Not Black, just black. January 27, 2008
Posted by Lindsay in Criticism, History, Media, News, Philosophy, Politics, Race.add a comment
Obama’s South Carolina win and acceptance speech convincingly rebuked the “black candidate” perception that he has. But when listening to the speech, we must keep in mind how ridiculous the debate has become. The false dichotomy of “the black candidate versus the candidate who happens to be black” is merely a euphemism for the ignorant ideas they connote, that is, “candidate influenced by and committed to the ‘negative’ aspects of black culture versus the candidate who is black but is more influenced by white culture.” Depending on your point of view, what exactly those elements of black culture that are negative differ.
Taxation without representation. September 4, 2007
Posted by Lindsay in Constitution, Criticism, History, Media, Violence.1 comment so far
In an op-ed published in The Washington Post, the mayor of Washington, D.C., Adrian M. Fenty, and District Attorney General Linda Singer, summarizing their arguments for why the city should be able to ban handguns in Washington, D.C. Such a ban has been in place since 1976, until the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit overturned it earlier this year on the grounds that it was unconstitutional. This was a mistake. Although Republicans allowed the Federal Assault Weapons Ban to expire in 2004, there are a multitude of similar laws at the state level around the country. Clearly, the “right of the people to keep and bear Arms” does not have any stipulations about what kinds of arms the people can keep. The second amendment itself places no upper or lower limit on what kinds of arms the people have a right to wield, nor does it prohibit the states from imposing such limits. In this light, the city of Washington has every right to maintain its ban of handguns, which are uniquely dangerous because of their ability to be concealed easily, and the massive body count they have allowed criminals to almost effortlessly amass.
Naturally, the last line of defense for the pro-gun crowd on this case will be whether or not D.C. has the full rights of a state. Unfortunately, home rule in the District of Columbia has its boundaries. Congress still has the right to impose or repeal any law it so chooses regarding the District of Columbia. However, in this case, it has, for the most part, remained silent, to the citizens’ benefit.
For all of the bad press the city of Washington gets — whether its crime or our school system — we can at least say that we’ve evolved enough to the point where we can protest “taxation without representation” just as our forefathers did without giving both ourselves and criminals the deadly means to reenact the revolutionary script.
The scratched lens of history: A closer look at the words of John Lennon August 24, 2007
Posted by Lindsay in Criticism, Feminism, History, Hyperreality, Media, Music, Race, Writing.1 comment so far
It’s always interesting to find what is and isn’t in the common consciousness of United States society when we talk of our beloved national figures (even if they are from the United Kingdom). I still remember watching “Come Together: A Night for John Lennon’s Words and Music,” that concert held in October 2001 at Radio City Music Hall. In all likelihood, it was planned several months before, and in light of the September 11 attacks, the producers apparently decided to jam a new theme into all the speeches that prefaced the performances–Lennon’s love of New York. The assertion of a connection between John Lennon and New York City apparently hinges on a classic black-and-white photo that tends to adorn the walls of the most pretentious college students’ dorms, projected on the walls behind Yoko Ono’s beaming, self-assured face. At that show, which supposedly celebrated the message of John Lennon’s music, and his connection to New York City, songs from his poorly received album, Some Time In New York City, were conveniently left off the set list. Of course, at first glance, the song entitled “New York City” might be an obvious choice for a concert about New York City, but upon inspection, the lyrics don’t quite capture the sentimental, romanticized vision of New York City that post-9/11 New Yorkers thought they so desparately needed…
Well we did the Staten Island Ferry
Making movies for the telly
Played the Fillmore and Apollo for freedom
Tried to shake our image
Just a cycling through the Village
But found that we had left it back in London
Well nobody came to bug us
Hustle us or shove us
So we decided to make it our home
If the Man wants to shove us out
We gonna jump and shout
The Statue of Liberty said, “Come!”
What’s this? Is John Lennon suggesting that the practices of the powers that be don’t live up to the promise of the United States’s ideals? But how could this be? We New Yorkers and apparently, no other city in the United States, were victimized by a bunch of cowardly towel-heads who tried to suggest that capitalism, not freedom, is the prominent theme of American life, and here comes some dead British guy who’s songs we used to make out to in our parents’ bedrooms who refuses to support our misguided attempt at injecting grandiosity into his lyrics!
