Sharing Political Music: "Dear Mr. President" by Pink...What's Yours?

1/30/2013

What inspires you? What speaks to what's political and/or courageous to you? Find at least one video and post on your choice: The Facebook wall for POL/SOC3062 or here on the Course Weebly blog as a comment for this post (click the comments link above on the top right corner of each post). Choose one or other to post.

PLEASE ADD A COMMENT OF WHAT IS POLITICAL TO YOU AND WHY ABOUT YOUR CHOICE. DON'T ASSUME WE GET IT. (50-200 words).

Be sure to follow your fellow students' posts. LIKE THEM. Watch and respond to at least 8-10 other people's posts in whatever way that works. Let them know you watched. Look and see who hasn't gotten any viewers and give 'em some love!!

Here's the song by Pink I presented last class that got me. See below.

What inspires you? What speaks to what's political and/or courageous to you? Find at least one video and post here or on the Weebly blog as a comment. One or the other will do.

PLEASE ADD A COMMENT OF WHAT IS POLITICAL TO YOU AND WHY ABOUT YOUR CHOICE. DON'T ASSUME WE GET IT. (50-200 words).

Be sure to follow your fellow students' posts. LIKE THEM. Watch and respond to at least 8-10 other people's posts in whatever way that works. Let them know you watched. Look and see who hasn't gotten any viewers and give 'em some love!!

Here's the song by Pink I presented last class that got me. See below.

26 Comments

claribel herrera link

2/2/2013 12:43:44 pm

As soon as we saw this video in class, my instant thought went to lupe fiasco. This generation particularly listens to a lot trash music, but Lupe along with a small bunch really know how to speak the unspeakable and also illustrate it through the craft of music. This is without a doubt a power song and music video! fits right in with pinks message.

claribel herrera

2/2/2013 12:51:05 pm

“Words I never said” by Lupe Fiasco is one of the most political songs of this time. When this first song was released along with its video, a statement was definitely made by him, and it woke everyone up to look at the situation around them. Many of us young individuals during that time weren’t known to be involved politically, so when this song aired in 106 & park, it drew major attention and captured a wide range of young folks to speak up, take a stand, and look into issues that particularly we chose to ignore. The video in reality is ridiculously powerful, it leaps over the typical music video, and allows you to visualize issues that he address.

Monzurul (Monzu) Haque

2/3/2013 03:12:54 pm

Although I am not really a fan of the music industry, I find Lupe Fiasco as one interesting character. He is very unique in the sense that he always speaks out against what he believes are acts of oppression.

For example, he spoke out against America's drone striking in foreign countries, as well as our government's role in foreign terrorism. It's very interesting.

Monzurul (Monzu) Haque

2/3/2013 03:13:00 pm

Monzurul (Monzu) Haque

2/3/2013 03:13:11 pm

Although I am not really a fan of the music industry, I find Lupe Fiasco as one interesting character. He is very unique in the sense that he always speaks out against what he believes are acts of oppression. For example, he spoke out against America's drone striking in foreign countries, as well as our government's role in foreign terrorism. It's very interesting.

Monzurul Haque

2/3/2013 03:14:14 pm

Monzurul Haque

2/3/2013 03:15:09 pm

Whoah I am so sorry for the quadruple post. Blog glitch.

Sarah Deodath

2/4/2013 02:37:13 am

I listened to Lupe Fiasco in a veyr long time but I did think about him during class when this topic came up, I do know that his music has political messages although i havent listened to him but recently I read an article about how he was kicked off the Inauguration stage last month, he not only uses his music to express his political viewpoints but he used his words on a huge stage to express himself and i think it was a very great and courageous thing to do, he probably wont be called back to preform for a presidents Inauguration but he made a statement and expressed it loudly.

Sabrina Ally link

2/3/2013 04:32:22 am

The song I chose was "Where Is The Love" by the Black Eyed Peas. This song was written after the tragedy of 911 that occurred in 2001. I feel like this song speaks in so many ways not only to what happened, but with life in general. We tend to always be at war for each other no apparent reason. This song is saying that there is so much anger and hate in the world along with selfishness we barely get together to make the world a better place.There are people in the world who complain that the world never changes, but the change can only begin with you. This song speaks volumes of courage, and is telling people to be the different one to make a change in the world by not having so much hate towards each other.

This song to me is political because many people look up to celebrities and they mimic their actions and sing their songs aloud. It was refreshing to see celebrities come together for such a tragic event and to create a song to raise awareness that people should learn to be the better person in situations.

Anthony Taveras

2/3/2013 04:51:54 am

Very true indeed, and I have to say that another song that goes well with what you said is "Lighters-Bad Meets Evil"
This song also has the meaning of what you mentioned "Where is thr Love-Black Eyed Peas" does.

Silviya Lukanova

2/3/2013 05:18:18 am

The first time I heard Pink’s “Dear Mr. President” was in class and I could not stop listening to it, because I find it to be relatable and touching. I see music as not only and outlet for feelings, but also a great way to help people understand what is it that is troubling them because a song can have as many meanings as the number of people listening to it.
The song I chose is “Together” by Demi Lovato because it speaks to the topics from our class: equality/inequality or how people are viewed differently depending on the way they look, where they live and so on, not depending on the way they act; how we can choose to close our eyes for the world around us and in that way lend ourselves to be a part of whatever the more powerful political authors have in mind for us or we can take part in our life and learn from what is going on around us and understand it.

2/3/2013 06:16:50 am

My song of choice is ‘Testify’ by Rage against the Machine (RATM). It came out in 1999 when I was still not in the US and even didn’t know who Al Gore was. The video and rhythm of the record prompted immediate reaction and deep interest in my politically uneducated mind (I was fifteen at the time). Many years later, it still moves me. I think it sends a very strong political message (as most of the RATM songs), not just in regards to the flow of the US political & election system, but also to global issues such as oil reliance, the Gulf War, and militarization. Check out the video here (NSFW): http://goo.gl/toq1V

Toni Ann Ho Young

2/3/2013 08:01:31 am

The song that came to mind was Lauryn Hill's "I get out". This song for me symbolizes the lack of outlets for individuals in abusive domestic situations. This song was recorded on her unplugged album which is known for its simplicity and refreshing honesty against sensitive issues. I think domestic abuse lack the support of political policies and strategies. Unfortunately nothing is done by our judicial system and law enforcement until its too late. This song speaks to bondage, the oppression and struggles of not only physical abuse but mental abuse and ultimately breaking free from negativity. The live performance can be viewed here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89_yvWzPQJs

Eliza Gomez

2/3/2013 12:45:45 pm

I find myself falling in love over and over again with "Mercedes Benz" written/sung by Janis Joplin. The song comes out of an era when many young people were disgruntled by the way the government, educational institutions and society overall were treating them. It's a song that's short and overtly tongue in cheek, a parody of the lifestyle Janis could've been living and one that directly targeted the growing consumer trends in the US. There is nothing wrong with consumerism and being able to afford nice things for ourselves however when it becomes our main objective and we lose sight or choose to ignore that there are others living in unfortunate situations around us it's a problem. As i make my way through my undergrad career and it becomes more evident that i'm receiving an education not to become a part of the lifestyle Janis is mocking but to strive and make a difference for the good along with fellow young thinkers. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ddnwyyGo4s

Peter Wu

2/3/2013 01:58:06 pm

I thought of the song "We are the 99 percent" by Tom Morello, Serj Tankian & Tim Mcllrath. The video deals with the recent Occupy Wall Street protests. It speaks volumes of the present state of our economy with essentially 1% controlling 40% of America's financial wealth. Some examples of issues that pop into my head are unemployment, students paying for loans without any post graduate return, and people in search of the American dream that dont have means to achieve that dream. This topic, song and video speaks to me personally because I am a economics major and I like most of America am part of the 99%, and would like to see something done to change the current distribution of income.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x56bXZTvrJA

Monzurul (Monzu) Haque

2/3/2013 03:09:09 pm

To be honest, I don't actually listen to songs nor watch music videos. I do, however, sometimes like listening to spoken poems. They tend to have more meaning and relevance than a song does because they lack the weird background noises.

Something that inspires me is when a person speaks out about the flaws of the government, or against an oppressive ruler. I feel like that takes a lot of courage.

I think the poem "Green Card" by Boona Mohamed (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Th04ZQCt5A) is a good example of this. This poem speaks about the injustices of poverty within our society.

To me, politics has to do with world issues that involves the government. Poverty is actually an issue in the world directly correlated with how the world governments work, and the system of greed and injustice towards the people. This is something that Boona speaks out about, especially in the American context regarding Green Cards.

Carlos Canela

2/4/2013 01:28:26 am

This song, Tupac "Changes", is one that I found very political. Too often growing up, for me, rappers were just considered dangerous thugs that did nothing good. While tupac did not necessarily go against the mold in that regard, he did do something that surprised many with this song. In this song he tells the world about what is really going on in the ghettos of this country, and what it's like for a African Americans growing up. As a hispanic male growing up in the hood of the Bronx it knocked the wind out of me to hear my lifestyle was an epidemic all across the nation. Hearing it sung this way also went a long way to show that when these artists choose to they can be every bit as profound as they are controversial.

http://youtu.be/eXvBjCO19QY

Aleksandra Madej link

2/4/2013 02:25:21 am

Here is the song that I want to share: by Rihanna “Man Down”. In this video she is the girl who takes justice into her own hands after being sexually assaulted by a man. Rihanna has been strongly criticized for promoting violence and guns. There was also a big argument to ban the video because some people think that it gives bad example to young children and shows that killing and getting away with murder is OK. Rihanna is an artist and a free woman she has the right to free speech. I just don’t understand why some people made such a fuss about this song … what about other artists whose videos are even more drastic and controversial. What about video games where using a gun and killing a virtual person is made easy and “fun”. If parents don’t want their kids to see stuff like this it’s their job to make sure they don’t; but on the other hand we cannot hide from this horrible and embarrassing issue. We have to learn how to fight against it.

Aleksandra Madej

2/4/2013 02:26:22 am

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEhy-RXkNo0

Dawid Majkut

2/4/2013 03:45:35 am

www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLDSdnHWaSU

This song is called " hurricane" by Bob Dylan, and is about alleged acts of racism and profiling against a boxer. It speaks about a false trail and unfair conviction of the man.

sehyun shim(mandy)

2/4/2013 04:29:42 am

The song I chose is "No Bravery" by James Blunt. The song is written about Kosovo war when he served under NATO during the conflict. It reconizies the tragedy of war of and how it effected people. I liked how the song repeats the sentence "and i see no bravery, no bravey in your eyes anymore. Only sadness" as it shows that it is hard to be brave during war as it such a sad and terrible event, that occurs still till this day.
check out the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gh41Wxez9PE

Joyce

2/4/2013 06:49:13 am

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QLi4O-Pu4Y
"The 4th Branch" by Immortal Technique

When we were told to choose a song that was political, I immediately thought of this song by rapper and political activist, Immortal Technique. He talks about the media as the fourth branch of government, (the 3 branches are executive, legislative, and judicial) and how the government manipulates the media to portray certain things to the public. We watch television and news, believing it to be pure fact, when in reality, everything we see has been influenced by the government. We should be aware that there is more going on in the world than we know, and our knowledge is biased because of our sources. I think that the media has a lot of influence on the public and we should be aware that our information is not as pure as it seems and we should be smarter about the information we consume so we can be more well informed.

Natasha Cepeda link

2/6/2013 05:18:20 am

"What's Going On?" by Marvin Gaye

For me, this song is very political because it is just like the Pink song - it can relate to anyone during any point in time where there is war. This song was during the Vietnam war and yet I can still relate to it with our troops these past few years. There are a lot of times where we don't understand what is happening in our world and this song just gets it.

Tabssum Adeel

2/8/2013 05:47:56 am

When you listened this song “Dear Mr. President”, it touch you heart. Lyrics of this song beautifully describe all aspect of the ongoing political issue. Singer address to the President if you want to feel my pain, you have to walk into my shoe. Also, this song is significant similar to nowadays issue.

Tajwar Choudhury

2/10/2013 08:46:18 am

"The Instrumental" by Lupe Fiasco

When I think about music that incorporates politics, I automatically think of Lupe Fiasco. "The Instrumental" is a beautiful piece in which Lupe speaks on the power of the media within our lives. Fiasco uses the word "box" in his first verse, which is used to represent a television and/or radio and through those devices people become, in a sense, brainwashed to believe what they hear from news broadcasts and such and such. The title of the song in itself was a very witty title formulated by Lupe I think. The idea is that everyone only reiterates what they hear from the media, so in essence everyone is just on the same beat and no one is ACTUALLY saying anything. And in hip-hop, a beat with no lyrics is just an instrumental. I find this song to have a very strong political message within it: FIGHT THE SYSTEM! :)

Melanie Alleyne

2/11/2013 04:27:19 am

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=0IA3ZvCkRkQ#!

I choose Mariah Carey Hero because by the completion of this class we will all be heroes in a way. We will come up in front of class and make a stand about what is not talked about. This song is meant to show us all that we can do it! If we look deep inside our selves we would be able to maybe one day do more other than talk to a classroom.

Sharing Political Music: "Dear Mr. President" by Pink...What's Yours?

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