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The role of music in protest
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An examination of American counterculture as it exists today would make for an excruciatingly boring 15 pages. I refuse to drag you along in a discussion of my generation, devoid of originality or conviction, in an age where the so-called subcultural movement, if one even exists, is defined by apathy. While institutionalized American greed, exploitation, entitlement, and deception propagates at an alarming rate we find ourselves enveloped in our own narcissism. It is much easier to update our Facebook statuses than to face that the human race is driving itself into extinction as we defecate into our resources and onto our neighbors. In a world full of distractions and convenience there is simply no room for a rhetorical movement; maintaining opulence takes priority over basic human decency and few care to realize that we are pawns in operations all leading to our ultimate demise. If we had half the conviction of our predecessors, perhaps I could speak proudly of my generation; instead I am left to admire the rhetorical movements of yore. I am not going to waste your time by writing exhaustively about how and where Reggae began for three reasons: 1) you definitely know; 2) you have read at least 25 papers before mine with explicit and redundant descriptions of the birth of Reggae; and 3) I don’t think that much else matters for the purpose of this paper besides the reason behind the formation of Reggae culture. Karl Marx once said, “Jamaican history is characteristic of the beastliness of the true Englishman,” which alone designates causation for a raging revolution. Jamaica was stolen, pillaged, exploited, cultivated, massacred, raped, and defecated on by the British empire. With its social darwinistic institutionalized racism ... ... middle of paper ... ... : National Public Radio : News & Analysis, World, US, Music & Arts : NPR. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2011. .   Kristiansen, Lars J.. Screaming for change: articulating a unifying philosophy of punk rock. Lanham, Md.: Lexington Books, 2010. Print.   Murrell, Nathaniel Samuel, William David Spencer, and Adrian Anthony McFarlane. Chanting down Babylon: the Rastafari reader. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1998. Print.   Ross, Andrew. Real love: in pursuit of cultural justice. New York: New York University Press, 1998. Print.   Wolfe, Tom. "Tom Wolfe on the 'Me' Decade in America -- New York Magazine." New York Magazine -- NYC Guide to Restaurants, Fashion, Nightlife, Shopping, Politics, Movies. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2011. .
Perry, Imani. 2004. Prophets of the hood: politics and poetics in hip hop. Durham: Duke University Press.
Throughout Rastafari: Roots and Ideology, Barry Chevannes traces the beginnings of the Rastafari movements and the movements that gave birth to Rastafarian ideology, through both historical perspectives and through the narratives of those people closely associated with these movements. He begins laying out the groundwork of the Rastafarian movement at the slave trade, which gave rise to the institutionalization of racism and the subordination of black people in the “New World.” This racism, and its lasting effects on the social, political, and economic positions of black people in Jamaica led to a realization of the need to create a life, or a belief system, that would actually serve black people and their needs.
10. Yawney, Carole D. Moving with the dawtas of Rastafari: from myth to reality. pgs. 15--23; 33--55; and 65--73. (excerpts from Teresa Turner's New Society.)
Since its founding in the 1930s, the Rastafarian movement has grown to the point where it has become a major cultural and political force in Jamaica. During its existence, the movement has challenged Jamaica's neo-colonialist society's attempts to keep whites at the top and blacks at the bottom of the socio-economic structure.
The musical counterculture of the 1960s challenged the traditional cultural values and American and group identities that came from the Jazz era. The new age of Rock was seen as psychedelic as it broke free from previous restraints and “social norms.” The youth were the majority of this movement and they desired to break away from the suburbia lifestyle their parents had set up for them. The musical counterculture shattered the American value of music being separate amongst different races. Thus, the musical revolution of the 1960s challenged traditional American values, which created significant opposition.
The poet Victor Hugo once stated that “music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot be silent.” This quote seems to represent punk music in a way that isn’t immediately apparent. Punk is considered to be an “underground” genre and style that is popular with teens and young adults that feel oppressed. The expression that "cannot be put into words" and "cannot be silent" describes the ideals of punk perfectly.
However, not all counterculture movements have failed. Perhaps the three most cited examples of counterculture making a more than negligible impact are the rise of rock and roll music and electric guitars in the early fifties; the hippie, anti-war and free love movements of the late sixties; and the rise of grunge music, along with the attitude of rebellion and freedom of youth in the early nineties. These three movements were anything but failures: they all gave rise to icons – the Elvis Presleys, the Jimi Hendrixes, the Kurt Cobains – who are still revered today; and they all had a transformative impact on society, garnering mass media attention, massive followings, perhaps even bringing change among the masses, and creating ripples which emanated throughout society for years afterwards.
This is Peter Inskip coming to you live from triple j, with this week’s segment in our ‘Music and Society’ series. For the next half hour we’ll be looking at the punk music scene starting in the mid-seventies.
The musical world has an almost limitless amount of sounds and styles to choose from. The genres range from the smooth melodies of jazz to the energetic, heart-pumping beats of electro. In a world almost of limitless music variety, Pop and Punk - through the eyes of many - seem to go hand-in-hand. Pop and punk, in reality, are two very different genres altogether. Though there are vast differences in these genres, very close similarities exist that tie the two together.
Initially considered immoral and revolutionary, this counterculture was more concerned with philosophy than style. In seeking success and material gain, much of American society had been corrupted by capitalism and lost sight of the meaning of life. Proponents of this change challenged society to experience life more intimately and deeply, ignoring all distractions that prevented one from seeing the reality of American life. In a society where the individual had little chance, one’s only hope was to disappear into a movement where one could rediscover the fundamental truth that nature revealed, or into hallucinogenic drugs that transported the mind past its limitations, or into an entirely different lifestyle grounded on more humane and authentic values.
The ability to subscribe and effortlessly identify with a subculture through the representation of clothing, cinema, and music, creates a community in which those who feel displaced or othered by society can relate and connect. Punk culture’s promotion of self-expression and the capacity for anyone to create and engage within the punk community enables the repressed emotions of society to be revealed.
Throughout its existence, Jamaica has experienced numerous revolutions, riots, and various forms of social unrest. From early resistance by escaped slaves to all-out fighting to end slavery altogether, not to mention riots in past years, Jamaica has been in a constant state of resistance. All these efforts to make a change have created a Jamaican religion called Rastafarianism, and with it comes a very powerful means of transporting its message: reggae music. These two forms of expression formed in the context of oppression, and in doing so they have contributed greatly to the ideologies, attitudes, beliefs, and actions of the people on the island. Rastafarianism is a religion based on social change, and reggae is the means of spreading these beliefs. For a new movement to effectively change the system that is in place, it must realize several goals. The movement must have a clear ideology that is supported by the general populace. The ideology of the Rastafarians has been put forth by leaders, such as Marcus Garvey, Leonard Howell, and Sam Brown. The movement must then succeed in organizing people to gather together in order to support the necessary changes. At this stage, there is most likely going to be resistance from the existing forces that want to maintain the status quo. Finally it is necessary to get people from other areas to support the cause. Only then is change possible. The message of Rastafarianism has been spread worldwide by reggae artists like Bob Marley, Burning Spear, Peter Tosh, and many others.
Marley was born into Jamaica’s poverty and it is where he developed a strong love of reggae and became a Rastafari. Reggae, evolved from another musical style called Ska in the late 1960’s, is considered the voice of the ‘oppressed’ peoples. Many reggae lyrics are politicalised and centre on themes of freedom and fighting for it. (Cooper, 2014)
Abrasive rock music has rarely been considered a potent political force in the United States. Punk is no exception to this rule. As a subculture, punk has received much more atention for its hairstyles and caustic sounds than its politics. As Daniel Rosenblat points out, punk rock “Confound[s] our conventional (western) notions of politics by [its] emphasis on maters which we consign to different domains entirely” (1). What he means i s that because punk does not express its political discourse in traditional venues or traditional terms, it is discounted as apolitical or politicaly impotent. To wit, Hebdige argues that subcultures can do litle more than provide a ‘signal of Refusal,’ and should be considered “just the darker side of sets of regulations” (3). Latino punks have countered these claims since the 1970s, with lyrical assertions that their political speech is an essential precursor to political change. In this paper I explore the ways in which contemporary Latino punk self -defines as political, in contrast to early punk bands who refused to be affiliated with politics. By explicitly aligning with political causes, Latino punk establishes a tension between punk’s historical tendencies towards ‘forgetfulness’ and ‘self -fulfilment,’ and new political agendas that push awareness and change. I conclude by asserting that the punk movement is preoccupied with individual fulfilment at the expense of political activism, a tendenc y that ultimately undermines its political import.
The concept of Babylon plays a central role in Rastafarian Ideology: There is only one other word Rastafarians use with more frequency and passion, and that is the name of their Majestic Ruler, Haile Selassie. People who have even a mild interest in reggae understand what"Babylon"means, yet the roots of the word"Babylon"remain unknown to the masses. To gain a better understanding of this term, it is necessary know the full history of Babylon, which starts 6000 years ago in ancient Mesopotamia.