consistent disregard for police, teachers, women, hip-hop blogs and the establishment in general. Tyler speaks of raping and slapping women, burning objects, disregarding a college education, killing his father and crashing B.o.B's airplane. The sheer boldness of his claims and confidence in his affirmations seems to have pumped the intuitions of many youth who view the establishment as at least suspect.
Relativism
Tyler's excuse for his selected topics of discussion is that he is an atheist. Not only does he speak profanities and openly discuss rape, but in addition he has no problem contradicting himself. In the popular song Yonkers, cosigned by Kanye West on his blog, Tyler says "green paper, gold teeth and pregnant gold retrievers, is all i want, fuck money, diamonds and bitches, i don't need em". This is an embrace of relativism as I have never prior to heard in such a public forum. Relativism is the belief that there is no truth. For those who have yet to see the problem in this claim one needs only to suppose that Relativism is the belief that there is truth. In the eye of the relativists' both of these claims about relativism are to be taken as correct. The term correct in this sense becomes problematic, and one can see where relativism fails to meet its own criteria. It plainly disregards its own definition.
Why Listen to OFWGKTA?
There are many hip hop artists, painters, composers and other thinkers that are hesitant to acknowledge the truth that there is a God, and that the truth exists. Post-modernist is usually the title they use, but they do not really appreciate titles because they box them in. If relativism is correct (I realize how problematic this sounds), there is no reason not to act in accordance with what Tyler says. If we are here by chance and there is no truth, then who is one person to tell another not to kill, cannibalize, rape, steal, disrespect or otherwise harass thy neighbor. On the other hand if there exists truth and, dare I say it, God exists, then there is an appropriate course of action aligned with His will that we must follow. And it has to do with love, not with the aforementioned consequences of relativism. Tyler offers a chance for those hesitant to acknowledge the truth, and those who openly mock it, to imagine a world in which relativism is correct. A world in which words and actions have no meanings.
What To Do
Listen to Tyler and the rest of Odd Future so you can have help understanding the folly of relativism, and the extent of its consequences if it were to be true. If you do not view this as a folly, then i urge you to go express your beliefs to your friends and family. Explain to them that there is no truth and that no ones' life has any meaning. Golf Wang.
P.S.- Absolute claims that generalize are another pet peeve of mine. Sometimes they can bite back.
(Episode 3 of Star Wars)-Obi-wan to Anakin
Obi-wan: Only sith deal in absolutes! (oops. does that make you a sith Mr.Kenobi?)
Words have meanings, So your vocab needs some cleaning
Just the two cents, Of a brotha sick with nuissance
-Enoch Elijah
Feel free to tag any Odd Future fan, relativist, philosopher, or open minded individual.
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