What does 'The Wasteland' mean?
- How has it been interpreted? - cite
- What are some of the key features?
- In what way has it been influential?
- What common qualities do 'the Beats' share? - Why 'beats'
- How is beat poetry linked to rap?
- How was Bob Dylan's 'Masters of War' -1984- involved in controversy during the Bush adminstration?
- On what grounds was 'Howl' accused of becoming obscene - grounds for the defense?
- What kind of protest song/rap other media have come out in the last decade. Is there a spirit of protest anymore?
What kind of protest song/rap/other media have come out in the last decade? Is there still a spirit of protest any more? PART ONE
ReplyDeleteMusic
Radical punk Russian feminist group Pussy Riot have gained international support for their “Punk Prayer” demonstration in Russia's Christ the Saviour Cathedral in February 2012. Clad in colourful balaclavas, their music loud, confrontational and provoking is what landed this band in hot water and ultimately lead to the incarceration of two of the band members. Protesting Vladimir Putin and criticising the Russian Orthodox Church the lyrics to their “Punk Prayer” are as follows:
“Virgin Mary, Mother of God, Put Putin away
Put Putin away, put Putin away
Black robe, golden epaulettes,
All parishioners crawl to bow
The phantom of liberty is in heaven
Gay-pride sent to Siberia in chains
The head of the KGB, their chief saint
Leads protesters to prison under escort
In order not to offend His Holiness
Women must give birth and love
Shit, shit, the Lord's shit!
Shit, shit, the Lord's shit!
Virgin Mary, Mother of God, become a feminist
Become a feminist, become a feminist
The Church's praise of rotten dictators
The cross-bearer procession of black limousines
A teacher-preacher will meet you at school
Go to class – bring him money!
Patriarch Gundyaev believes in Putin
Bitch, better believe in God instead
The belt of the Virgin can't replace mass-meetings
Mary, Mother of God, is with us in protest!
Virgin Mary, Mother of God, put Putin away
Put Putin away, put Putin away” (rapgenius, 2013).
Needless to say the Russian government did not react well to the song's anti-Putin lyrics (Virgin Mary, Mother of God, put Putin away”) and anti religious imagery (“The phantom of liberty is in Heaven”) (Ackerman 2013). Consequently, Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, were sentenced to prison for 2 years on charges of hooliganism.
Fara, another band member recently spoke out in an article published by the Guardian saying “People can be arrested for concealing their faces in gatherings of two or more … or for offending religious sensibilities . Publicly advocating change in the Russian government is considered treason and could be punished quite severely” (Ackerman, 2013).
Pussy Riot's demonstration has taken the world by storm, attracting many supporters world wide for their cause. Celebrities from Sir Paul McCartney, Madonna, The Red Hot Chilli Peppers to Sting have all voiced their support towards the group and expressing their views that the group should not be punished for their protest performance. The controversy around this band and it's followers is a prime and current example of how there is still an active element of protest in our society today. The incarceration of Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova as a result of their performance emphasises the very real and dangerous consequences that can follow from expressing ones views even in today's society.
What kind of protest song/rap/other media have come out in the last decade? Is there still a spirit of protest any more? PART TWO
ReplyDeleteSocial Media
Social media platforms such as You Tube have also become a place within the last decade where people can voice their protest and distribute it on a global scale. Many individuals are able to gain subscribers and evoke responses about their uploads.
One example that sticks out to me is the 2009 protests and riots in Tehran Iran. You Tube was bombarded with videos of street protests many of them showing public servants and military forces carry out graphic and brutal attacks on protesters and observers. In an interview conducted by CNN in 2009 about this very event, the heads of the Communication and Policy departments of You Tube explain why You Tube has had such an impact on the world and why it has become the most popular platform for individuals to post their protest videos: “It's a very basic human need to communicate your condition and what you are going through with the rest of the world... their situation on the ground and us having an eye witness account about what's happening.” They go onto explain that the most amazing thing that results from these videos are comments and dialogue that the videos facilitate from all over the world as users weigh in on what is happening (CNN, 2009).
One of the most famous videos that came as a result of these protests is of the senseless murder of an innocent observer by the hands of the Basij (a paramilitary force operating under the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps). I will provide the link (Exhibit 2) but I do warn that it is very graphic and disturbing. The last moments of victim, Neda Agha-Soltan's life are captured on film right after being shot in the chest. The image is haunting and one I will not easily forget.
It is important to note that Neda herself was not a participant of the protests she was only an observer who unfortunately was in the wrong place at the wrong time. The video however was uploaded in protest of the Government's savagery. The Doctor who tried to save her explains that his friend shot the video while he rushed to Neda's aid. The protests were taking place a kilometre away on the main road and many protesters where fleeing due to tear gas having been released. He writes “Please let the world know.” This video sparked an international outcry in protest of the Iranian government.
You Tube as well as other Social media platforms have completely changed the way in which individuals and groups can protest as they are able to rally and reach supporters not only locally but all across the world instantly. It is easier now than ever to upload videos and rally protests with the advancement of technology especially in the areas of smart phone and tablet devices. From the evidence provided here not only in the Tehran riots as well as in the case of Pussy Riot the spirit of protest is definitely still alive in our culture today.
Exhibits:
Delete1. music video made with original footage of February Demonstration/performance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ALS92big4TY
2. Neda Agha-Soltan death captured on video: http://www.youtube.com/watchv=bbdEf0QRsLM&oref=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DbbdEf0QRsLM&has_verified=1
Reference List
Ackerman, S. (2013, June 6). Two Pussy Riot members make secretive New York appearance. The Guardian. Retrieved from
http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2013/jun/05/pussy-riot-members-unmask-new-york
CNN. (2009). Inside You Tube-Iran. Retrieved from http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/tech/2009/06/19/dcl.simon.iran.youtube.cnn?iref=videosearch
FEELTHELIGHT. (2009, June 20). Iran, Tehran: wounded girl dying in front of camera, Her name was Neda [You Tube video]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watchv=bbdEf0QRsLM&oref=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DbbdEf0QRsLM&has_verified=1
imjustevil666. (2012, March 10). Pusy Riot-Punk Prayer.mp4 [You Tube video]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watchfeature=player_embedded&v=ALS92big4TY
rapgenius. (2013). Pussy Riot – Punk Prayer Lyrics. Retrieved from http://rock.rapgenius.com/Pussy-riot-punk-prayer-lyrics
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DeleteWhat kind of protest song/rap other media have come out in the last decade. Is there a spirit of protest anymore?
ReplyDeletelupe fiasco - words i never said
This song is talking about how the government uses many methods of soft control, population reduction, and mind control to carry out false flag events to trick the public and morph their opinions on things in order to achieve their final goal of a complete one world government called the "New World order" (check the back of a dollar bill, when the federal reserve was founded in 1913 on Jekyll island they added the "great seal" with the Latin words Novus Ordo Seclorum which means New Order of the World, the federal reserve was the last step they needed to install the new world order successfully.
9/11 was done by these same elites, so was the sandy hook shooting. All the wars we have fought since World War 1 have been to depopulate and control the masses of the earth.
Their end goal is to microchip all humans on earth with RFID technology, it will be shown off as a good thing, you can wave your hand in front of a door to open it, or instantly pay for something just by putting your hand on the scanner, but DO NOT take any microchips, tattoos, or marks that our crooked leaders try to get you to get. You will not be able to buy or sell anything if you do not take the mark (mark of the beast system), but if you do take it you will be burned in front of God's angels for following the beast system.
The new world order is the beast system, and it is a total scam and trick just like 9/11 was. The amount of innocent people killed in Iraq is 3x more than insurgents and terrorists killed, and more people are shot to death in Chicago in a year than the entire middle east wars American soldier death toll.
Chicago has the toughest gun laws in the country.
"Words I never said" to me is talking about how you can say whatever you want and not have consequences. It's the words you don't say that people remember.