Grammy groaning

They are out! The announcements of the Grammy nominees! Yeah! Not. Every year the Grammies are announced, the music industry spends countless hours and dollars flattering themselves, and we, the masses, are willingly force fed some of the most shallow, insipid, and vacuous music that has been created. We eat it up, rushing to purchase Grammy nominated tripe, tuning in to see the artists, adding to the general buzz and bluster. Idiotic. Every year I lament the state of music and it appears that this year will be no different. I realize it is foolish of me to hope that the masses will forsake the refuse we are spoon fed daily. Call me an idealist, but I just can't accept that everyone can be so unimaginative to think that garbage such as "Hollaback Girl", "Gold Digger" or the formulaic, pseudo-sentimental tripe "We Belong Together" are worth listening to, let alone worth honoring. There is so much music out there that is really brilliant. It is artistic, it is thoughtful, it is adventurous, and it can even uplift and engage the listener. There is music that transcends the senses and connects to the listener on an emotional level. Sure, we all need a break from the dense stuff at times. Pop music has its place for thoughtless escapism. But its place is not up on a pedestal, to be honored by the masses. Can you tell it pisses me off?