WHITE PRIVILEGE
Yay for the first post on the liberated(hahaha) class blog! I've wanted to share this with you for the past week or so but it was never really appropriate. I'm so glad we now have the blog to share things with each other!
Anyone who knows me well knows that I have a big thing for Radiohead. At the risk of sounding ridiculous, they have really changed my life. Ever since I heard the opening chords of "Planet Telex" in eighth grade I knew that I was getting into some real different type shit. My love affair started then and continues until this day. Entering the world of Radiohead was the starting point on my musical adventures, both playing myself and listening. It was also their message that really resonated with me and taught me to be more critical of our politics and culture. They have never let me down and their latest video is no exception. It's for the song "All I Need" off their latest album and it poignantly exposes our first world privilege. Check it out:
The only criticism that I have is that it was jointly produced by MTV, but they are using it as sort of a freely distributed PSA, so it's not so bad. From this article:
Under the music broadcaster's EXIT (end exploitation and trafficking) campaign, MTV and Radiohead have jointly produced a video for the "In Rainbows" track "All I Need," which will premiere Thursday on all of MTV's channels and sites around the world. (Watch video at left.)
Yorke said the band linked with MTV to highlight such issues as child slavery, enforced servitude and sex trafficking because it was "about exploiting a situation while you have the chance."
"All power to MTV for taking this on because its obviously going to be difficult for them in terms of the advertisers," he said. "With the ('All I Need') video, their lawyers had to beg to make sure there wasn't a single white trainer with a logo on it because the implication would be a little too close. But the implication is still there."
Anyone who knows me well knows that I have a big thing for Radiohead. At the risk of sounding ridiculous, they have really changed my life. Ever since I heard the opening chords of "Planet Telex" in eighth grade I knew that I was getting into some real different type shit. My love affair started then and continues until this day. Entering the world of Radiohead was the starting point on my musical adventures, both playing myself and listening. It was also their message that really resonated with me and taught me to be more critical of our politics and culture. They have never let me down and their latest video is no exception. It's for the song "All I Need" off their latest album and it poignantly exposes our first world privilege. Check it out:
The only criticism that I have is that it was jointly produced by MTV, but they are using it as sort of a freely distributed PSA, so it's not so bad. From this article:
Under the music broadcaster's EXIT (end exploitation and trafficking) campaign, MTV and Radiohead have jointly produced a video for the "In Rainbows" track "All I Need," which will premiere Thursday on all of MTV's channels and sites around the world. (Watch video at left.)
Yorke said the band linked with MTV to highlight such issues as child slavery, enforced servitude and sex trafficking because it was "about exploiting a situation while you have the chance."
"All power to MTV for taking this on because its obviously going to be difficult for them in terms of the advertisers," he said. "With the ('All I Need') video, their lawyers had to beg to make sure there wasn't a single white trainer with a logo on it because the implication would be a little too close. But the implication is still there."
posted by nate at 5/08/2008 10:52:00 PM
3 Comments:
Thanks, Nate!
I'm so excited that this blog is shared now. Isn't this neat? Yay!
I hadn't seen that video yet either, Nate! It's worth thinking about the chances we have to make the most out of unlikely opportunities to get our messages out, huh?
How do you all think we should make the call as to how much, when, and where constitutes selling out? Is it always/ever/sometimes a strategic question?
Only frat boys like Radiohead. You been haning around Atlas too long.
joshua sucks
"selling out" is a difficult subject. people have got to be realistic about what can be done to benefit the most people. i think as long as you maintain the greater share of control you haven't sold out.
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