…listen to this brand new song by one of music’s most intelligent provocateurs if you want to hear what modern music would sound like if it were unchained by forced “genreless” appeal to the lowest common denominator. So happy for this guy right now.
Author Archive
…AND THIS BULLET MAKES SEVEN GO…
Saturday, May 22nd, 2021A Few Words On Hero Worship
Thursday, May 20th, 2021It’s such a shame that succumbing to hero worship is becoming more and more common within human society.
The concept of putting faith in one individual is flawed in itself, yet it remains almost necessary for survival. Change can only be made via group efforts; putting one’s sole faith in a single individual makes it impossible for anything to get done, as one person cannot be a master of all trades. Some do hold many talents, yet there will inevitably be some area in which they flounder. In order for a group to work successfully, each member must play an active role in whatever region they happen to be specialized in; a machine needs many parts to operate.
However, everyone likes to cheer on a lead singer, a pretty face, an icon. Some need to. There’s a reason why monotheistic religions are still such a large influence in today’s world.
If one gains a significant amount of faith in another, that faith can become difficult to completely let go of. This erects a moral concern should the hero fail in some regard.
Once one obtains power, the urge to maintain that power by any means necessary takes form. Paranoia sets in, instilling a fear of others who may try to take the crown. Prestige and glory must be defended at any cost. The football player who uses steroids and the CEO whose workers are severely underpaid have similar reasons behind their actions. If eyes are not on them, they are nothing.
A hero does a Very Bad Thing, the Very Bad Thing is publicized, and criticism arises. Those with faith can take one of two routes: they can accept that their so-called hero is a flawed human being just like anybody else and make a decision regarding whether continued support is worth the effort or not; or they can continue to view the hero as superhuman, elevated. By choosing to maintain the myth of the superhero one opens up two more paths: they can spiral into a depression at the realization of anything that contradicts with the hero’s preconceived facade, not unlike the preteen girl bawling over her favorite pop star getting married; or they can wage war against the slightest criticism, as the superhero is to them impenetrable and any negative analysis is the untruth. Common sense too often takes a backseat to blind worship and obsession. One’s brain must maintain a healthy amount of skepticism alongside a degree of openness in order to cut through the crap and see things for what they really are, not what one desperately wants them to be.
My Side Of The Story…Again
Tuesday, May 4th, 2021Today marks the fifty first commemoration of the 1970 massacre at Kent State, where four students were murdered by the National Guard at a peaceful anti-war protest.
I had first learned of the massacre in a book about the 1970s that I had rented from a library as a middle schooler. It shocked me, as did reading of other protests and more subterranean movements of rebellion that came into fruition in reaction to the Vietnam War, and I never forgot about it thanks to the ever-striking image of a young teenager kneeling over the body of Jeffrey Miller. Down the line, I would become more familiar with the event after learning that one of my greatest role models, Jerry Casale of the musical group DEVO, was present at the protest and was forever altered by it; he had been acquaintances with two of the students killed that day. [Last year, coinciding with the event’s fiftieth commemoration, I wrote on my Instagram about the great influence that Jerry’s story had on me; it is a much better read than this post.] It was only then that I became exposed to the true horror of May 4th’s aftermath—misinformation campaigns brainwashed the majority of America into believing that the students were to blame for their deaths while Kent locals flashed each other four finger signs—”at least we got four of them.”
Not much has changed in terms of illegitimate authority silencing the voice of reason and filling the masses with pro-complacency propaganda. To this day, some still consider the protesting students to blame for not being armed, even though it would have been even easier for those in power and the public at large to demonize those students had they been given the ability to fight back, and who knows how many more would have died that day had both sides been exchanging gunfire. (Ah, the irony: the oppressed can only rise above via force, yet that force gets them an even worse beating from their oppressors, who have the power to use the same tactics scot-free.) Even more people continuously bend over backwards to excuse the abuse of power and proliferation of idiocy that has become the status quo. Popularizing and normalizing alternatives remains difficult; not many have the guts to nip the hand that slaps. Some brave souls do, even if mainstream acceptance seems out of reach. Jerry Casale himself, who obviously has much more authority on this subject than I do, has been outspoken against injustice in all forms through his work; see this essential article from last year’s commemoration. Many more also worked to promote the truth about Kent State, such as Alan Canfora, who was shot on that day and passed earlier this year. Others across the planet who were not there, including myself, cling to a similar fire of urgency, militancy, and passion, having never fallen prey to the mainstream’s program.
Not many, but some.
It’s a bit surreal observing the commemoration this year, as I have plans to visit Kent State this summer as a prospective student. Having been aware of the university’s history for a while now, I always wanted to step foot on campus to at least pay my respects; simultaneously, I do find the university appealing as a place of higher learning to attend. I’ll admit, it would be pretty neat to help keep the memory of Kent State alive from Ground Zero.
But no matter where I attend college, I still plan on continuing the legacy of those brave individuals who came before me, even if I know it won’t be easy.
My deepest respects to all of those who keep raising awareness of Kent State and all who continue to fight the good fight.
It Ain’t Over ‘Til It’s Over
Thursday, April 22nd, 2021Small victories, small victories.
It’s Earth Day today, which ironically coincides with my recent contemplation of world “suckage.” Pardon my language, but as beautiful as our planet is in it’s natural state, the society we humans have built on top of it overall really, really sucks.
Alleviation of such man made suckage most often comes in the form of small victories, such as, say, a court case outcome, while large scale victories—abolition, revolution, the like—are extremely rare. Large victories take even more strenuous amounts of effort to achieve than the small, and they require the sacrifice of the participant’s personal comfort. In a world as individualistic as ours, no one wants to give up what they have grown so accustomed to, no matter how harmful the underlying factors may be; those who do are looked down on as insane. Simultaneously, large victories are so often associated with past cultural shifts that many believe that movements of similar magnitude are not needed anymore; the work was, in their eyes, already done before they were born. Under these circumstances, small victories are enough to satisfy any rebellious blood lust that still lingers.
And as for the people making everything suck in the first place? They’ve just gotten better at convincing the masses to get on their side. Modern society provides just enough comfort to quell the spirit of rebellion in the vast majority. A roof above your head and a cell phone in your hand are all you need to be “okay.”
Actual change takes mobilization and determination in the face of adversity, and despite how fun talking about societal revolution is, we’re simply not at that level of mass mobilization and determination yet. Looking at how tight conformist society has its grip on the populous, we may never reach that goal. Will the majority of the people whose lives have been unjustly ended receive true comeuppance on a societal scale? Most likely not. I’m not trying to be pessimistic; I’m just being realistic.
And I wish it didn’t have to be this way.
But giving up in the face of such adversity is the coward’s option. Take some time out if you need, but leaving the fighting spirit to wither and rot just makes the tyrannical grip tighter for all of us. Keep the memory of your fallen comrades alive. Walk, talk, and breathe in their names. Get out of bed. Do something.
Make Planet Earth proud.
One Step Closer To Becoming A Cyborg
Saturday, April 17th, 2021Are YOU jabbed?!
Because I am.
The immune cells in my body are currently training to whoop some coronavirus behind. Though the movement of my left arm became limited for a day due to annoying stings of pain, the knowledge that there are cells fighting a war within my fleshy shell definitely made up for it. Through my temporary inconvenience I felt power; it’s almost like wearing heels.
I’m also probably the only person in America to rep Jihad Jerry, the politically charged electro-blues side project of DEVO bassist Jerry Casale, while receiving my shot. The album is receiving a vinyl issue this summer, so I’ve been recently revisiting it in all its mid-2000s glory. Ever since I first listened to it, I’ve been a supporter of the project, and I always perceived it as oddly relevant to our current timeline despite its blatant roots in anti-Bushism and War on Terror satire. Some may question its longevity in light of current events. Fifteen years after the album’s initial release, the U.S. is scheduled to pull all of its troops from Afghanistan by the eleventh of September—a supposed end to the “forever war.” But “counterterrorism” forces are still going to be active indefinitely in the country; is that a true “end?” And besides, the damage has already been done.
When COVID-19 hit, I heard a lot of 9/11 comparisons. Generation-defining events, moments that would permanently change our preconceived standards of “normal,” though COVID impacted the wider world on a more visible scale. Looking at the cultural repercussions of both, I can see it. Post-9/11, we still have to take our shoes off at the airport—or, we will once events important enough to fly to begin occurring again—and I assume that face masks and remote communication will still play some role in America’s future twenty years down the line. From the fall of the Twin Towers sprang absurd acts of discrimination against anyone who looked vaguely Middle Eastern in the name of “patriotism;” the “China virus” only encouraged attacks against Asians. Same plot line; different bogeymen.
With all of this on our plates, I’d argue that Jihad Jerry, the self-proclaimed “lightning rod for hostility,” still deserves a seat at the table. Give a curmudgeon a microphone and he’ll use it. Maybe that curmudgeon will sing some songs made for a world where actual change seems so close, yet so far.
And maybe those songs will be pretty good.
One Step Closer To One Step Closer To Becoming A Cyborg
Tuesday, April 13th, 2021I was recently able to schedule an appointment for the first of my two COVID-19 vaccinations.
It’s a somewhat strange feeling knowing that the day will be soon upon me, and I perceive my relative youth as a large factor. Since vaccine distribution began with the elderly, I’ve gotten used to hearing news that the older adults in my life have received their jabs. Having the opportunity bestowed upon me, someone with relatively less life experience, feels odd, despite that there are many ways that I just do not feel young. I find myself in a liminal state: not quite old, not quite new.
Emotions like this fuel my disdain of generational divides. I have never understood why one would restrict themselves to consuming solely products of their own generation, nor why the media would stereotype generations and pit them against each other in endless, mindless cultural catfights. But what draws more attention than a conflict that doesn’t actually exist or is warped out of proportion?
I experience positive and negative echos of the past daily: I listen to songs released years before I was born on the regular; I read news stories that call to mind history class discussions about the extinction of Jim Crow laws and lynchings—oh really? If someone hopes to stand a chance in today’s world, no matter their age, they have to know their history. Learning from the past is the only way to make actual progress; repeat your mistakes, and that’s one more dollar in the GoFundMe campaign funding complete societal downfall.
Speaking of history: after we’ve all got our shots, will the rest of the twenties be as roaring as they were one hundred years ago? I’d say they’re already pretty roaring—with absurdity and obscenity, that is. It’s pretty absurd that back in the day vaccines were viewed as miracles and now they’re viewed as microchips. Being in good health—mentally and physically—just ain’t cool anymore, it seems.
Well, I don’t care about being “cool.” I care about having common sense.
Inoculation, here I come!
Hello, World!
Saturday, April 10th, 2021I was always amused by the phrase “hello, world!” and it’s prevalence throughout the computing world. The phrase is commonly used to test computer programs or as a placeholder—in fact, upon loading up this website for the very first time, it displayed the iconic declaration. Seeing the phrase once more, I’ll admit, made me smile. It is simultaneously triumphant and naive; it implies a spark of boldness, a great leap into the unknown. Who knows what may happen, but who cares? I’m here; I’m motivated; things are looking up!
Of course, in the real world, not everything is looking up. Most “things” are currently in some hypnotic trance, unable to glance away from their shoelaces. But taking on the real world and at least trying to generate a response requires a great deal of courage and motivation. Every story needs a reporter.
So it is with that phrase that I begin my foray into the blogosphere, I guess. Does anyone blog anymore? Well, I do now. Attention spans may be waning by the minute, but who’s stopping me?
So watch out, world; here I come. I like when things get shaken up.
