ok, here's the thing: elephants are remarkably intelligent. they've recently been classed with apes and dolphins, and it's becoming clearer and clearer that they really belong in a class of their own. they are the animal which surpasses all others in wit and mind. there's some evidence that they're able to understand syntax. that's extremely rare. really, we can only be sure that humans can do that.

what does that mean? well, you can teach a dog to fetch a stick, and you can teach a dog to fetch a beer. but the dog doesn't understand that fetch is a verb. it takes the two commands as independent things. so, you'll need to teach it to fetch a third object as a new task. it seems to be that elephants can be taught what the idea of fetch means, then apply it independently to different objects without being explicitly taught. that's a remarkable level of cognitive advancement.

so, all these comments that are like "look. even a dumb elephant can figure this out." are really missing the point. smart ass comments about bratty kids aside, the reality is that full grown elephants are as intelligent as toddlers.

ok, i can understand why she decided to make a song like this. it's an ego trip, sure, and that's been the dominant theme in mainstream music for nearly forty years now. but there's a point to it. so, it has a purpose as a statement. i can argue that the statement is pompous, boring and irrelevant - but it's there.

what i don't understand is why the fuck anybody would want to listen to this as a form of entertainment. maybe somebody can explain this to me. musically, it's pretty much flat out boring. there's nothing to really relate to on a conceptual, political, emotional or any other kind of level.

i mean, it's one thing to make something like this. i can get that. it's another thing to consume it. and i don't get that....

can somebody explain that to me?