POST 30: GUILTY PLEASURES

GUILTY PLEASURES- Everybody’s got at least one! The concept of a guilty pleasure represents nonconformity entirely. The word “guilty” is what really makes this concept nonconforming. If you feel guilty for liking a certain thing, it’s implied that this thing is something you shouldn’t be doing or enjoying. How do we know what we should and shouldn’t be liking?? Societal norms, standards, and rules. Society loves telling us what to do and what not to do and regulates this through creating rules and norms. If we disobey these rules and norms we’re supposed to feel guilty. When you have a guilty pleasure, that means you are liking/doing something that’s not “normal” or “acceptable” to like. If that’s not nonconformity than I don’t know what is.

Maybe if MLS embraced and publicly advertised some of their guilty pleasures, people might grasp the nonconforming ideals that MLS represents. When imagining how this could be done, I visualize documentary- style filming of players confessing to embarrassing, funny, or deep guilty pleasures. It might be good to find out some real guilty pleasures of MLS soccer players, but since I don’t have access/time to ask them myself, and there is unfortunately nothing to be found on the subject online, I’ll go ahead and make some up just to get my idea across. Here’s a few ideas:

• Player confesses he loves carrying around a soccer ball and asking people on the street if they could help him with his soccer techniques, (not revealing fact that he’s a professional MLS player), just to see if they know who he is. “Most of the time people have no idea who I am. It’s fun to throw out as many hints as possible, and still have people be totally clueless. I’ve actually gotten a lot of decent advice! And….a lot of terrible advice.”
• Player admits that one of his favorite pass-times is going to Chick-fil-A and ordering one chicken nugget just to see people’s reactions. ” I just can’t explain the thrill I get out of doing this- I swear it gets me every time. I just hope the employees enjoy it as much as I do.”
• Player admits he loves instagram/facebook stalking his opponents- “just to see what kind of people i’m up against. I don’t intend to be creepy, I just like to be prepared. It’s also just really fun- to get to see their personal life I wouldn’t know about otherwise, ya know? Again, I swear i’m not a creep!”

After the players admit and share their guilty pleasures, whether they’re silly, ridiculous, or serious, MLS could take a moment to address how guilty pleasures are accepted my MLS.MLS could ask their fans to “show us your guilty pleasures- show us how crazy you guys are.”

Here’s some of my notes: