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Posts categoriezed as Popular Culture

Katy Perry – Military Pop-agandist?

Katy Perry – Military Pop-agandist? published on

I’m not fond of this dog-faced wonder, mostly due to “Ur So Gay,” a vile little number telling some emo boy to kill himself because, in essence, he isn’t masculine enough. Even coming from someone else such an attitude would be contemptible, but coming from a girl who sings about kissing girls and liking it, it is doubly so. Apparently in Ms Perry’s worldview straight but un-masculine boys should be reviled, while straight girls into a bit of Sapphic fun should be celebrated as strong, independent and of course sexy.

But this isn’t about Perry’s hypocritical view of gender, or the fact that her face looks like a moose’s rear end, it is about her new video, which seems to be trying very hard to portray dying for the oligarchy as some sort of triumph of Girl Power. Apparently, as young American males are wising up and realizing that being able to feel more manly because they joined the army and killed some A-rabs doesn’t really compensate for having their balls blown off, the oligarchy is now turning to the female sex for its cannon fodder.

Poor Video-Katy, she gets cheated on by her bloke, and for some bizarre reason decides that the way to get revenge is to become a mercenary! I’m sorry, I meant to write “a marine,” but there really isn’t much difference these days, is there? So she gives herself a haircut (bad idea, honey — it’s your only attractive feature) and joins the army, where she proceeds to act all butch and shit. Not only do we see the young fool go through basic training, but she seems to end up in some desert war, no doubt proving that you don’t need to be male to be tough.

Now, what the fuck does any of this have to do with a song about being cheated on? Nothing, that’s what. Going to war isn’t even a good metaphor for getting over a broken heart, so why the military theme? Call me cynical, but I think the main thing going on here is that some bastard somewhere decided it was time for women to start doing their fair share of the dying, and that if you can use machismo to sell the army to stupid boys you can sure as hell use Girl Power to sell it to idiot girls.

This entire thing reminds me of an old episode of The Simpsons. You know the one. The one in which Bart’s boy band is being used to sell the army to children, subliminal messages and all. It was funny then, it doesn’t seem so funny now…

This Aint No Upwardly Mobile Freeway…

This Aint No Upwardly Mobile Freeway… published on

From Chris Rea, here is “The Road to Hell,” a prophetic song about where we were headed in 1989 and where we are now. Like the man says, “You must learn this lesson fast, and learn it well.” Apparently we didn’t.

This is the extra-creepy version, with his old mom (so old she’s dead) giving him some advice from beyond the grave. This preamble to the actual music is a bit dull, but it does make the meaning of the song clearer.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abZlWqVeLzg[/youtube]

One Million Homophobic Harpies Go After Archie Andrews!

One Million Homophobic Harpies Go After Archie Andrews! published on

In possibly the most moronic display of conservative panic since speculations about Spongebob Squarepants and his little pink friend Patrick Star,a group of right wing mothers has launched a campaign against Toys R Us over their selling of a recent issue of the comic book “Life With Archie”,
the cover of which depicts gay character Kevin Keller marrying some other guy!

I personally see the whole gay marriage thing as yet another convenient smokescreen for the world’s real problems — why tackle class issues when you can make yourself look “liberal” by allowing gays to do something which at least 50% of them will regret ? — but outside of that I really don’t care. Let them get married, poor fools. In ten years they’ll be launching a new campaign to have that dubious right taken away. Frankly, my idea of marriage equality would be to make it illegal for straight people as well as gay ones, that way everyone would all be much happier. But back to the hysterical screechings of the loonies at One Million Moms…

“These comic books are sold at the front checkout counters so they are highly visible to employees, managers, customers and children. Unfortunately, children are now being exposed to same-sex marriage in a toy store. This is the last place a parent would expect to be confronted with questions from their children on topics that are too complicated for them to understand. “

This is of course balderdash. If the kid asks, just tell them some idiots want to marry people of the opposite sex, some idiots want to marry people of their own sex, either way it’s an idea they will live to regret. See, not so complicated is it? What is really driving these protests is not concern over kiddies asking awkward questions, but rather the need so many people seem to have to hate on some group or another, and the right wing’s rabid desire to crush anyone who opposes their hate-mongering in any way, especially if they are part of the popular culture industry. Would it be too much to call this clan of pinheads a hate group? Probably not, as the One Million Moms group is a branch of the American Family Association, a group well known for, surprise, surprise, its promotion of homophobia! Apples really don’t fall very far from the tree, do they?

 

In defense of the book John Goldwater, one of the big cheeses at Archie, had this to say…

“We stand by Life with Archie #16. As I’ve said before, Riverdale is a safe, welcoming place that does not judge anyone. It’s an idealized version of America that will hopefully become reality someday. We’re sorry the American Family Association /OneMillionMoms.com feels so negatively about our product, but they have every right to their opinion, just like we have the right to stand by ours. Kevin Keller will forever be a part of Riverdale, and he will live a happy, long life free of prejudice, hate and narrow-minded people.“

 

Er, yes, thank you Martin Luther King. What Goldwater means of course, is that the series’ recent focus on social issues has increased its sales and they will be damned if they let a few loons mess with their bottom line, so to speak. Motive aside, Goldwater and Co are doing the world a favor by keeping the issue on the racks, and the One Million Moms are doing the world a favor by showing everyone what a bunch of lame-brained maggots they are. Why, next thing you know they will be whining about this classic issue of  Betty and Me…

“With religions, corporations, proud of blood they’ve shed…”

“With religions, corporations, proud of blood they’ve shed…” published on

From little-known Australian band MaxQ, here we have 1989’s Way of the World, a prescient little ditty about the way we all get screwed over by the psychopaths in charge of this ball of mud. I loved this song when it came out, and the more politically aware I’ve become the more pertinent it seems than back in ’89, a time when most people saw all this talk of evil corporations as the ramblings of a demented hippie.

MaxQ was a short lived group headed by Ollie Olsen and Michael Hutchence of INXS, and even though the single was a minor hit the album tanked and hasn’t been re-released since. So if you like it, get it on YouTube cos the CD is an expensive rarity and iTunes doesn’t seem to carry it — but what can you expect from acorporation that originally gave iPods batteries that died in 18 months and couldn’t be replaced except through the purchase of a new iPod?

 

Lyrics below video

 

You are born into this world
Looking down the barrel of a gun
And those who hold the gun
Want you to work fast and die young
And if you don’t work
If you don’t obey
They’ll make you live in fear till your dying day
Those who govern hold the gun to your head
With religions, corporations, proud of blood
They’ve shed
CHORUS:
Whether it’s God or the bomb
It’s just the same
It’s only fear under another name
(x2)
And the corporate snakes coming in to feed
On that pathetic fact known as human greed
Skin and bone being raked over those hot coals
This dump never seems to give time for human soul
And all those things that we have learnt
No time for questions, you’ll just get burnt
You’ll just get burnt
(CHORUS x2)
And those words crush you flat
Like your skull’s under a brick
And the fear’s so damnned strong
That it makes you sick
And you can see right through those eyes
That make you fear, that make you lie
And you’re taught to hold high
Yet you wonder why
Dumb values forced upon you by the
Living lie

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