So you say you want a revolution?
I spent a lot of my time at work today prepping things and trying to figure out what it would take make american kids care about politics. The tricky part was not making any assumptions, and being realistic about what kind of thing kids would be willing to listen to. I think the problem we've run into in America is this: young people are largely (I know that's a pretty broad statement, bear with me) uninterested in politics, foreign wars, corporate malfeasance at home, corruption, the whole deal. A lot of people are more worried about whats going on on MTV than whats happening in Iraq. And as described in the propaganda model of Edward Herman and Noam Chomsky, it's very unlikely that MTV will ever dedicate air time to subversive, counter-cultural programming.
So the media that have the most effect on kids are pretty much off limits to those of us who'd like to open their minds to other things. What other ways are there to reach them? Music is a very good possibility, although to get the kind of exposure that will cause real change one needs to play by the record companies' rules, and those usually include not dumping on the system that keeps them going. What else? Artistic expression is great in general, but again, in general, it won't have wide enough appeal to really change things. We need to reach millions of kids, how is that possible?
I say, the internet. How many people are online now? A bajillion or something? It's a lot anyway, and kids who use the internet love crazy crap, as All Your Base and Hamsterdance and a lot of other things show pretty clearly. What would grab kids? What is the internet built on? What keeps it all going? Pretty girls. But some beautiful airhead isn't going to do much to further the cause, so I propose we find a gorgeous, well-spoken, well-informed spokesgirl, and hide ourselves in the shadows while she works her magic. Pay no attention to the folks behind the curtain!
What if our beautiful spokesgirl, let's call her Subversive Suzy, were to host a regular net-radio program where she played really popular music that everybody loves, and periodically pointed out the twisted recording industry policies that went into making it? What if Suzy got online every once in awhile and read (in her playful yet sexy voice) headlines from major newspapers and picked them apart, pointing out what's really behind those headlines? If we played our cards right, she could potentially reach a whole shitload of people, and with a bit of promotion it could turn into a media circus. What if kids really got into her revolutionary attitude, instead of chasing the carrot on a stick that MTV is holding in front of them?
It could be a whole new America. We just need somebody to finance it.
So the media that have the most effect on kids are pretty much off limits to those of us who'd like to open their minds to other things. What other ways are there to reach them? Music is a very good possibility, although to get the kind of exposure that will cause real change one needs to play by the record companies' rules, and those usually include not dumping on the system that keeps them going. What else? Artistic expression is great in general, but again, in general, it won't have wide enough appeal to really change things. We need to reach millions of kids, how is that possible?
I say, the internet. How many people are online now? A bajillion or something? It's a lot anyway, and kids who use the internet love crazy crap, as All Your Base and Hamsterdance and a lot of other things show pretty clearly. What would grab kids? What is the internet built on? What keeps it all going? Pretty girls. But some beautiful airhead isn't going to do much to further the cause, so I propose we find a gorgeous, well-spoken, well-informed spokesgirl, and hide ourselves in the shadows while she works her magic. Pay no attention to the folks behind the curtain!
What if our beautiful spokesgirl, let's call her Subversive Suzy, were to host a regular net-radio program where she played really popular music that everybody loves, and periodically pointed out the twisted recording industry policies that went into making it? What if Suzy got online every once in awhile and read (in her playful yet sexy voice) headlines from major newspapers and picked them apart, pointing out what's really behind those headlines? If we played our cards right, she could potentially reach a whole shitload of people, and with a bit of promotion it could turn into a media circus. What if kids really got into her revolutionary attitude, instead of chasing the carrot on a stick that MTV is holding in front of them?
It could be a whole new America. We just need somebody to finance it.