These protestors have got to go.
I watched almost a good hour of the massive protest that made it's way through Mid-town Manhatten earlier today via c-span coverage. I don't believe I have ever seen human beings acting so stupidly. Ok, I probably have. But the point is, I saw more swearing and middle fingers in the air than one rational mind can take. This is a political rally? Oh yeah, that's why I hate the idea of those...
Seriously though - If I was the dude you wanted to influence by your little rally, and you excessively used the F-bomb and flipped off news cameras as they gave you the coverage you aimed for... uh, I'd not only stop listening to you but I'd sure be hard pressed to find any reason to listen to you in the future.
For the record:
- I'm not affiliated with either party. Period. My views are just that, views.
- I have always had a very very low tolerance for stupidity. Most specifically when people with brilliant minds act stupidly; or when people just don't use their given brain power at all.
- I'm also not a big fan of Rock Stars using their influence over their respective populations to showcase their political opinions. Whether or not I hold similar opinions, something about that is just unsettling.
I, however, am not a rock star. Nor, do I have any population awaiting my influence. (thank the Lord). I also will never tell you who, what or how to believe. As a New Yorker who is proud of all that NYC means to the world at large, and heck - as a rational mind, I'm quite interested in the effects of the Republican National Convention this week.
I like the Ferris Wheel blogname!
Posted by: Evan at August 30, 2004 11:08 AMWhy is this any different than 1/3 of all Beasty Boy lyrics ? My brain just shuts off when I hear that as well. Do I detect a double standard ?
Posted by: STICK IN THE MUD at August 31, 2004 08:51 AMAs I stated above I'm not a big fan of artists who use their influence to state their political dispostions and potentially sway their populations. However, that doesnt mean that I stop liking the music.
What makes the new Beastie Boys album so fabulous is their hearkening to old school ways, their beats and rhyme styles and energy. NOT their occasional lyrics that are negative or political.
Much like many signs said at the protest: "I don't have to like Bush to love my country".
I don't have to like the decisions musicians make to love their music.
word.
Posted by: delara at September 1, 2004 10:01 PMhowever, i do have to respect musicians and artists who create art that reflects their beliefs. for me it shows a lot of integrity. and usually when artists talk about their beliefs, their voices are the strongest. if rock stars didn't use their music politically, we wouldn't have all those fantastic Marvin Gaye/Curtis Mayfield songs. Marvin Gaye made Tupac feel like "being Black was the thing to be." that's a powerful effect -- to be able to raise the self-esteem and self-image of possibly thousands of people -- wow!
Posted by: kari at September 2, 2004 11:13 AMKari - totally. Times have changed it would seem however, and the words we hear in popular music that express changes needed in our political climate are just more negative. It's when the songs turn into polictical bashing (ala say Green Day's new song American Idiot) that things go wrong. I mean when did we decide it was ok to act so negatively to get our points across? It bugs me a lot when artists promote that kind of behavior or attitude.
right. it's always easier to point out the deficits than to suggest solutions. and the real power lies within those who can suggest solutions that are equitable.
Posted by: delara at September 7, 2004 01:31 PM