Predicting Personalities Through Music Tastes

In "Accounting for Taste", Eric Gardner describes possible traits a person could have based upon their musical preferences. In looking at the chart at the end of the reading, the descriptions linked to the different genres that people sound somewhat based on race. For instance, if a person likes rap, funk, or electronic music then they are energetic and a social Obama supporter. In my opinion, this description appears to be what most people would categorize as a stereotypical black person (as blacks are generally viewed as listening to rap or funk). In addition, the description for country music lovers, it also appears to be what most people would categorize as a stereotypical white person. Interestingly, Gardner's research shows that the majority of races do in fact act stereotypical, in spite of most people's claims against acting stereotypical, and I would agree that the likelihood of someone fulfilling the description based on their favorite genre is substantial. People are often angered, as I was, when others place people in a group and judge the group as a whole based on a commonality. Yet, if one truly reads Gardener’s descriptions, they are true. Human nature leads people to believe they are unique and instills in them a sense of strong sense of self-identity. Yet, if we look at personalities on a large scale, we find the inconvenient truth that our personalities are very similar to many people based upon certain interests and likings.