So, a few weeks ago I began my first internship. Truthishly (hopefully you’ve seen the Family Guy episode where this word originated, otherwise I just look like an illiterate idiot – which I’m not, I promise.) I’ve never been an intern, so I had absoltely no idea what to expect. Would I be getting coffee all day? Expected to contribute in meetings and generate new ideas? I guess I’ve seen one too many movies with interns to hold any sort of stable concept of what one should do. As it turns out, I’ve landed somewhere in the middle. I work for a television station in Chicago (the Nation’s third-largest market, I’ve been told repeatedly) for both Programming and Promotions. On most days. I’m fiddling with schedules and listings, poring over ratings and making sure we haven’t violated some horrifically-complicated syndication contract.  I’ve never been asked to fetch coffee (or file anything, praise Jesus), no one has ever given me his/her lunch order, everyone’s remembered my name, and no one’s referred to me as “the intern.” I’m simply Mykal, which is always nice.

Sadly, because I work in television, THE ECONOMY is an overbearing presence in my office. One of my favorite co-workers was recently laid off. (Not to mention, I now complete most of her duties). A slew of people in the newsroom and production were recently laid-off, as well; The office’s already-low morale has dropped even further. What I’m told was once a lively and bustling little community of co-workers is kind of dreary and quiet. My manager has taken an instant liking to me, and she shares with me the sordid office gossip that you just know a dramawhore such as myself lives off of. So that’s an obvious plus. Mostly, though, I enjoy being able to walk in the studio whenever I please, take a gander at the newsroom, take a gawk and whomever’s appearing on the news that morning. The perks, while they may seem small to you, send me into a tiny fit of excitement. Mainly because it makes me feel special.

Coupled with this most pleasant job, is a job that pays in cash money, as opposed to academic credit hours. For the third consecutive summer, I find myself empoyed by the Goodwill. It isn’t that I hate my job, or anything. I just don’t enjoy going. The customers are rude. Management displays heinous and blatant favoritism – which usually isn’t a problem, except one assistant manager doesn’t like me. 90% of my co-workers are apathetic and I end up working harder to balance them out. It’s just a shitty place to be employed. I think I applied at every retailer in my area, and NO ONE called me back. Asshelmets. I guess I should be glad to have a job, right? I guess.

I believe it was the Mistress (if she’s reading. perhaps she’ll be able to confirm/deny) that I had the following conversation with:

Me: I really like Jill Scott.
Possibly the Mistress: I hate that bitch, if she was skinnier she would be mainstream.

There was something in the way she said “mainstream” that made it sound like it was a dirty word. And she’s one of many, many friends I have that tend to equate mainstream and popular with bad or unworthy of his/her time, and I don’t think I’ll ever understand why. These are people that go out of their way to avoid what’s popular and what others like. Now, I understand that everyone enjoys different flavours of music, and by no means am I calling for a homogenous taste in music, but a part of me is almost hurt by these obscurity-mongers. (I’m not singling out the Mistress here, I’m talking about hardcore pop-haters.) Because each one is such a pompous douchebag.

“What, you HAVEN’T heard <>? LAME”

Yeah, I like Britney Spears. BIG WHOOP WANNA FIGHT ABOUT IT?! I’m sorry that your favorite band has never nor will ever gain any notoriety or exposure worth anything, but don’t bring me down just because I enjoy music that is popular. Futhermore, don’t impugn the talent/hard work of mainstream artists, solely because they have gained exposure and notoriety. It drives me bonkers.

And as a movie person, I see a fuckton of movies that no one will ever see, that will never become popular. But I’m not going around hating on every bitch that never saw “Little Children.” ¿Sabes? And at the same time, I’m able to enjoy films like, “Let the Right One In” as well as whatever crap Michael Bay’s producing this summer. Not that there aren’t cinema pricks, but I just seem to encounter so many more musical obscurity-mongering-pompous-douchebag-assholes. I’ll just never be able to wrap my head around mainstream being a dirty word.