The X Generation Factor

It is predictable. Scores and scores of blind sheep going into a record store and buying a single, not on the merit of the song, not on the merit of the music, not even on the merit of the artist themselves. No these people are buying the single this Christmas because they are being told to. The peer pressure is tangible! I have to buy this single because I've been told to. No I am not talking about the X Factor winner Joe McElderry's new single, rather the 'Rage Against the X-Factor' campaign to get 'Killing In The Name Of' by Rage Against The Machine as this years Christmas number one.

To clarify personally I'd much rather sit and listen to Rage Against The Machine than this years Leon Jackson. It is more the fact that this is the latest manifestation of the 'Alternative Conformist' trend. For years people have been raging against conformity, despising it, criticising it, claiming to abhor it with every ounce of hate they have. These same people became the emos. These same people joined the Real Ale society, and most recently these same people have jumped onto the bandwagon of buying the Rage Against The Machine single. 'Look at me', they exclaim, 'look how different I am!' And who does look at them?

1st the people who are buying Michelle McMannus Mark VI's Christmas single. Oh so excited from the enjoyment of The X Factor they tripsy down to the record shop, rake through the seven inches and spend their hard earned pennies on the song they saw performed live on tv last night (I may be a wee bit behind the times). When the single reaches number one they will once again feel a swell of glee thinking 'I bought that single!' Their reaction to Rage Against The Machine being number 5 in the charts? I doubt they'll have one. They will hear a heavily censored rap/rock song by an irrelevant band that probably wont even register on their radar.

2nd the people who are believing the hype and purchasing RATM's single. Mainly people who never buy singles deciding to let the capitalist system that RATM rage against get to them. Oh how rebelious. Look at me, I hate the capitalist concept of a rich man having a garenteed Christmas number one, I'll be a true rebel and buy the single. Watch as they look at all of their friends doing the same, all of their former emo, real ale drinking music snobs queing up to purchase a single that they either will never even listen to, or more likely already own on the album. Why? To sit and listen to the charts for the first time ever and snort at the other 39 songs that make up the Christmas charts.

3rd Rage Against the Machine Fans. Their moment of glorious musical snobbery. 'Huh' I can hear them pronounce, 'look at all these people buying that song.' As they sit listening to the B-side of the original 1992 release 'Clear the Name'. 

4th, people like me who rather than take 2 minutes and 79 p (which lets face it is insignificant) will spend the entire fortnight of Rage Against The X Factor hype implying that I am so much better than everyone else as I am not so stupid as to buy a Rage Against The Machine single for the sake of The X Factor.

Really who comes out of this well?