So the music at my coffee shop is going decidedly downhill. All they ever play now is stuff from the late 80s, and not even the “best of”, just bland radio hits. But anyway, today that Paula Abdul classic “Opposites Attract” came on, and I really listened to the lyrics for the first time. And I realized that the song sends a horrible message. Putting aside the question of whether opposites can really be in a relationshiop with any long-term potential, lets look at the two individuals in the song:
She: likes TV, takes things serious, goes to bed early, moves slowly, likes it quiet, makes the bed, likes it neat, takes it easy, has money, doesn’t smoke
He: likes movies, takes things light, parties all night, is fast, loves to shout, steals the covers, makes a mess, gets obsessed, always broke, and smokes
Now, aside from the TV vs movies thing, this is more than just two people with different tastes (and problems with adverbs). This is a responsible adult and an overgrown kid. How many times have we seen relationships exactly like this? How many times have we gotten that late night call from a friend in distress because they’re dating exactly this type of guy, and he’s off god knows where spending her money getting into god knows what kind of trouble? I’m sorry Paula, but this does not sound like a healthy relationship to me. It sounds like you’re probably forever cleaning up his messes, lending him money, calming him down, waiting for him to come home, sleeping in the cold, and breathing second hand smoke. What kind of message are you sending here?
