the potential in music

While Baudrillard would contend that the rapid acceleration of images overwhelmes us creating a culutre of apathy and non-reflection, I disagree. It is true that we are overwhelmed with images, but as our zine project has clearly shown, a positive, albiet provisional, political moment is possible in the midst of the bombardment, and reflection is possible. Perhaps a new type of reflection, one in which the usage of multiple images and mediums as its strength, is a postmodern tool. Through the disarticulation of raw materials (Kipnis), tactile shock (Benjamin) can be achieved and be an innovative method of inspiring change. Hegemonic discourse seems daunting and untouchable at times, however through the ideological problematic (White), cracks and fissures are exposed providing opportunities for an oppositional discourse (Kipnis).
Personally, I see music as the medium holding the most potential in using bombardment as a tool to induce a new type of reflection. Sound can be a sense riddled with multi-layered and overwhelming components, politically and emotionally inspiring as well as extremely personal. In a way, asocial conteplation is one of music's strenghts, for although it is a mass cultural product, it is exremely private, provide a perfect political atmosphere. Because of these characteristics, music has immeasurable strength insofar as it can express numerous ideas, actions, information(s) and emotions simultaneously. It has far reaching effects in that while many people say they political does not interest them, everyone loves music. A possible way of utilizing this into pop cultural practice would be to leave blank cd's/mixed tapes in random places on campus and around the city.

hmmm.....

I have been working on a paper in my Sexuality class for awhile now, and I have been trying to think of a way to politicize religious art in a way that is not offensive. Is that possible? Is religion too touchy to touch? It reminds me of how people will argue with anyone except their family, when it seems most obvious that if anyone is going to listen to you, it should be the people who you know best. Religion is much like heterosexuality in that it constantly is reinforcing itself through social control and reminding people of its importance when really, if it was so all-knowing, powerful and natural shouldn't it be confident enough to shut the fuck up and not condemn anything that appears to deviate from it? There is a quote from a book that I wrote down in my journal a few years ago that I go back to every once and awhile:

"There are always those who take it upon themselves to defend God, as if Ultimate Reality, as if the sustaining frame of existence were something weak and helpless...they should direct anger at themselves. For evil in the open is but evil from within that has been let out. The main battlefield for good is not the open ground of the public arena but the small clearing of each heart. Meanwhile, the lot of widows and homeless children is very hard, and it is to their defense, not God's, that the self righteous should rush." - Life of Pi

Anyways, apparently I am a preacher at heart, but my point is that it is so difficult to make people see beyond what they base their entire life upon. How do you disarticulate something that millions of people would die for? I mean, riots were started over cartoons in a newspaper last year...this is serious shit to fuck with. But I honestly think it still has to be fucked with because so many problems stem from it. I found one example of what I think successfully refunctions religious doctrine in regards to a specific issue, and it is funny as hell. Check it out. Sorry about the sermon guys.
Oh, something else interesting that I found in my travels, apparently Ted Haggard, the president of the NEA (National Evangelical Association) which has over 30 million followers, and a congregation in Colorado of 14,000 members just resigned. He is a real prize...he wanted a cultural war on homosexuals and abortion rights and believes in biblical inerrancy and biblical literalism (is that not the most terrifying thing you have EVER heard??!?). Anyway, he stepped down because his male prostitute who he has been paying to have sex with him for the last three years just came forward. After denying it for awhile, then failing a polygraph he admitted that he was guilty of 'sexual immorality'. Oh, sweet irony.

poop food?

Zine culture has massive potential in regards to underground politics, it is unfortunate that most people have not even heard of them. Coming from a small town, I'm sure that most people who I went to school with (or were taught by) would have trouble seeing the possibility of a revolutionary moment in zine culture, but then again most of them think that something happened to homosexuals at a young age to 'make them that way' and that Ralph Klein and George Bush are the kind of fellows we should be thankful are in charge (Oh lordisa, that is some scary ass shit). Ok, so obviously I have some unharboured bitterness towards my town that has nothing to do with the theory in this course, but that i feel the need to share anyway.
I enjoy the fact that in zine culture, everyone can be a writer/expert as Benjamin states. It is unfortunate that zines could be seen as a hipster fad taken up by emo kids who need yet another outlet for their angsty poetry about their white middle class oppression (ex: you weren't there dad. you fucker. i had to walk three blocks home from band practice carrying my $700 guitar. its heavy. and my ipod ran out of batteries on the way. woe is me. no one sees just how deep i am. and that hurts.). I believe that this usage of zine culture takes away from the politics of the movement, resulting in an all around disrespect of all zines in general. The personal has the capacity to make the most political impact, for if someone relates to what you are saying they are more likely to act. However, it is complicated to ensure that politics remain entwined in the personal and does not become self indulgent and irrelavent to wider 'society'. Nevertheless, beings political moments are provisional and constantly in the process of being resignified, the politicization of art has far reaching albiet momentary effects in zine culture.
For me the most difficult aspect of the zine assignment is bridging the gap between theory and practice, or academics and the mainstream even in regards to the content. Are we supposed to only assume our audience is the 30 people in our class, or aim for them to have further reaching effects?