The Lamest Racists

Jason McCord

Ms. Kerr

English 101-004

20 April 2014

The Lamest Racists

            Do you like country music? Are you from the south? Well if either of these apply to you than you should know that many of the mainstream culture and elitists believe you to be white trash dirt bags! As well as labeling you as this, they also believe you to be racist hicks! Who is the real racists here? Is it southerners, or is it the mainstream elitist who label a culture they don’t understand and think are below them?

Courtesy of Twisted Sifter

            Let’s take a look at the definition of racism. The definition of racism states, “A belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one's own race is superior and has the right to rule others” ("Racism"). To me that sounds a lot like what the mainstream culture and elitists are doing to the Southern culture.  So every time people at the University of Tennessee sing “Rocky Top” they are looked at as being rednecks! That does not sit well with me! These mainstream elitists judge us Southerners for listening to country, a music genre oriented around:

1. Drinking beer
2. Girls
3. Partying
4. Hunting
5. Riding around in trucks 

Yes, these are things many southerners like to do, and that is why country music sings about these things. It is a part of our culture! So why do these people look down upon us Southerners. It is because they themselves are being racist. They can’t seem to understand how our culture works, and because we are different from them, they look down on us.  They want a world that matches theirs. As for the parts of the world that don’t accept their ways, they see as inferior. Which is the definition of racism! They are hypocritical sore losers when it comes to cultures that are different from theirs. These elitists are like the Ohio State football team of the world. They believe they are better than everyone because they dominate a conference with no competition. When they play an SEC team they almost always lose, and retaliate by making up dumb excuses and continue to act like they are better than everyone.

Notice the score
Courtesy of CBSSports.com

            So how do we as Southerners prove these elitists that we are not what they think? As for Country music, the movement has already started. Country music has undergone a drastic transformation, to leave behind the old white trash music label. It has emerged with the new identity of Pop-Country.  Pop-Country music has combined with Hip-Hop and Pop Stars to make a more up-beat fun style of music (Red Solo Cups). As a result, Pop-Country songs have dominated the top 100 Charts on ITunes. Thus, proving the mainstream elitists wrong by, as Charlie Sheen would say, “WINNING!” This Pop-Country music has stolen mainstream citizens away from the elitist culture. Is this the start of proving the mainstream elitists wrong? Perhaps, but we still have a ways to go.

Courtesy of Twisted Sifter

Work Cited

“Red Solo Cups, Dirt Road Anthems, and Accidental Racism: The Rise of Pop and Hip/Hop in Modern Day Country Music.” The Classy Wasteland. 21 September 2014. 3 April 2014. 

"Racism." Dictionary.com Unabridged." Random House, Inc. 17 April 2014. 20 Apr. 2014.

Come Together, Right Now (Through Music)

Nowadays it seems music is being blamed for "egging-on" the racism issue our society faces today. However, if critics could look at the large picture they would be surprised by what they discover. Music is not too blame for society's problem, instead it should be praised for all the good it has done in society.

courtesy of Twitsed Sifter

I hate to be that guy who references some old composer, but I believe Ludwig van Beethoven said it best with his quote, "Music can change the world" ("Quotes"). Back in the time of composers like Beethoven and Mozart their music was all the peasants of the time had as entertainment, if they were even allowed that. Today, we have not strayed too far from our roots. Nowadays, we look to artists who appeal to our struggles as well. Haven't we all had those days where we just came back to our rooms and turned on your favorite song or artist. I know I have.

courtesy of Twisted Sifter

An even better way to experience the powerful influence of music on us, humans, is looking at music festivals. Festivals such as Bonnaroo, Coachella, and Lollapalooza attract thousands of fans each year, however, the crime rates at these events are astoundingly low for the mass amount of fans present at the mega-concerts. 

Courtesy of Google Images

In an article published on the Miami News Times, Tim Elfrink showed his surprise at the crime rates from the Ultra Music Festival." Considering that an estimated 300,000-plus fans made it to Ultra over the two weeks of the festival, 167 arrests isn't a gigantic figure"(Par. 6). It is also important to note that a very small percentage of these crimes were violent. Most crimes, as the article goes on to explain, are mere gate crashings, and a few drug charges. It is important to note and publicize the lack of major crimes in order to promote music festivals like Bonnaroo and Coachella and encourage fans to continue expressing their love for the bands and expressing their gratitude for the struggles that music has help each and everyone of us overcome.So on behalf of mankind I would like to say Thank You to all musicians and bands who have helped make the world a better place through their music

Courtesy of Giphy

Works Cited

Elfrink, Tim. "Ultra Music Festival Crime Tally: 167 Arrests, Mostly For Drugs and Gatecrashing." Riptide 2.0. Miami New Times, n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2014.

"Quotes About Power Of Music." (49 Quotes). Good Reads, n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2014.

White, Jenny. "Can Music Affect Teens in a Positive Way?" Everyday Life. Global Post, n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2014.

Is Fair Use Really The Problem?

Image courtesy of Telegraph

Even though the debate between GoldieBlox and the Beastie Boys debate has been officially settled, everyone and their mother seems to be dying to voice their opinion on the matter. Notable to me is the widespread idea that since Goldieblox’s parody of  “Girls” falls under fair use, the Beastie Boys are in the wrong for wanting to take it down. Of greater interest to me is that these same people seem to be dismissive (at best) of the fact that former Beastie Boys member Adam Yauch requested in his will that no Beastie Boys music be used for advertising. Even though the debate is over, I think it is important to acknowledge that this is why the Beastie Boys really wanted the parody removed.

Put yourself in the shoes of the Beastie Boys for a second. If one of your closest friends asked nothing more of you than to respect their dying wish, would you not feel a moral obligation to do so?

Look, I get it. It’s all fine and dandy to want to promote a positive message, especially when that message is transforming a politically incorrect idea into something empowering for women. What I value significantly less is trying to use that message to overpower a dying wish in Adam Yauch’s will. I wonder if GoldieBlox’s supporters would be so quick to raise their pitchforks at the Beastie Boys if the parody was a message of hatred instead. Rather, the Beastie Boys would likely be commended for trying to protect their work. But note this, the Beastie Boys’ moral position would be no different, because their argument is on another level to those defending GoldieBlox.

I am not, despite what it may seem, trying to say that team GoldieBlox are wrong. In fact, I think that there is definite merit to their cause for the following reason:

1) I whole-heartedly agree that GoldieBlox’s parody of “Girls” falls under fair use. Indeed, in blogger Corynne McSherry’s article, Girls Against Boys: What’s Wrong With the (Latest) Beastie Boys Lawsuit, she explains why the four factors of fair use favor the parody. If that’s all there was to it, then I would agree that the Beastie Boys are evil ‘bullies’ for wanting to take the song down.

2) However, we need to look outside the context of just “Girls”. We need to remember that what made the Beastie Boys so popular in the first place was the passion that Michael Diamond, John Berry and Adam Yauch had for music and the joy they brought their listeners. More than anything, it saddens me to think that we can so simply disregard Yauch’s will because the factors of fair use favor a Toy Company’s commercial.

Image courtesy of Twisted Sifter

No matter what side you are on, I hope it is clear that more attention needs to be paid to Adam Yauch’s will. While this debate is closed in the courts, it remains open for public opinion to solve. Maybe we need to see just how close the “Girls” parody was to breaking fair use. Maybe we need to add more clauses to the fair use doctrine. Or maybe we need to ask the question: is fair use really the problem?

Works Cited

Blistein, John. “Beastie Boys Settle Lawsuit Over ‘Girls’ Toy Commercial.” Rolling Stone Music. 18 March 2014. Web. 17 April 2014.

Cubarrubia, RJ. “Adam Yauch’s Will Prohibits Use of His Music in Ads.” Rolling Stone Music. 18 March 2014. Web. 17 April 2014.

McSherry, Corynne. “Girls Against Boys: What’s Wrong With the (Latest) Beastie Boys Lawsuit.” Electronic Frontier Foundation. 24 Nov. 2013. Web.  17 April. 2014.

GoldieBlox and The Three Glares

GoldieBlox and The Three Glares

By: Carl Hencey

Courtesy of SwaggerNewYork

For all the great beats, tunes, and lyrics the Beastie Boys have produced in their prime, they now find themselves out of sync with pop culture. Following the creation an incredibly inspirational commercial aimed at motivating the next generation of female engineers, GoldieBlox faced a barrage of criticism from the Beastie Boys over the use of their song "Girls" within the commercial. Furious over the disregard for Adam Yauch's will, which prevents any Beastie Boys song from being used in advertising, the Beastie Boys threatened ramifications against the well-intentioned GoldieBlox. This leaves me to question: Why not support the modernization and expansion of their work?

The Beastie Boys chose a hard fought battle legal battle as the best way to solve this dilemma. In the end, they lost, GoldieBlox won, and the Beastie Boys were painted as villains the whole way there. 

This commercial was not only an inspiration to girls all over the nation, but also helped changed the nature of the song to fall in line with modern schools of thought. Instead of offensive, sexist lyrics of the 1980's, GoldieBlox created a version that empowers women. By doing so, they bring a previously dead song back into relevance and expose it to a whole new listening audience. 

         From the start, the Beastie Boys were fighting an uphill battle for several reasons:

1.    Supporting the old version of their song over the transformative, new version makes the Beastie Boys look old fashioned and sexist, and therefore take on the role of villains. A main contributing factor in their negative public image throughout the case. 

2.     GoldieBlox followed all the guidelines of fair use (McSherry par. 4-5), proving the legal legitimacy of their commercial, as seen through a court settlement allowing them to keep the commercial at the mere expense of an apology.

3.    Much of the music involved in “Girls” did not belong to the Beastie Boys in the first place (Dillion, pg 294), making it exceptionally hard for them to claim it as solely their own.

In all, the Beastie Boys made this entire debacle much more difficult than they could have. By supporting the transformations GoldieBlox made to their song, the Beastie Boys could have assisted in the production of a Super Bowl commercial, expanded their listening audience, and painted themselves in a much more empathetic light. In an oversensitive society, the improvement in public image that could have come from supporting the same girls who they previously offended would have been worth much more than a lawsuit could ever bring. 

Works Cited

 McSherry, Corynne. "Girls Against Boys: What's Wrong With the (Latest) Beastie Boys Lawsuit | Electronic Frontier Foundation." Electronic Frontier Foundation. N.p., 24 Nov. 2013. Web. 27 Mar. 2014.

Teresa, Dillon. HAIL TO THE THIEF: THE APPROPRIATION OF MUSIC IN THE DIGITAL AGE. Netherlands: Springer, 2004. eBook.

Stop! Change That Dial, Bet ya Didn’t See That One Coming

     Hey! Listen up! Music is being played over the radio, or on your phone, in your car, or even on your laptop right now while your reading this. Now, think of that song and how many other songs that come on the radio sound similar in some sort of way. Yeah, kinda weird, funny how music sounded so different in the past. 

                                    Music is changing people!!!

 Courtesy of twistedsifter.com

     So many bands and artists are going more mainstream just so they can be discovered and “branch out” but, all that is happening is they are slowly loosing their individuality (Vajgrt). I mean think about it, many “artists” don't write their own songs anymore, at least not as many of them. They are paying someone else to write the songs that they just play it and sing. What kind of individuality is that? I say that it defeats the purpose completely.

 Courtesy of twistedsifter.com

     Now, don't get me wrong, I personally love some of the songs that have come out recently, but that does not mean that I’m a fan of someone else writing a great song and no one knows really who that other guy is, the man behind the curtain I shall say. I mean who can be upset when you hear the Ghostbusters theme song?

 Courtesy of twistedsifter.com

     MTV, what is it? People that remember the original MTV would say its nothing like it used to be. It used to be all about music, not if Snookie is more tan than JWOWW (what kind of name is that anyway?). Music is dying in some places and tv just happens to be one of them (Surette). I miss turning on the tv and watching a few shows and then a short little “blast from the past” music would come on. That was really cool for me, even though its nothing compared to what it used to be, now we don't even get that. The age of infomercials with the creepy guy trying to sell you a towel that will magically dry any surface and clean up any mess for the low price of $19.95 plus shipping and handling. 

 Courtesy of twistedsifter.com

     Now, ask yourself this, how often do you turn on some radio station and hear the same song over and over again? Or better yet, how often do you hear the “top 10 songs” being played and thats all you hear every time you turn on your radio? If your anything like me then thats a good bit, and its starting to get annoying. Well, what do you do? I’d hope you'd change the channel and find some real music and add some variety to your bandwidth. 

 Courtesy of twistedsifter.com

     So what can we do to get the ball rolling on introducing some new bands or songs that haven't hit mainstream yet? Well first of all, promote them yourself, get them to try and get a local radio to play them. Spread the word and at the same time, change the station and listen to something new for a change. Be careful though… you might just like it. 

 Courtesy of twistedsifter.com

     So with that in mind… wait why are you still reading this? Close this and go turn on 90.3 WUTK The Rock and listen to whats playing on your college radio!

 Courtesy of twistedsifter.com

Work Cited

Surette, Tim. "MTV Finally Gives Up on Music." TV.com. N.p., 10 Feb. 2010. Web. 20 Apr. 2014.

Vajgrt, Jason. "The Biggest Problems in Music Today." Examiner.com. N.p., 23 Mar. 2009. Web. 19 Apr. 2014.