#OccupyWallStreet: The Revolution will NOT be televised

So, for the last few weeks I have been easing into the Twitterverse.  Yes, I recently created a Twitter account.  Partly because I was utterly bored with Facebook, but also just to try something new in terms of procrastinating via a social media network.  I was never expecting it to have the impact that it has.  I am now fully immersed in Twitter, but not for the reasons you might think.  I can't stand reading mindless status updates every 5 minutes about whether someone just brushed their teeth, or about how a friend might be on their way to class.  No, your Twitter can look whatever way you want it to.  By being able to choose who you follow, you customize your news feed to however you like, from whatever sources you like. 

Personally, I have used Twitter almost exclusively as a news source.  I felt that it was a cute way for news stories to come to you, rather than you to find them on a news website yourself.  (I recognize that this isn't a significant difference at all, but bear with me).  About  two weeks ago, I stumbled onto the trending topic on Twitter named #OccupyWallStreet.  The internet group Anonymous had begun to organize a non-violent protest in New York City, and was using Twitter and the internet to gain support, participants, and an audience.  What has happened since then has been eye-opening for several reasons.  Not only did around 2,000 people show up to voice their dissatisfaction with the current greed-infested economic system (a small number, perhaps) but many people have camped outside Wall Street, continuing the protest since September 17th.  The solidarity shown through Twitter has caused many other movements such as #OccupyChicago, #OccupyBoston, and even yes, #OccupyOrlando to start up in cities all across the U.S.  This 'revolution' is an opportunity to have a serious conversation about our economic system, one that was missed during the time of the first stimulus package in early 2009.

Perhaps the most startling fact from all of this has been an absolute blackout by the infamous "Mainstream Media" until a couple days ago.  Now, to be clear, I am not using the term "Mainstream Media" in the same context as some Fox News sympathizers might.  I'm talking about ALL of TV.  Now, maybe the media was waiting to see if it was a story worth reporting, but that fact has two possible outcomes:  Either television media is unable to keep up with the fast-paced immediacy of real-time news of Twitter users, or they consciously made a decision to ignore what is a growing movement across the country.  Either way, one thing seems to be clear:  that Twitter is the media of the people.  And if there is to be any revolution, we can be sure that i certainly will NOT be televised.  Follow all the action on http://anonops.blogspot.com/, where footage of the protests as well as videos of celebrities and musicians in solidarity with the movement can be found.


Here is Immortal Technique - one of my favorite rappers of all time, addressing the crowd in New York:
(The audio messes up in the last few seconds, but well worth watching.

Audio, Video, Disco

New Justice is finally here...
After what seemed like forever, their new album will be out on October 25th, and the single "Audio, Video, Disco" will be officially for sale next week.  More on Justice and my unconditional love for anything they do later.

New Decemberists, Florence

After taking a month off from the blog to enjoy my last few weeks of summer, Just Like Sunlight is back to bring you more rays of sunshine-- this time, in the form of new music.

So as the new college semester begins all across the country, I've got some early procrastination material for you.

I like the Decemberists. But I love their new video for 'Calamity Song'.  Most of their videos are actually very intelligent and clever.

And here's Florence + the Machine's much anticipated new video for 'What the Water Gave Me'.  So pumped for the new album.

How to End Terrorism:

     Just kidding.  The recent attack in Norway has given us all a shock to the system, and is an unfortunate reminder that our world is not so safe after all.  My heart goes out to each and every victim from the horrendous events of the past few days.  As distant as wars in the Middle East might seem to the public nowadays, an attack in a European country somehow feels different.  This terrorist attack was not, however, executed by any Afghan or al-Qaeda related group.  Yet again, a nationalist, anti-multiculturalist rightwing nutjob has taken matters into his own hand by using violence to spread a message.  This post is not to give any political sway one way or another on the matter, but intsead, to point out a certain trend across Europe.  According to an al-Jazeera article:

     "As Mehdi Hasan, editor of the New Statesman, has pointed out, figures compiled by Europol, the European police agency, suggest that the threat of Islamist terrorism is minimal compared with "ethno-nationalist" and "separatist" terrorism. According to Europol, in 2006, one out of 498 documented terrorist attacks across Europe could be classed as "Islamist"; in 2007, the figure rose to just four out of 583 - less than one per cent of the total. By contrast, 517 attacks across the continent were claimed by - or attributed to - nationalist or separatist terrorist groups, such as ETA in Spain."

(Read the full article here): http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/opinion/2011/07/201172482841769458.html

      It seems interesting that despite the fact that 100% of media coverage regarding terrorism in the past years has involved al-Qaeda or Middle Eastern groups, only 1% of the violence in Europe has come from these certain groups.  It is important to remember that there seems to be a much stronger and growing resistance to multiculturalism throughout Europe.  The point of this post is not to persuade the audience that rightwing political groups are more dangerous than Islamic fundamentalists, but that it is important to not get swept up by media 'outrage' or propaganda, and look at the full picture before blaming any certain group.  (It is well-known that before any information was gathered about the Norway attacks, that Muslim groups were automatically blamed as the culprits.)

     It will be important in the future to learn how to deal with this seeminlgy growing movement of Nationalist groups throughout Europe, that feel threatened by increasing multi-culturalist societies.  Especially because it seems to be an increasingly violent trend.

Kai

A Different Way of Seeing

"Sit in a room and read- and read and read.  And read the right books by the right people... When you find an author who really grabs you, read everything he has done.  Don't say, "Oh, I want to know what So-and-so did"- and don't bother at all with the best-seller list.  Just read what this one author has to give you.  And then you can go read what he had read.  And the world opens up in a way that is consistent with a certain point of view.  But when you go from one author to another, you may be able to tell us the date when each wrote such and such a poem- but he hasn't said anything to you."
- Joseph Campbell, The Power of Myth

     For the past few weeks I have been reading 'The Power of Myth', which is basically a written form of a lengthy conversation between Joseph Campbell and Bill Moyers, done for a PBS special many years ago.  The entire book was fantastic and really illuminating to read, but the quote above really resonated with me.  I found myself relating this quote to our current music culture and how we view artists today.  The introduction of radio in the 20th Century brought about the idea of radio hits, and singles.  However, artists generally tend to produce their music in the form of albums, as a completed work.  The combination of this quote and the contemporary status of the music industry led me to look at musical works in a different way.  Specifically, it led me to critically analyze the three albums by the band Arcade Fire, in a way that I had never done before.  I sat down, and listened to each song, read each lyric, and opened myself up to the meaning and message behind each album.  What I found was an incredible display of poetic and musical talent.  Now granted, not every band tends to have philosophical, political, or social commentary in their music, but I found all of the above in each of Arcade Fire's albums. 

      My findings could possibly be the foundation of my Senior Research project for college, and I'll consider it.  If you have any questions at all about a certain song, album, or overall message that Arcade Fire represents, please ask and I would gladly have a discussion.  Delving into each album would risk doubling the content of this blog with one post, so I will refrain from doing so.  However, I will summarize what I have found.  Joseph Campbell's quote can not only focus on literature, but musical artists as well.  After really going through each Arcade Fire album and thinking about what they have to say and why they have such a perspective, it has really opened me up to the fact my way of looking at the world can be enriched by examining what others have to say about it.  Really great bands have a way of reaching people through music, but oftentimes the lyrics are swept aside.  Open yourself up to what your favorite bands have to offer, and hopefully, it will speak to you.  I would highly recommend purchasing any Arcade Fire album and really dedicating yourself to its content on all fronts.

Much Love,

Kai

Arcade Fire - Rebellion (Lies)