2.22.11 Adam Gets Fired Up

Is anyone familiar with the children's story about the Rainbow Fish? It is a very popular allegory about not thinking you are better than everyone else, but sharing your attributes with others in order for them to accept you and be your friend. A very good lesson for kids.

However, something about the story always bothered me. See, the Rainbow Fish WAS the most beautiful fish in the ocean, with gorgeous jewel-toned scales. All the other fish wanted his scales. In order to be accepted by them, the Rainbow Fish gives each of the other fish a beautiful scale, until he only has one left--- the same amount as all the other fish. Then, they all play happily together. It seems to me that the story is not saying you need to share yourself with others as much as it is saying you must strip yourself of your individuality and beauty in order to "fit in." You must make everyone equal - even tho' it requires you to painfully extract the very thing that makes you the special person you are.

Why am I writing about the Rainbow Fish on Adamtopia? Because it seems to me that there are those out there who do not like Adam, will not play with Adam (or play his songs) BECAUSE Adam is uniquely himself, uniquely beautiful. In order to get his songs played on the radio he has to strip himself of those unique qualities in order to sound like everything else on the radio.

I would much rather Adam stay true to himself and make his kind of music his way, even if it means he does not become a mega-star with songs playing every hour and soaring up to the top of the charts. I would much prefer that Adam gets the critical acclaim and recognition and has healthy sales and a reasonable profit.

I'm not saying it is an "either/or" situation. There is always the possibility that his unique voice and musicianship will catch on and rage thru the pop music world like wild-fire. But, if it doesn't, I never want him to compromise his voice, his style, his musicianship in order to look/sound like every other fish in the sea.

IMHO. YMMV

Cassie - please forgive me if this has been discussed to death - I'm coming in at the end of the day without having read the entire thread, but this caught my eye.

I have been reading a version of The Rainbow Fish to my daughter during bathtime nearly every night recently. I like it because it emphasizes friendship over attractiveness, a quality I feel strongly about inculcating in my little girl as she enters a world filled with questionable messages about body image. And then I saw your post, and just loved this different interpretation. You point out that the story emphasizes sameness over difference, which I realize is equally important a message. I wonder which message I mean to send, and what I am unintentionally saying to my daughter by encouraging sameness. Exceptional talent and vision like Adam's comes from encouraging difference, vision, and the belief in oneself as you are. Hmmm...

Is this kinda like "Size doesn't matter - its how one wields it that counts"??

San Diego, great weather but thats all it has to offer!
It is a very conservative "little town" with lousy restaurants.