@erik_squires : "In that analogy, the musicians and producers are the race car team. The rest of us are just observers in the stands."
It is unkind to torture a previously tortured analogy. ;-)
"Otherwise, audiophiles are reduced to consumers of a particular type of product. How miserably impoverishing that POV is to me."
And yet, that pretty much defines us. Maybe better than any definition so far.
So maybe here is a better analogy. Is a person who is enthusiastic about wine and appreciates the highest qualities to be found in wine but can only afford to experience Yellow Tail or Boone Farm an oenophile?
Of course not.
Or does the wealth shaming/guilt of some oenophiles make the Boone Farm drinker and oenophile just so said oenophiles can feel less guilty about their hobby?
Again, of course not.
The Boone Farm crowd can be called wine lovers just like anyone who likes music can be a music lover. But they cannot be called connoisseurs nor sommeliers.
To wax a little philosophical, I think part of the problem is the western social trend to blur distinctions. It occurs at all levels and is a form of leveling that many feel is so important. I remember after 911 there was a news segment talking about how the event had traumatized all Americans and part of the conclusion was that because of that shared trauma "we are all heroes". As nice as that sounds and as wholesome as leveling may seem to some people, such abuse of the language cripples our ability to see, detect and admire what is truly good AND what is truly bad. And it utterly trivialized the actions of the true heroes of that day. I see it as one among many of dangerous anarchy producing trends in our culture over the last 20-30 years. In my office we are now required to ask patients if they "identify" as male or female. So far we do not have to ask them if they "identify" as animal, vegetable or mineral. But that cannot be too far off.
