Propaganda. It is a word representing a thing that is in our midst as citizens of the world each and every day, all the time, in almost every waking hour of our lives. This is what it used to be. Though nothing has changed, it, propaganda, has been taken to the next level. It is now a political strategy, a means of gaining attention from the common people, as well as a general nuisance in most of our lives.
Propaganda, in my own words, is a voice of forgotten reason, a shadow of the past, a blur of the present, and a flicker of the future. It is a voice telling someone what could be, what should be, and what one must do. This obviously means it can not necessarily be taken very seriously. It equivocates exactly what it wants one to say or do or buy or subscribe to, etc. so as to plant an egg of an idea and spawn a new creation, growing steadily and increasingly larger every second. This is propaganda.
Propaganda today seems to be used to gain the "home-field advantage", even if the person employing its powers is not necessarily on his or her home turf. It "trash-talks" the opponent, whomever this may be, and it gloats for the employer.
Propaganda. In the past it was used mainly new product advertisements, rarely for politics, and the majority of the propaganda was used for recruiting for the army. This can be shown by the vast display of "Uncle Sam" posters placed all around the country, telling the common people that Uncle Sam wants YOU to join the army. These posters were seen in the form of wall-cut-outs, photographs, advertisements in newspapers and magazines, or even on billboards. Because of the high availability and commonality of these posters, the powers of propaganda get inside one's mind and plant ideas there, trying to make a person think a certain way.
Propaganda. Many politicians today utilize propaganda as a way to win over the wills of the common people. It is also used by companies to promote their products on television, on the radio, on the internet, in newspapers, and in magazines.
Propaganda. (Have you gotten annoyed yet? Yeah, that's the point.) I believe everyone should have free will and the right to choose a side. This should be an unbiased decision based solely on the person in question. The constitution guarantees us "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness". One of these guarantees, liberty, can be obtained by recognizing an individual's free will, which propaganda does everything but promote. Though some good properties can be obtained by utilizing the powers of propaganda, such as awareness, it should most definitely be a rare occurrence.
A Presto,
Simon
Monday, February 21, 2011
Sunday, February 13, 2011
B-boying Emerson Meets Richard Wright?
Beat Street is a movie directed by Stan Lathan. It deals with the struggles of a group of friends as they try to climb their way up the art's chain in 80's Bronx New York. Each member of the group of friends has a special talent that helps the whole "gang" experience many aspects of 80's life. For example, the main character, Kenny, is an all-around hip-hop artist. His brother, Lee, is a "wonderful breaker", as Tracy, a choreographer, puts it. Then, there is Ramon, a graffiti artist, the one "white" person in the group of friends.
As far as the actors themselves, there is only one familiar face I recognized. That is of Kenny's and Lee's mother, Cora, played by Mary Alice. I recognized her from her rather important role in The Matrix III, as the oracle.
Each character in Beat Street has a distinct personality and exhibits certain flaws. For example, Kenny has trouble coping with situations that might pose as a minuscule threat to you or I. Though, with him, he "blows up" instantly. One could call it a "short fuse". However, he is the likely hero, as he is the character with the dream to be famous, yadda, yadda, yadda...He eventually gets his job as a fantastic club DJ, blah, blah, blah...And he gets the girl (Tracy) in the end. (DUH!!!)
Lee is the one I know the least about, which could contribute to some of his apprehensive characteristics. He is a fantastic b-boy and partakes in myriad "battles" throughout the movie at various locations throughout the Bronx. However, for all his capacity as a great breaker, he does not talk very much, and seems to be, only at times, slightly shy. Obviously this shyness instantly leaves him every time he goes into his "uprock".
Ramon is perhaps the most conflicted of them all. He must deal with his father's pressure to settle down and have a "real life" while he blatantly ignores Ramon's beautiful "burns" on the city's trains. Because of this, Ramon eventually bursts and gives in, deciding to work double-time and get a day job but still act the part of a graffiti artist at night. He does all this while juggling the responsibility of having a family, complete with a baby and all. Eventually, he moves into an apartment with his family together at last.
As opposed to the book, Black Boy, which deals with the times in which young boys like Richard were extremely confused about racial differences--so much so that they felt they had to feed into and fit these pre-determined stereotypes--Beat Street deals with the difficulties of finding one's self amongst the temptation to stray from one's path in order to become something one does not want to be. This can be a very difficult thing to do, and is almost always easier said than done. Though, as Emerson says, with Self-Reliance, one can accomplish almost any task. Remember that and carry it with you at all times. It will come in handy in surprising situations.
A Presto,
Simon
As far as the actors themselves, there is only one familiar face I recognized. That is of Kenny's and Lee's mother, Cora, played by Mary Alice. I recognized her from her rather important role in The Matrix III, as the oracle.
Each character in Beat Street has a distinct personality and exhibits certain flaws. For example, Kenny has trouble coping with situations that might pose as a minuscule threat to you or I. Though, with him, he "blows up" instantly. One could call it a "short fuse". However, he is the likely hero, as he is the character with the dream to be famous, yadda, yadda, yadda...He eventually gets his job as a fantastic club DJ, blah, blah, blah...And he gets the girl (Tracy) in the end. (DUH!!!)
Lee is the one I know the least about, which could contribute to some of his apprehensive characteristics. He is a fantastic b-boy and partakes in myriad "battles" throughout the movie at various locations throughout the Bronx. However, for all his capacity as a great breaker, he does not talk very much, and seems to be, only at times, slightly shy. Obviously this shyness instantly leaves him every time he goes into his "uprock".
Ramon is perhaps the most conflicted of them all. He must deal with his father's pressure to settle down and have a "real life" while he blatantly ignores Ramon's beautiful "burns" on the city's trains. Because of this, Ramon eventually bursts and gives in, deciding to work double-time and get a day job but still act the part of a graffiti artist at night. He does all this while juggling the responsibility of having a family, complete with a baby and all. Eventually, he moves into an apartment with his family together at last.
As opposed to the book, Black Boy, which deals with the times in which young boys like Richard were extremely confused about racial differences--so much so that they felt they had to feed into and fit these pre-determined stereotypes--Beat Street deals with the difficulties of finding one's self amongst the temptation to stray from one's path in order to become something one does not want to be. This can be a very difficult thing to do, and is almost always easier said than done. Though, as Emerson says, with Self-Reliance, one can accomplish almost any task. Remember that and carry it with you at all times. It will come in handy in surprising situations.
A Presto,
Simon
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)