Why is being open-minded considered generally a good thing?

So you automatically know you will like something BEFORE you've heard it? Jeez, I'd think that would remove have the fun.
More accurately, I have a very good idea of whether I can potentially like something before I hear it -- yes

How do you know you're right 99% of the time?
Through experience!

Another example: Kayo Dot... You "hate" them, yet have never heard them.
Actually I have, I just like saying I haven't because that riles people up more. They're fucking terrible. Good example of everything I'm absolutely not, never, ever looking for in music. A band that has similar goals to Kayo Dot will NEVER be something I enjoy, they're the absolute fucking antithesis of the idea of good music to me
 
Another ninja-edit!

Now that I know you've actually heard the band, trash them to your heart & soul's content.

About the 99% thing... If something doesn't fit your musical paradigm, you'll dismiss it after 1 listen. But what if THAT album was the one to change your paradigm? You don't KNOW if you're right 99% of the time unless you do it EVERY time. It's like saying "I always save-and-quit my Zelda file when I'm down to 1 heart, thus I can't die in the game."
 
But what if THAT album was the one to change your paradigm?
A PARADIGM SHIFT in what I require in music would require my personality to radically fucking change.

It's like saying "I always save-and-quit my Zelda file when I'm down to 1 heart, thus I can't die in the game."
No, it's like saying "I'm so fucking awesome that I never get down to 1 heart in the first place" which is true!
 
I think most peoples tastes twist and change (evolve?) at some point. 5 Years ago when I listened to nothing but black metal, I never could have imagined myself enjoying Power Metal or Jazz Fusion, but here I am.
 
If a band looks like this:

atreyu_2005.jpg



I will not like their music. And won't "give them a try" to find out.
 
Also, if a band says "You know, we are really hard to catagorize or label..." when asked what genre they are, I will not listen to them out of principle. They will sound the same as eight billion other bands, and be easily labled.
 
Nothing wrong with being close minded to a certain genre once you have given it a spin in the hay. For example I don't need to go listen to the new Kanye West album to tell me whether or not I won't enjoy it. It's a simple case of using inductive reasoning. If other music I have heard from the same style is pure shit, what makes me think I will enjoy this? Hence being close minded can spare you alot of time. There may be 1 R & B album out there that I may truly love. But is it really worth the effort of shuffling through 1,000 albums in that genre to discover it? That energy can be used toward other genres that are more in line with my tastes.

Aslong as you are still discovering music that "wows" you, the need to experiment is not really necessary.
 
KILL TULLY said:
Also, if a band says "You know, we are really hard to catagorize or label..." when asked what genre they are, I will not listen to them out of principle. They will sound the same as eight billion other bands, and be easily labled.

thrash till death
 
Dick Sirloin said:
thrash till death

Thrash bands understand they are fukcing THRAASH METAAAAL. They don't go around saying "OMG WE SOUND SO DIFFERENT AND UNIQUUEUQUQQ!EUE!" then play thrash metal. They go "We are Thrashing Metal Maniacs" then play Maniacal Thrashing Riffs.
 
Close-mindedness is limiting yourself. That doesn't mean everyone HAS to listen to Kayo Dot (or whoever) but there's no reason to say "ooh they sux0r" before even giving them a shot. I once knew a girl who said "I hate alcohol." Have you ever had it? "No, because I hate it." WTF STOOPID.

PS: I've never seen more closemindedness toward everything than I had until I came to this board. Conversely, I've never experienced such extreme open-mindedness either. AND GUESS WHAT?!?! It has come from the same people at times.