Where is our alienated hero of questionable morality when we need him?
It is surprising to hear someone say something genuine these days. Kanye West went off script on NBC's live concert fundraiser for victims of Hurricane Katrina Friday night, and NBC's scripted reaction was coded (below) but clear. "Back off, bitch." (Kanye West's Torrent of Criticism, Live on NBC)
Red alert! Red alert! There's a human being truthful over here! Sound the alarm!
Beyond that, Kanye West showed emotion, something for which women have paid dearly throughout history, and have learned, to succeed in a male world, to hide. I am sure Kanye will pay for that "weakness". The network has already dismissed his words as rash and inappropriate when they described the event as "live and full of emotion." By now we all know what Kanye said, among other things:
George Bush hates black people.How real.
And NBC Universal, back to the bullshit, in a statement issued to the Reporters Who Cover Television after the broadcast:
Tonight's telecast was a live television event wrought with emotion. Kanye West departed from the scripted comments that were prepared for him, and his opinions in no way represent the views of the networks. It would be most unfortunate if the efforts of the artists who participated tonight and the generosity of millions of Americans who are helping those in need are overshadowed by one person's opinion.It's as if we have become the futuristic film noir, Blade Runner, starring the alienated hero of questionable morality, Harrison Ford. We are the android replicants, created with limited life spans in case we became too human (We cannot show emotion or we will be destroyed.) who are attempting to escape from enslaving conditions on an Off-World outer planet. We are driven by fear and we search out our creator for help in prolonging our lives.
Will more authentic voices appear? Will the state, out to find ones "too human", destroy us, and will spin win out (Karl Rove, Satan of Spin, has been at George Bush's side lately, after all). Will the scripted and inauthentic George W Bush get through this crisis without a "real" word or a scratch, as usual?
Where is our alienated hero of questionable morality when we need him?
posted by MJ @ 7:21 AM
4 comments
4 Comments:
I am not actually sure if Bush is a racist or not, but at this point it really doesn't matter. His administration is clearly incompetent and unable to govern effectively which is what he was elected to do. I don't think 'spin' will help much this time around. The federal government exists to deal with things that the states cannot and with Bush as President we apparently cannot deal with those issues. To think that 'gay marriage' was an actual election issue looking at how woeful and degraded out federal agencies have become would be funny if it were their weakness not shown under such tragic circumstances. This is not only about George Bush though; this is about Democratic leadership that has done nothing of note to help the situation either. We have hundreds of career politicians in Washington living off tax dollars that should be going toward infrastructure to react to situations like these. Is the President guilty? Yep he is, but he definitely has company. There can be tremendous change in America, but we have to get away from the idea that our system of government if perfect. We seem to equate that fact that our nations if the richest country in the world with the fact that it is the 'greatest' country in the world. To a country inertia is like cancer just moving slower.
Good thoughts, Gene. I am so interested to see how all of this unfolds. And I am also so sad, on so many levels.
I did not see the program in question, nor have I heard anything about Kanye's outburst, but am I the only person that is sickened that during a benefit program, people are not allowed to profess their own opinions, and are reprimanded when they actually say what they feel, rather than what's written on the cue card? Who gives a shit if what he said, no matter what it was, is the opinion of the network? Anyone who thinks that one musician's personal opinion makes a network unwatchable probably isn't worth listening to in the first place.
I guess if something good came from this, it's that we are talking about race. I need to hear some people with authentic voices hold their ground for once (like the mayor of New Orleans). How do you think this will effect Bush?
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