Yesterday, my oldest daughter and I decided to play some Rock Band, after a bit of Guitar Hero, she had a hankering to sing. So, we loaded everything up (which always takes a considerable amount of time, since my Rock Band disc has been VERY prone to Disc Read Error’s from day one – it’s my ancient PS2 though, since other people’s discs also have the same error message…). We joined our group, and I automatically selected bass. After about two or three songs on expert (not that amazing on bass) my daughter asked me – “why would you play bass when you can play any other instrument?”
I have always liked the bass – something about the sound and rhythm – but she always thought I played it by necessity since she always picks lead guitar. You know, some people play bass by choice!
kellyboudreauphd.ca 
Yes they do! Again, the underlying assumption that “bassists are failed guitarists”, because the guitar solos lead to high-profile visibility, and people assume that musicians will always want to shine in the spotlight at all times. Granted, the instruments look similar, but they are positioned in a completely different role and require a different skill set in a band context. It’s like bassists are just playing bass while waiting for their promotion! 😀