why am i writing this post?

i got to thinking about some mariah carey videos the other morning.

is intellectual honesty (or really more accurate: consistency) a good thing? if so, is there a reason we, broadly as a society, don't care about it? if not, if intellectual inconsistency is fine, is there a reason why we chaffe upon its discovery (as in, why being a flip-flopper is a bad thing?) is there a reason we celebrate mind changes and maturing one moment and condemn shifts in opinion the next? again, let me just ask: what is up with consistency in america?

The first two singles for Mariah's new album, Emancipation of Mimi, were "it's like that" and "we belong together." "It's like that" came out some time ago as a video, and launched off the album. I remember reading "mariah's back" type music critics that remarked upon the song as a vehicle with which the pop artist rode back into prominence. The lyrics, some mentioned, really captured Mariah's state of self. She's over the meltdown, no more drama, just putting out good music. Lyrics like this:

Cuz it's my night
No stress, no fights
I'm leavin it all behind
No tears, no time to cry
Just makin the most of life

hard to argue. "It's like that" was a statement. I'm leaving the drama soapopera celebrity this that glitter world beind and enjoying life. cool.

The video featured Mariah walking into a party. Basically that was it...the entrance and the pre-entrance getting ready (makeup, you know).

Well, the video, that again featured lyrics celebrating the soap-opera-less life, ended with a young man tossing some flowers Mariah's way. And the next single's video, "we belong together," features a marriage ceremony from which Mariah bolts, 5 mile long dress trailing behind, from the Richard Gere lookalike hired for the video for the Justin Timberlake lookalike (tux and sneakers in full gear).

So much for leaving all the drama behind.

Somewhere in these two videos is a good analogy of our ability to live and thrive within an intellectually inconsistent world. perhaps this is why we make so many new years eve resolutions.