This song was all over Mtv in the early 80s. I must have heard it several times a day when I was a kid (because I watched Mtv like most kids my age watched cartoons).
Though most people think of it as a one-hit-wonder -- and it technically is -- not many connect the solo artist "Frida" to Anni-Frid Lyngstad, one of the founding members of ABBA. If you listen to the song and notice that her voice sounds familiar, that's why; you've heard it on "Dancing Queen," "Fernando," "Mama Mia" and every other ABBA hit that permeates all facets of pop culture.
Sometimes familiarity is a good thing, sometimes it's not.
As it relates to this chapter, I think both are applicable. I don't think it's necessary to say "spoilers ahead," because there are no revealing plot points here, but it's worth mentioning that if you haven't read this chapter yet, you're going to be lost as I'm going to write this as though you have.
Autumn's previous experiences that taught her boys are only interested in one thing (and fat girls who give it to them are being used) absolutely played into the lens she began to see Rob through. Once she realizes that his story about saving her from being the target of bullying was a bunch of bullshit, she connects those dots to that experience from seeing the teenagers at Nantasket Beach and her mother's comment about them.
Had that experience never taken place, would Autumn have suspected Rob of keeping their relationship a secret out of being ashamed of her? If not, would she have maintained the status quo with him, despite noticing the new girl who was clearly moving in to win Rob's attention and affection? Did she only feel that new girl was a threat because she was already suspecting that Rob was being deceitful, or was that unrelated? Who's to say? The only thing that's clear here is that past experiences absolutely inform your present reality, and Autumn is very much a product of her environment and the lessons she learned as a result. We are who we are not only because of an unpredictable mix of genetics, but because of what we learn through each new experience. In psychology, they refer to this as "nature vs. nurture."
Sometimes, those experiences can help you make sense of the world and determine potential outcomes from familiar scenarios. Sometimes, they can work against you, coloring your perceptions in ways that can influence your decisions, when your perceptions may not be true reflections of the reality as others perceive it.
If you had heard this chapter's song without knowing the woman singing was from ABBA, would your opinion of it change if someone then told you who she was?
Something to think about.
Joshua Bell is one of the world's greatest violinists. His instrument of choice is a multimillion-dollar Stradivarius. If he played it for spare change, incognito, outside a bustling Metro stop in Washington D.C., would anyone notice? Read the full story in The Washington Post: http://wpo.st/-vP
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