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SpaceMonkey
Chatterbox
315 Posts |
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Fluffy
Administrator
USA
10739 Posts |
 Posted - 02/22/2003 : 3:22:54 PM
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Hey Spacemonkey, thanx for posting this. Although it is a decidely anti-Chomsky piece, it does bring up alot of good points. Like everything in this world, some people will not agree. Which is fine, the word still gets out. The part that bothered me was that they seem to try to impress upon readers of the article the fact that Chomsky neglects to see the other "baddies" in the world and only see the US as "the bad guy". Well, from my reading, I really wouldn't say this is true. Yes, Chomsky focuses on the US, but I feel that has more to do with the fact that in the grand scheme of publicity(news, publications, etc etc etc)we are constantly bombarded with the "baddies" from all over the world and who we should be scared of or hating at any given moment, and Chomsky is merely trying to show us a side that is severly ignored. That we(the US)are as guilty of sometimes, lesser, greater, and/or equal crimes as the "baddies" we are supposed to hate and fear. I do not think he overlooks or refuses to acknowledge these, I think he just chooses to turn the mirror back on the US, lest we forget that our govt can be just as evil as the ones it asks us to hate and fear for whatever reason.
From the Chomsky article linked above: quote:
Martha Bayles, author of A Hole in Our Soul, a controversial book about the music scene. "Rock culture is illiterate even about leftist politics. It is impossible to underestimate its illiteracy." Bayles believes that rock culture has three strands: the party-till-you-puke creed, the death-and-nihilism fixation, and occasionally a politically idealistic ethos in which "political" means left-wing. Currently the first two would seem to have the upper hand, with nihilism being what the punkers confuse with anarchism, a serious political philosophy with a long tradition.
This is something that I feel is worthy of special note. EveryTIMe someone complains about my long posts or doesn't bother reading it because it's "too long", please remember that the above quote is how most of the people see us. "It is impossible to underestimate it's(rock culture being US)illiteracy." If you do not read and educate yourself about these matters, this is how the population at large will see us, as people waving banners with no real clue about the issues. To them we are dummies spouting slogans, not understanding the situation or cause we choose to support. With reading we can learn and spread knowledge in a manner that invites people to listen and not write us off as the "illiterate rock culture".
In summation, I feel the above article is definitely worth a read. Please read it with an open mind and you will be able to pick up some interesting facts that will help you decide where you stand. You will notice that the article has a decidely negative slant against Chomsky but still in it's arguments against Chomsky, I feel it only strengthens Chomsky's case. Hope everyone takes the TIMe to read it.
PS:Spacemonky, can you edit the title of the post to read: "The Chomsky/music connection"? I think more people will peak in. I almost missed it as I did not know who Comsky was. HEHE |
Peace & Keep the Faith
Fluffy         
"THE MUSIC BUSINESS IS A CRUEL AND SHALLOW MONEY TRENCH-- A LONG PLASTIC HALLWAY WHERE THIEVES AND PIMPS RUN FREE AND GOOD MEN DIE LIKE DOGS. THERE'S ALSO A NEGATIVE SIDE..." -Hunter S. Thompson |
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SpaceMonkey
Chatterbox
315 Posts |
Posted - 01/21/2006 : 2:15:35 PM
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| Look at that: it only took me three years to reread this post and actually make the correction Fluffy suggested. Well, I've done my good deed for the day. |
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dan p.
Alien Abductee
Uganda
3776 Posts |
Posted - 01/21/2006 : 6:59:59 PM
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"rock culture" no longer exists, and punk rock is as dead as a block of cement, so i don't really know what the person who wrote that is talking about, and i would venture to guess neither does she. punkers? what the fuck? death and "nihilism," i guess, are still fixations, but found by and large in the black metal/death metal scenes. i grew up around people who were, in fact, dummies spouting slogans and bob dylan lyrics while waving cute little signs around, so that was my first outlook on leftish politics in music. obviously that's not the case, as many here have proven to me. i may not share your enthusiasm, but i'm not writing you off. why? because i've actually talked to more than 5 people about it, unlike this woman, who apparantly can't fucking think.
it may bother you to be written off as "illiterate rock culture." i understand that. it wouldn't bother me, though. because let her call rock culture ignorant. who is she targeting? it's the past now. it'd be like me making fun of people in the 19th century for not getting with the times. |
death to false metal. |
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The Chomsky/music connection
