Hopeful Hints in Popular Culture

Adventures in Revolution

Pop Culture Potpourri

• Today I am going to zip through a few examples of what I believe are hopeful messages coming out of popular culture.

• The goal is to leave you with a sense of hope, and to inspire you.

The Revolution Will Not Be Televised

• This track was released in 1974. Gil Scott-Heron (b. 1949) was a poet and musician whose work was influential on the development of both rap music and slam poetry.

• Focus: Racial resistance through music

Real Women Have Curves• This film, directed by Patricia Cardoso, was

released in 2002 by HBO films• The main character, Ana, played by America

Ferrera, is a young Mexican American struggling to define her own identity against the constraints of her ethnicity, her gender, her domineering family (esp. mother), her social class, her educational aspirations, the beauty myth, and her love life.

• In this scene, Ana’s mother is coming to terms with the fact that she is going through menopause. She had misinterpreted the symptoms as an indication that she was pregnant. After discussing the results, they return to the clothing factory (owned by Ana’s sister) where they both work.

• Focus: Gender resistance through film

Notorious C.H.O.

• These are 2 clips from comedian Margaret Cho’s stand-up act.

• These clips are posted online at her website:– http://www.margaretcho.com/audio_visual

/notorious/notorious_cho_clips.htm

• We will look at “Women’s Magazines” and “Self-Esteem”

• Focus: Gender resistance through comedy and film

Ugly Betty

• In this scene, Betty has brought her co-worker Mark home for dinner, along with his mom, because she and Mark are pretending to date so that Mark’s mom won’t find out he is gay. Betty had to leave dinner early—here’s what happens.

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1g1UyrZHEs • Focus: Sexual resistance through television

The Revolution Will Not Be Euthanised

by Dustin Kidd, with apologies and gratitude to Gil Scott-Heron and

Sarah Jones

The Revolution Will Not Be Euthanised

The Revolution will not be euthanised,

It will not die of physician assisted suicide,

Will not be Dr. Kevorkian

Injecting the syringe of poison

Into the veins of resistance.

resistance

The Revolution Will Not Be Euthanised

The Revolution will not be euthanised,

It will not be Enron-ized,

Because the Revolution will not go bankrupt.

The Revolution will not go bankrupt.

The Revolution Will Not Be Euthanised

The Revolution will not be euthanised,

It will not be Britney-sized,

Will not be amplified by 2

Silicone megaphones,

And no, the Revolution does not eat scones,

At least, not at Starbucks.

The Revolution Will Not Be Euthanised

The Revolution will not be digitized,

And so it will not be pixelized:

Black, white, coffee brown, mother of pearl.

Surprise! The Revolution is a girl

And she will not be euthanised.

The Revolution Will Not Be Euthanised

The Revolution will not be publicized,

Because the ‘Cosmopolitan’ Revolution

Is a Ms., not a Young Miss;It’s an action, not a Maxim;And your FHM is just an

acronym For FreeHand Masturbation,What you do in lieu of

PlayStation. The Revolution will change the

station!

The Revolution Will Not Be Euthanised

The Revolution will not be euthanised,

It will not be Youth in disguise,Will not be the boys of Abercrombie & FitchWho frolic and playBut don’t wear a stitch.No, the Revolution will not be

sexualized.Will not be LolitaWith 10 fucks on her vitaCome to seduce the world.The Revolution is a different girlAnd she will not be euthanised.

The Revolution Will Not Be Euthanised

The Revolution is a Public Enemy,

A dropout from the Black Acting School.

The Revolution is no fool.Just ask the Oracle, she’ll tell

you,The Revolution is the one Who has come to destroy the

MatrixAnd rescue you from the

Dreamworld.To repeat: The Revolution is a

girlAnd she will not be euthanised.

The Revolution Will Not Be Euthanised

The Revolution will not be euthanised,

And though she has been fetishized,

She has never been compromised.

The Revolution will be internalized.

It will stop the clocks And shock the rocksThat cried out for a SaviorBecause you were silent,

The Revolution Will Not Be Euthanised

But soon, you’ll be bentBecause the Revolution has

been sent.The Revolution is both the

prize and theRoad to the prize,And when I look up,I see it in your eyes.So I ask you, when will you,When will we, give it life?The living Revolution is waiting To be improvised.