Freedom of Speech …

People come to America for one thing. They come to America because they want to live the ”American dream”. What is the American dream? It’s the house, the car, the full time job, the kids, the dog (or whatever kind of pet you prefer) and the freedom that comes with it all. America is known for the ”land of the free”, isn’t it? America is a beautiful place but it has it’s ugly days. One of the reasons I love America is that we have freedom of speech. In most countries, citizens don’t have much say but we live in a country that revolves around the ”people”.

We elect our Presidents and are given the rights to vote for all kinds of things. We can protest against saving a tree in our beloved neighborhood to protesting against abortion. That’s the country that we live in and that’s why it’s so fabulous. But sometimes fabulous America isn’t all that fabulous. It has its moments where the people turn ugly and against each other. We start to cause problems within our circles and abuse  our freedom of speech by hurting other peoples feelings. What stuck to me and always hits home to me in this documentary was when we examined the story of Debbie Almontaser. She is a Yemani-American Muslim veteran in the New York City school system and the founder of the first Arabic-English public school and was the principal of it. She was forced to resign in 2007 because she cited the word ”Intifada” which meant different things as time progressed from ”shaken off” to ”uprising”. Officials wanted her fired because they didn’t believe she should be a principal of a school that promoted violence. As time goes on, the meaning behind certain words change and in this case that is what happened. It all depends on how you perceive the word. She filed a lawsuit claiming her First Amendment was violated. I believe that if she wasn’t a Yemani-American Muslim that didn’t have the appearance of a Muslim she probably wouldn’t have been forced to resign. American Arabs get blamed and put in the same category as Extremists because of their appearance and religious beliefs. Most people believe that all Muslims are ”terrorists” which is not true at all. “Virtually all terrorists today, are Muslim. This is a sad fact.” And it is a sad fact. We all put labels on each other all because of what Extremists have done in the past. It’s like saying all Germans are Nazis or all Jewish people are cheap. Putting a stereotype or a label on a person is bad judgement and is wrong in so many ways. This poor lady lost her job for something that was taken way off guard and out of hand. Just because she’s Muslim and looks like the typical Muslim. All she wanted to do was her job and being that the school was a public school that was open to students who wished to learn Arabic it was a problem, especially since the school was made post 9/11.

Like I’ve said in my earlier class posts, American Arabs get blamed for what others do, it’s a stereotype that will never go away. I have blonde hair and hazel green eyes, most people would never think that I am Muslim. They hardly ever believe that I am. But I am. I don’t eat pork and I celebrate all of the Muslim holidays with my family. If it were me instead  of Debbie, things would probably be different. Freedom of Speech is a big deal in today’s society because it keeps us growing and fighting for what we believe in. If we didn’t have Freedom of Speech then we’d have nothing at all but a boring country. In a post 9/11 world, anything said or done by a muslim living in America is a threat to society. Americans have this stereotype of Muslims in America that will never go away because of 9/11. Debbie’s son fought for the country of the United States. It’s ironic how they would treat her in a way that made her feel less than whole. America is full of diverse ethnicities and that’s what’s so beautiful but the way we treat one another after something like 9/11 can make it so ugly. Everyone likes to point a finger but there’s always three pointing back.

Makes my heart melt every single time…

Commercials are made in a short duration of time so that the viewer remembers the key points through that ten or twenty seconds it has to offer. The one commercial that makes my heart melt every time I watch it has to be the Baby Driver commercial. When I read our assignment for this week’s class post, I knew exactly which commercial I wanted to post. That’s how you know it’s one of my faves! The father is talking to his daughter and is seeing her off for the first time in a brand new car. His daughter will always be his little girl in his eyes even as she grows older and has children of her own one day. This commercial is so creative and so amazing because the little girl who can barely get on a ride at Six Flags due to her height is sitting in the driver’s seat of the vehicle. It’s a moment in our lives our parents go through and that we will go through one day when we have children of our own. It’s that moment of letting go and accepting that your child is growing up and is no longer your little baby. We’ll always remember the drives we have with our parents and we’ll always remember our first drive without them. We watch a beautiful moment unfold in this commercial where the father gives last minute advice or pointers to her daughter before she sets off in her new car. One of my favorites! I ignore the remote every time this one comes on.

 

 

The next outrageous political ad on you tube I found was one that sort of relates to the West Wing episode that was assigned in class last week. My thoughts and views on this have been expressed in the previous class work post but I think this is just cruel and plain ignorance. People are just MEAN and will never stop pointing fingers. Thing to remember is if someone points a finger there’s always 3 pointing right back at you!

 

 

 

DS + West Wing

”A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing” is one of the quotes in the episode that intrigued me. What I love about this class is that I am open to so many different views on things and I learn so much. I’m not one to pay attention to the news or pick up a newspaper. I usually find out information from friends or off the internet from a Facebook status, sad I know but that is the world we live in! I was a little nervous about watching this episode because the subject of government is just not my cup of tea. It’s like someone speaking Latin to me. Deep down I knew that I was going to appreciate this assignment and once again learn something new as I always do in this class. This episode was nothing new to me but I got to see it with my own eyes. People always judge you and we are all stereotypes whether we like it or not. It’s just the way the society works. It’s not right but that’s what the reality is.

In the episode, the highschool students asked questions about the government and why we are always the target? ”Why is everyone trying to kill us?” asked one of the students in the episode. Well I’ll tell you why? ” Because we’re Americans”. I stole that answer from one of the students in the episode. Those questions and answers both came from students in the show. When asked ”Why are we targets of war?” a student responded saying ”Because we’re Americans”. Well I can agree with that because if our government was a feature on a face it would be the ”nose” because our nose is in everyone’s business! Who doesn’t like us? According to the episode, ”It’s the Arabs” ”Not just the Arabs, the Islamics”. But it’s not them that hate us. It’s the klan that they belong to. The klans or groups that they create have gone mid evil and global. According to the episode,” Islamic to Extremist is to Islamic as ______ is to Christianity”. The Ku Klux Klan is the answer to the blank. I believe that was a great religious analogy. I couldn’t help but laugh when the kid said the reason others want to kill us. The students said Islamics are the ones that want to kill us and the reason is cause we’re Americans. I am a muslim American and found that extremely funny and ironic. The reason they don’t see eye to eye with us is because we are a very diverse and open-minded society. We are a ”plural” society, that means we have more than one idea. Women in America are allowed to vote, are free to express themselves, get an education and wear what they’d like unlike certain women in other countries such as Islamic countries.”Muslims defend our country” was a quote from the episode and I agree, they do. Not all Muslims are bad people, it’s the stereotype that’s gone bad.

”The Taliban isn’t the recognized government in Afghanistan. The Taliban took over the recognized government. There’s your political analogy. When you think of Afghanistan think of Poland. When you think of the Taliban think of the Nazis. When you think of the citizens of Afghanistan think of the Jews in the concentration camps.” was one of the quotes that got me thinking clearer about the whole situation. I’ve never compared this to anything before and that analogy was perfect. When the man was telling the story about how his dad’s friends experience in the concentration camp and how he once saw a guy kneeling down and praying. The man said he was ”thanking God”. His dad’s friend asked the guy ”What could you possibly thanking God for?” and the man said ”I’m thanking God for not making me like them”. When I was hearing that story I thought to myself ”Wow, that was awesome”. Even at his lowest point, he was still thanking God because he wasn’t like the evil people. I think that’s a beautiful thing when you can still be in touch with God and at peace with him when all is going wrong.

Another quote that got me was when a student asked ”What do you call a society that has to just live everyday with the idea that the pizza place their eating could just blow up without any warning?” and the man said ”Israel”. I was just like ”Wow”. It just reminded me of all of the terrible things that’s going on in the world today that I keep avoiding or ignoring. I don’t read about these things because I know that they’re sad and nothing good is coming out of it. I thought of my friend Sharon who is Jewish and has family from Israel and how we never talk about that topic when we get together. There goes ”the Filter Bubble” working it’s magic because I don’t see any source of world issues that pop up on my Internet.

In the episode, an Arab man was being questioned because his name was the used as an alias. I am beyond angry at the fact that the head whatever he is in charge interrogating the innocent Arab employee said that because he’s Arab ”That’s the price you pay” in regards to always being questioned first when something bad happens. He totally ignores when the Arab man says ”The price I pay for what?!” No answer.  I am so angry because it’s so true. American Arabs get blamed for what others do, it’s a stereotype that will never go away. I have blonde hair and hazel green eyes, most people would never think that I am Muslim. They hardly ever believe that I am. But I am. I don’t eat pork and I celebrate all of the muslim holidays with my family. If I were interrogated the way this innocent Arab man was I would be so hurt and upset. I would quit my job that instant! I would make that person who interrogated me feel so bad about himself. The way the Arab handled himself was so amazing. I wanted to give him a hug at the end.

”That’s the price you pay for having the same physical features as criminals” was what the head man in charge said to the Arab employee after finding him at his desk after their interrogation. I love how it ended with the head man in charge telling the Arab employee ”Hey kid, way to be back at your desk”. I think that’s what he says but I said ”Wow” out loud when I saw that. It’s crazy how fast we are quick to judge and put the blame on the person that ”fits” the part.  In the end, it’s the government and it’s pressures that makes a person go crazy. You never really know what’s happening and whose scheming who?

I love how the episode ended and what the man said to the kids at the end about not worrying too much about what’s going on in the government world. He basically said along the lines ” Go out. Have fun. Live your life!” ”I think death is too simple” when referring to the death penalty. You really want to kill these people (The people who hate us/attack us)? In other words, hurt them then keep accepting more than one idea because it’ll make them go crazy and I believe that.

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I’ve never watched an episode or clip of the Daily Show until this class. I think this is the greatest thing that has ever happened to the fifth estate. This show. I feel like the Daily Show is like the magic help book of that subject you’re learning in school that you just can not get but you understand it so much better because of the ”magic help book”. The Daily Show is that for me. I wanted to choose an extended interview that I was familiar with or was acquainted with at some point in my life. As I was looking through the different interviews I came across a Jay-Z extended interview from November 17, 2010. Who doesn’t know who Jay Z is?  I chose Jay-Z’s interview because truthfully I wanted to watch something ”fun” but also I wanted to see the difference between an interview with a rapper and a serious correspondent.

During this interview, Jay-Z is talking about his new book called Decoded. Jon Stewart automatically starts off with questioning the books cover. Jay-Z explains it’s about different meanings. What I love about Jon Stewart is that he asked questions and gets straight to the point! Jay-Z talks about his book and how it’s about the culture of rap. He grew up around and with rap. He says ”it’s basically a story behind those songs” and that’s what the book is about. I know Professor Dunphry, you will love this interview because you grew up with rap as well. I was thinking of you the whole time! This interview is pretty funny when put in a rap analogy because it went from rapper saying ”F**k the police” to today’s generation saying ”Where’s the f**k is the police?!” They spoke about how rap became a mediated message and how there’s good rap and there’s ”sh*t rap.

I love how Jon made fun and said that rap took away the heat from Jews about being the scapegoat! I don’t know what he meant by that but I thought it was pretty funny. This interview is just as funny and effective as any other interview Jon has done. I chose this interview because I thought it would be a fun interview to watch. I never heard Jay-Z actually talk, I’ve only listened to him on the radio.

The second interview I watched was a Brad Pitt extended interview that was on February 1, 2012. I chose this interview because it’s Brad Pitt! I wanted to watch someone I was familiar with. Usually on the Daily Show, I have no idea who the person being interviewed is. Brad Pitt talks about his new movie with Jon and how this movie was not going to be made but it ended up being made. The movie was called Moneyball. I never saw the movie and I probably won’t watch it just because I’m not a big fan of Brad Pitt, he left Jennifer Aniston! Like who does that? But that’s beside the point. I love how Jon curses and just talks and talks. He’s so great. He makes the serious celebrities let loose a little bit. I love how they ended up talking about the Oscars and how there are no negatives on other movies at the Oscars.  I love how it’s so real and they talk about real stuff that goes on in our lives and in celebrity lives.

Rush Limbaugh vs. Sandra Fluke

Throughout my whole life, I feel like I’ve always been caught in a man vs. woman debate. Women have always been the underdog and have been treated less than men. In history, women have always fought for something. Whether it was about rights, voting, double standards and etc. In today’s world, things are a little different with what women are fighting for. In this day and age, women and men are as equal as the equal sign. We have everything men have, just bigger balls! Sandra Fluke, a Georgetown law student wanted to testify in a congressional hearing regarding government rules pertaining to employers offering insurance for contraceptives. If a man was to want to testify regarding wanting the insurance companies to cover contraceptives, I don’t believe Rush Limbaugh would have had any insulting comments to make, but rather praise him. Rush Limbaugh, a radio host that targets politicians, called Fluke a ‘’slut’’ on his show. Limbaugh attacks all political controversies and is no stranger in that department but he took it a little far this time around. His STUPID comments about Fluke costs him a dozen of advertisers for his radio show.

According to the article, “Limbaugh slams Fluke on his show, claiming that she is asking the government to subsidize her sex life. “What does that make her?” he asks. “It makes her a slut, right? It makes her a prostitute. She wants to be paid to have sex. She’s having so much sex she can’t afford contraception. She wants you and me and the taxpayers to pay her to have sex.’’ I think that made my stomach turn a little bit. How can someone say this on a radio station? You never know who can be listening on the other side of the speaker. I think Limbaugh has no right to attack Fluke in that way because she isn’t fighting just for her own self, she’s fighting for her peers and other students. It seems to me that Fluke isn’t worried about how much ‘’sex’’ she’s having and that she can’t ‘’afford’’ contraception but I feel as if the insurance companies covered the contraceptive expenses then it will be easier to practice safe sex, abortions wouldn’t be an issue and prevention of sexual diseases will be decreased.

Because of Limbaugh’s big mouth other medias such as CNS News and Hot Air heard about the Fluke story and started throwing punch lines such as  “Georgetown co-ed: Please pay for us to have sex… We’re going broke buying birth control’’ and ‘’ Sex-crazed co-eds going broke buying birth control, student tells Pelosi hearing touting freebie mandate.” I think that they were way out of line with those lines. This is not a laughing or jokingly matter, this is serious to young college students today and especially Sandra Fluke, obviously. Fluke said ‘’ I’m an American woman who uses contraceptives’’. Personally, I don’t think that makes a woman a slut. People have sex, it is a natural way of life. Contraceptives are clearly enforced everywhere we go from our doctors to our high school health teachers. I think that when a woman is called a ‘’slut’’ for asking government to help cover contraceptives is actually more disturbing than the asking part. If using protection makes someone a ‘’slut’’ then lord knows what all of our parents are due to them conceiving us.

Limbaugh’s tyrant on Fluke being a prostitute, and wanting taxpayers to pay for her contraceptives so she can have sex is absurd. For Fluke wanting insurance companies to be able to cover contraceptives does not make her a bad influence on young women nor does it make her a prostitute. Fluke is concerned for the young women who cannot afford contraceptives, as a safe way to have sex so they can be cautious. If you don’t use contraceptives while having sexual intercourse you put yourself at risk and can catch an STD, or become pregnant. Without the use of contraceptives more women become pregnant and then are indecisive about keeping the baby, which might send them to the path of abortion. Limbaugh’s comments about Fluke are disgusting and should be ashamed of himself, if he had a daughter and she had the same feelings as Fluke would he call her a “prostitute” or “slut”? According to the article, ‘’Limbaugh posts a statement online in which he publicly apologizes to Fluke for his “insulting word choices.” “My choice of words was not the best, and in the attempt to be humorous, I created a national stir,” he says.’’ Well wasn’t that nice of him??? …NOT. Being humorous and degrading a person is two different things.

 

Sources:

http://theweek.com/article/index/225214/rush-limbaugh-vs-sandra-fluke-a-timeline

 

 

The Secret World After 9/11

When I was in the sixth grade my whole world changed on September 11, 2001. As parents rushed to pick up their children from school, I waited patiently  in my junior high school auditorium for my parents. Only eleven years old and confused as to what was really going on, I turned on the television for answers. What did I know about the War on Terror? Weapons of mass destruction? I gathered the information pouring in through  the media and tried to make sense of the madness that took place on September 11, 2001 and after. Over a decade later, millions of Americans still question the reason behind the war. We have no real insight on the actions that our government has taken, how much of our tax money is dedicated to “fighting the war on terror” and what is to come.

“The gloves are off after 9/11” was an expression that Coelffer Black used to describe the actions taken by the CIA and government. Black spoke briefly of the investigations that took place post 9/11 and what was the world like prior to 9/11? If there was an issue with terrorists in the Middle East, why wasn’t there already a plan? If a few hours after 9/11 the government met at CIA to resolve the issue at hand.

While the CIA and government dug a deeper hole in the homeland of terrorists, the American society dug for the truth. Are we truly fighting for the protection our of people? Was the war pinned on the terrorists to distract us from the real reasons behind the war? There are no actual facts or reasoning besides the attacks on 9/11 as to why we invaded these countries. The American society is being fed lies through the media, however documentaries like such can open our eyes to the truth. Our friends, family members and tax dollars keep on giving to a war that has gone on far too long. As the public, we are kept in the dark as to what truly goes on in this war overseas.

 The more I became engaged in the facts that the documentary was presenting, the more I became shocked. I recall one government official had said “It’s just war, its not different than going to the store to buy eggs – it’s just something you just got to do..”. This was very disheartening to hear, as the issue at hand is so much more deeper than a trip to the supermarket. As a society we have become so involved in the war, whether it be sending our sons and daughters off to fight or working hard to have the government take away for the war from our tax dollars. The issue at hand is much more than a trip to the supermarket, this is something our society is involved and we haven’t even been granted with answers to date. If you let something carry out so long without questioning the actions taking place, we will never be granted with real reasons of war. The documentary “Top Secret: America” has opened my eyes to the secrets held by our government and the truth behind the war on terror. Watching scenes in the documentary of street bombings I couldn’t help but think to myself that “people live there!”. The incident that took place on September 11th was only a glimpse of the everyday lives of the people living in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Huckleberry Finn Controversy

 

In today’s society, everything is ‘offensive”. You can offend a person without even knowing you offended them.We live in a society that has become so emotional it makes me want to SCREAM. Something that was normal to say in American history is now thought to be ”offensive”. Many of us have had the priviledge of reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn written by Mark Twain that was published in 1885 during our highschool years. Kids today will no longer be able to read the version I read. As we know, after watching the Jon Stewart video clip, Mark Twain wrote the ”n” word SIX times on ONE page.OH MY GOD. The horror. A man from the 17th CENTURY has hurt my feelings….NOT. Many schools are choosing to take the novel out of the curriculum because of the use of the ”n” word throughout the novel, which was a total of 219 times ( Okay someones good at math, we get it). Because of this, a newer version is being published MINUS the ”n” word. Replacing the ”n” word will be the word SLAVE. Excuse me while I go have a laugh attack. I really did laugh when Larry Wilmore said ”huge upgrade from nigger to slave”. I love that Larry Wilmore, an African American himself, was joking about it! How can you replace the ”n” word with the word slave? I don’t get it! Those are two DIFFERENT words that have two DIFFERENT meanings!!!!

According to the Jon Stewart video, editors of the new version are trying to make the book more accessible so that it’ll make the students feel more comfortable without reading the ”n” word. In my opinion, kids use offensive words all the time and replacing the ”n” word to slave is a WASTE OF TIME. First of all, personally I don’t even remember the book and I read it in highschool! How about them apples?! Most of the kids in highschool probably won’t even read the old or the new version. A genius out there invented Sparknotes for a reason! Honestly, Larry Wilmore couldn’t have said it any better when he said ”Emphasize that word …Pimp the cover!”. My advice to the editors of the new version, if you’re going to change the book to ”make kids feel comfortable reading it” at least make it more interesting for them. In other words, change it and MODERNIZE the book. If that doesn’t work for you then don’t change it at all. Don’t FIX what isn’t BROKEN. Who wants to read about ”slaves” in English class? There’s enough of that in History class! ”Mark Twain put that word in for a reason”, Larry Wilmore said and I agree. Twain wasn’t using the word to refer to a ”working person”. He was using it for ”name calling”. He used the ”n” word because that was normal back in the 1800’s. OH MY GOD! People used the ”n” word! The publishers are acting like it’s a big deal, it is in TODAY’S society but in the 1800’s, come on. Give Mark Twain a break. Who knew in the year 2012 our President would be black and we would have rappers that make MILLIONS of dollars that have songs using the ”n” word? In my opinion, someone should give Mark Twain a dollar or two. Why not?

According to Larry Wilmore, ”The ”n” word speaks to a society that casually dehumanizes black people, slave is just a job subscription”. Two DIFFERENT words. Two DIFFERENT meanings. I agree with the fifth estate and I think that they did an excellent job at covering this story. Jon Stewart and Larry Wilmore tell the truth, they face the facts in a funny way to make light of the offensive word at hand, the ”n” word. During the video clip Stewart mumbles the ”n” word and says ”It’s uncomfortable!”. Wilmore responds with ”IT SHOULD BE!” I completely 110% AGREE with that comment. IT REALLY SHOULD BE. We are teaching kids about the past, about American history. How African Americans were treated back in the 1800’s, how African Americans were spoken to back in the 1800’s. You can’t replace the ”n” word to slave, and make a kid reading the new version forget about the dehumanizing ways of the past.

This is our history. America needs to face reality and reality is that we were not nice back in the day. We were mean to African Amerians, we owned slaves, we stole land, we had wars with each other and so on. It was what it was. The ”n” word was written once, twice, TWO HUNDRED AND NINETEEN times, Yes. But that was then and this is now. I don’t believe changing it makes a difference. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was written in the PAST. Who are we to go and change the past?  We CANNOT change history, so why are people trying to?

”The Daily Mail”

Music has become such a big part in society today that there’s all different kinds of music. There are all types of songs for each and every one of our emotions. Songs that make you want to cry, songs that make you want to dance and songs that make you want to throw a punch or two and so on. For the first time in my 21 years I listened to a Radiohead song today called ”The Daily Mail”. My first impression was ”Oh my god, I already love it. Bring on the love song”. Boy, was I wrong about that one. Listening to the beginning of the song I thought of a love story right off the bat because of the instrumentals. The beginning of the song gave me the impression that it was going to be about a heartbreak from hell. A kind of heartbreak that made a person crumble to pieces. I heard the word ”lunatics and asylum” and thought about how his love made him go crazy and how that is taking over his life. ” You made a mistake” stood out to me the most because it wasn’t mumbled or in a low tone. He sang that line with such attitude which made me think that there was a woman involved that might’ve made a mistake and let him go. I did catch a little part of the lyrics later in the song that said ”To keep your prices down, feed you to the hounds to the daily mail together together”. To me, that felt like he was talking about his ”ex-girlfriend” that fed him to the hounds which I interpreted as ”Yeah, break up with me, feed me to the dogs, I’m worth nothing without you so kill me”. As the song went on the words seemed unclear to me because then the  music overpowered the lead singers voice. 

On a daily basis, I listen to music on youtube and post up videos WITH lyrics on my facebook just for fun and to express how I’m feeling at that moment. I believe the lyrics help understand the song and figure out what it really means. As I went on and listened to ”The Daily Mail” this time WITH lyrics and my whole perspective, idea and scenario of the song changed. The song now reminded me of the song we listened to in class called  Harrowdown Hill by The Eraser. The minute the lead singer started singing I knew the love story was gone and a bigger issue was being told once the lyrics were shown. I could now hear and visualize the frustration and anger in the lead singers voice. The song I thought I knew was about a heartbreak is now a song about how the world we live in today can be so cruel and decieving and make up stories for entertainment purposes. I went a little further and did a little research about the song and found out that ”The Daily Mail” is a British tabloid that tells crazy stories about people in today’s current events. I also learned that the band Radiohead is originally from England which gives reason as to why they would write a song about a British tabloid. I went on the actual website for The Daily Mail and saw some things I probably wouldn’t want to read or believe. From reading about Kim Kardashian’s fake tan diaster to Jamie Lynn Spear’s experience of embarrassment to ask her doctor for birth control pills just made me a little sick to my stomach. Who calls that ”The Daily Mail”? Who thinks that those articles are worth reading? As I scrolled down to view some of the articles I thought back to the lyrics from the song ”Where’s the truth?” and thought there is no truth in this British tabloid. These articles can possibly be rumors for all we know.

What is ”news” worthy for us in society today? Are tabloids a form of escapism? I think so! Most people want to know what celebrities are up to rather than who is up for President next? Tabloids treat celebrities as if they are the most important people in the world. I think that’s what Thom Yorke is trying to say in this song. It made me realize that I am guilty of following this form of escapism. I like to know what’s going on in the media world rather than the ”real” world which is the economic and politic side. I think that I enjoy reading about a celebrity news rather than a war on terror because celebrity news is not depressing or sad.People LIKE seeing the lifestyles of the rich and the famous. They LIKE knowing what’s ”in and out” what’s ”hot and not”. People LIKE seeing celebrities do right and wrong. I guess it makes them feel better about themselves, it’s always like that.

 If you ask me who Taylor Swift (Who doesn’t even know that I exist) is and what’s her greatest album? I’ll tell you she is the most amazing country artist today, I love her so much and that Speak Now is her best album yet! But on the other hand, ask me who this Romney guy is that’s trying to win the election to run for PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES (my UNITED STATES that I LIVE in!)? And I’ll tell you that I don’t even know his first name!  That’s how crazy the world we live in today is. Why are the unimportant things so important to us? Who knows? I guess that’s whyThom Yorke is so angry with all this attention that entertainment news makes front page news that captures the eyes of all while worldy news such as politics gets thrown to the side as if it doesn’t even matter. I remember I looked at the front cover of a news paper and said to myself ”Why is that front page news?!” I think it was about a celebrities wedding or something and the next day there was a War on Terror cover and it just drove me wild because just the other day front page news was celebrity entertainment!

Thom Yorke, the lead vocalist and song writer of the band gets his inspiration from war, politics and other current events happening in the world. I read an article that quoted Thom Yorke and it said

 ”This beautiful scenery around me, some lunatic from the Bush administration talking in my ear. Out in the middle of nowhere, the media is really amplified — it’s like being permanently on drugs. I guess I was worrying about what’s going to be there when I’m gone and Noah is left.(Sutcliff, Phil)”.

That quote couldn’t have made the song any more clearer to me. Yorke was describing a day he was having with his 8 year old son Noah listening to the news on his radio and the stuff that he was hearing triggered his fatherhood. He was now inspired to write a song about the world not only he was living in but his innocent little 8 year old son as well.In today’s society, the ambition to fight and protest against government is always let down due to the lack of time and effort most of us have in our lives. What better way to ”speak out” than writing a song about it, right? During that interview, I noticed he mentioned THREE things that were mentioned in the song. ”Lunatic”, ”Ear” and ” Bush administration”. In the song he mentions ”The LUNATICS have taken over the asylum”, ”You made a pig’s EAR” and ”PRESIDENT (which made me believe that was meant for Bush) for life, love of all ”. The love song about heartbreak I thought I knew was now a song about corruption and the messed up world that we live in.

As I listened to the song over and over again, just so I can really connect with it, I ended up actually liking the song. This, coming from a girl that’s obsessed with Taylor Swift, country music and love songs! The song opened up my eyes to what I was blinded to before. I was blinded by what the media has done to society. The media controls us and what we see is important in the world. I don’t like that feeling of being empowered. I don’t like that something has already been decided for me. I feel like this song has put my guard up a little. I don’t want to gossip about celebrities anymore. Thom Yorke kind of  ”embarrassed me” a little. I know nothing about what’s going on in current news. I don’t know the names of the men who are running for President this year. I should know these things but I don’t. 

Songs are meant to reach out and connect to you unconditionally. A wise Professor once told me that ”Every song tells a story”. My first impression of the song was ”I love it already! It’s going to be so meaningful. Awesome!” After researching and listening to it several times, was the song what I thought it was? No. Do I still have the same opinion about the song? Yes. You want to know why I do? Because after listening and finding out the reason for Yorke writing the music that he writes I could put myself in his shoes for a second that day he was listening to the news on the radio with his son. I could empathize on his experience and allow myself to actually listen to the message he trys to tell us in the song. What’s that message you ask? Yeah, I don’t know either but keep trying, you’re not right!

Work Cited

Sutcliff, Phil (8, June 2003). ”Radiohead Heeds The Alarms”. The Los Angeles Times

 (http://articles.latimes.com/2003/jun/08/entertainment/ca-sutcliffe8