New York University's independent student newspaper, established in 1973.

Washington Square News

New York University's independent student newspaper, established in 1973.

Washington Square News

New York University's independent student newspaper, established in 1973.

Washington Square News

A mural of a woman’s face holding up a chain with the word “LOISAIDA” and a gold cityscape. The words “el bohio murals” and “#BRINGARTBACK” are next to the woman alongside the words “CURATED BY … THRIVECOLLECTIVE.ORG.”
Activists’ 25-year fight to revive an East Village community center
Dharma Niles, Deputy News Editor • Mar 12, 2024
A front entrance with the text “Electric Lady Studios” written in a retro white font on two reflective walls.
‘An exploitative environment’: The interns behind Electric Lady Studios
Julia Diorio, Music Editor • Feb 20, 2024

Letter from the Editor

When I was a kid, I loved the Harry Potter books. This isn’t exactly a mind-blowing revelation, as that was an opinion shared by most of my peers. However, my middle school self was so anti-mainstream that I felt the need to express my adoration of the J.K. Rowling series in a way that was different from that of my classmates. Hence, I had my dad order the original British versions from Amazon U.K. for me to read.

At the time, words like mainstream, indie and hipster didn’t mean anything to me — I simply wanted to be different. The need to feel different is just as natural as the need to fit in, but just like any other impulse, it can be dangerous if left unchecked. You can fall down the rabbit hole of irony and cynicism, and eventually, your opinions won’t really be yours at all.

This phenomenon has helped form the cloud of insincerity that hovers over today’s arts scene. Bands, films and television shows are deemed uncool, and thus unworthy, before you can say “Arcade Fire.” I often find myself having to say things like “You know, I sincerely like Fountains of Wayne. Seriously, listen to ‘Welcome Interstate Managers.’”

Sincerity is what this issue is all about. In these pages, the WSN Arts desk scrounged the music, film, television and theater scenes to celebrate the sincere and call out the insincere. We want to show how even a two-hour video game can be one of the most transcendental life experiences you will ever come across. Above all, we want to show that we have feelings for a reason, and it would be a waste trying not to care.

– Josh Johnson 
Leave a comment
More to Discover

Comments (0)

Comments that are deemed spam or hate speech by the moderators will be deleted.
All Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *