| A little politics |
[Jan. 11th, 2008|12:18 am] |
http://headbangersblog.mtv.com/2008/01/10/might-makes-write-otep-shamaya-preaches-political-change/
“Politics, it seems to me, for years, or all too long, has been concerned with right or left instead of Right or Wrong.”
– Richard Armour
And yes, well, here we are again, wrapped snugly in the stink of another election season.
More solicitations, more scandals, more bias, more punditry, promises, defamations of character, and compulsive idealism. It’s tantamount to mental murder in my book. Ah, but so it goes for those of us who carry the moniker “political junkie” with pride and honor. I get especially nostalgic during these days of combustion and chaos. I am brought back to memories of writing and recording our first (overt) political song, “Warhead,” which successfully placed me on many secret government lists as an agitator, malcontent and refusenik. So be it. I am proud of this song and the bedlam it caused the Conservative Right, but also of the empowerment it gave to so many who needed to scream the rage away. I am also honored by all the messages we get from soldiers in Iraq and around the world thanking me and the band for creating this song and our new battle anthem, “Confrontation.” Indeed, I sleep soundly knowing our small artistic contribution to Democracy is running amok among the stoic fields of yes-men politics.
Writing political songs is a different emotional experience for me. It’s hard to explain but it feels like I’m doing some good on a level that someone like me was never intended to impact. When we filmed the video for “Warhead” it was in front of a green screen and, at first, I found it difficult to summon the emotion needed to fulfill its visual birth. So I asked the production crew to print out various photos of George W. Bush and hang them all over the lighting rigs and camera stands so that no matter where I turned, I had no choice but face this enemy swine. It was horrifying seeing that smug, pug-ugly grin and scumbag scowl staring back at me. But it heightened my awareness and made for great drama. In fact, I think I frightened the crew on several occasions because most people rarely see the kind of rage, dedication, and violence someone like me can conjure. I can’t help it. I care about my country so it’s impossible for me to know any other way. But I digress.
Indeed, I remember those early days of the Bush empire with a suffocating remorse. It felt as if the whole world had been stuffed inside a burlap bag and thrown into a placid, rancid pond. And all of us, Democrat, Independent, Anarchist, and Republican, were sinking, little by little, into the thickening muck. Well, not much has changed, but at least now, it seems, we’ve finally remembered how to swim.
Last week, the story on all the news channels was ‘The Youth Vote Rallies for OBAMA” and “RECORD TURNOUT AS FIRST TIME VOTERS SWARM POLLS”. I read this with great delight. This is the sort of age I want to live in — where the disenfranchised, disillusioned majority finally stand up, raise their fist, and gut punches the establishment. I have always been a fan of and written about this type of cultural heresy. I believe in the power of the people. I believe in manipulating the system to work FOR us by using it AGAINST those that have hijacked our rights and freedoms.
Now, I know some of you probably just switched off and wondered aloud, “Why can’t Otep just stick to music? Why does she have to do this political s–t?” Well, never you fear, shallow swimmers, there will be plenty more music and paradigm destruction to come. But with the recent assassination of Benazir Bhutto (Google it) I am reminded just how delicate and precious our form of democracy truly is.
When I first began writing oppositions to the Bush (p)Residency and the Iraq war, there were so many who felt helpless and replied, “I agree with you but WHAT CAN I DO?” Well, there is a new spirit rising in the necropolis of America. Now, the messages I receive have a similar wording but the meaning is different. People still reply “What can I do?” but now it is an offer of engagement. Now, the crust of our soul-crushing slumber has been wiped away. Now, we are ready and focused to secure our voice in the cries for change.
This week, Hillary Clinton won the New Hampshire primary. Is this the headline that excites me? No, not as much as the reality that the people (again) had their say and proved every single pollster and pundit completely and utterly DEAD WRONG. Every election season has its story. I believe this epoch will be defined by YOU, by those that have decided enough is enough, that it is time for action. You will be the authors of this amazing moment in American politics, the likes of which our nation has not seen since the Youth Movement in the early sixties. Now, I am not publicly endorsing a candidate, although I am drawn to the policies and leadership abilities of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. (I can hear the Kucinich, Ron Paul, and Bloomberg supporters groan with opposition). But don’t listen to me or Oprah or anyone else but your own heart and mind. Get involved, be informed.
And if I may exercise a stunning display of hubris, I will quote a lyric of mine (from our new song “Confrontation”) that I hope provokes you to step out of your comfort zones, out of your apathy, and push the membrane a bit further from the nucleus:
STAND UP,
SPEAK OUT,
STRIKE BACK!
Quaint? Idealistic? Oh, even unrealistic? Perhaps. But you try telling that to all the people who invaded the polls (in record numbers) throughout Iowa and New Hampshire the last two weeks. Try telling that to these beautiful souls who gave the proverbial finger to the “Man” and pimp slapped the archaic, aged Authorities and made them rethink everything these vermin disciples of self-entitlement herald as their own.
I am not as jaded as some might presume I am supposed to be. Until recently, I lived a life of violence and overall ugliness. But through the love of friends, family, art, and a raging pathology to win, err I mean, competitive spirit, I believe in fighting for what is right, that our action (or inaction) matters. This is an exciting time in America, I am proud to live to see it.
So, yes, well, here we are again, wrapped snugly in the stink of another election season. But truthfully, dear friends, I am beginning to adore the smell.
To victory …
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Me again. Thank you, Otep. |
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