Course Audit

In the times of tabloidization of the media and a general trend of lowering their standards, we often tend to forget about the alternatives. Guerilla media do not strive to break through the clutter, but rather form an independent form of judgment and commentary on the social and political events. While street art may be considered landscape polution, it may also be perceived as a manifest against bureaucracy, politics, law enforcement or the growing stupidity of the masses, to name just a few themes.

Even though the people involved in the non-mainstream media rarely, if at all, appear in the mainstream media, there are a few underground activists, who managed to gain a world-wide recognition. A street artists named Banksy is unquestionably a celebrity. There are currently many albums on the market devoted strictly to his works. Those can be admired on many walls, primarily in the United Kingdom, however he manifests his pacifistic outlooks throughout the world.

The Guerilla Media class enabled me to learn not only about various subcultures, but also numerous underground movements, so often trifled by the mass media. I believe that my experience might have been enhanced by the fact that I am new to America and I did not know the scale of these anti-mainstream movements. Especially surprising was the documentary on the thrash metal scene. I knew it existed and I even went to such concert once in Poland (frankly, to assist my 15 year old step sister who is a big fan of the genre), but I would have never thought it is so underground and that the bands are truly discriminated by the major labels. Perhaps it is the essence of it as it emphasizes the veracity and authenticity of the music’s message.

Another interesting topic discussed in class was the DIY culture. It is a response to globalization, to the same taste of cheeseburger in the States, Ukraine, Italy, France and Poland. To the same look of a GAP T-shirt, whether it was purchased in England or in Spain. Last, but not least, to promoting mediocrity. I promised myself to do as many things by myself as possible.  Actually, I have already started constructing an aeroplane made of matches to hang it under my ceiling once it’s finished.

I found the two field trips very thought-provoking (especially the second one). Both, the bookstore and the alternative media center were run by quite inspiring and very helpful people. I try to avoid the word ‘different’, but in fact they were much different from the vast majority of us, in the best meaning of the word. I regret that I missed over a half of the lecture at the underground bookstore but it appears that everyone left the School of Communication slightly ahead of time.

I can hardly come up with one thing I did not enjoy about this course. I only wish we had more group projects and that we could discuss some of the blogs in class. There could also be a contest for the blog of the month – it would always be something to look forward to. Results could be posted on the university web site, so that people from outside the class could participate in a discussion.

Short History of Crime

Our identity is mainly constructed by the society. We are who we are due to a number of external forces, on which we have very little impact. It explains why we tend to use words that are uncommon in other communities, have various accents, interests and ambitions. Those distinguishable traits affiliate us with a given community.

It has been sociologically documented that communities are self-spinning vicious circles. When a child is born in a poor district or in the slums, it is very unlikely that he or she will complete higher education and get a well-paid job. Even though the child’s ambitions may be high, the community in which he’s being raised will make him prolong its existence. Being different is considered a treason and usually leads to alienation. Correspondingly, a person born in the upper class society will most probably go to good schools and hold a prosperous job in his or her adult life. Nonetheless, both of these communities are united by the same set of values they hold.

Chapeau bas for those who find a moderately sane individual who will admit that crime and violence is good. While the crime statistics vary from neighbourhood to neighbourhood, the people inhabiting them are just the same. It is the necessity that pushes them to an act of violence. It explains why the number of robberies sky-rocketed throughout the States ever since the economic crysis. One may ask, what about the violent street gangs? In my opinion, poverty, thus lack of prosperity and sufficient support, both moral and financial dehumanizes people. Yet, I find it difficult to agree with Malcolm Gladwell, who calls crime an epidemic. It is not that when a person I know breaks the law, I am going to do that too.  While crime is contagious, most people are still driven by reason. If it weren’t true, peer pressure would make us all criminals. After all, how many times we were about to do something unwise and unlawful but a blinking red light in our head nobly restrained us?

While crime causes more crime, it is not a social disease. The cause may be usually found in the police maladministration and dysfunction. It is further linked with the general mood in the society, caused by the mistakes of an administration. Once again, the vicious circle keeps on spinning.

No country for inconvenient men

Nobody likes war, it’s rather obvious. That’s not counting some of the politicians who just can’t wait to have an impact on global economy and domestic taxes. Luckily enough, there is a counter force in the form of independent media which nobly analyze the decisions made by some of the zealous politicians. Even though a vast majority of the media have a relationship with political parties, there are a few minor broadcasts which strive to be more independent.

The underground media have a long history. They’ve played a psychologically crucial role during a variety of wars and regimes. For instance, Radio Free Europe gave hope and more objective news to the Eastern Block countries, providing them with independent news. Though listening to it was strictly prohibited by law, many people tuned in to listen to some “foreign”, thus anti-communist news. Every country has independent media. Whether it’s China, Russia, Germany, Poland or the United States, there are people who want to seek the truth and share it with others. In some countries, those people are imprisoned and in others executed. Despite the risk, they still continue to tell people that there is light at the end of the tunnel, a hope, an alternative.

Michail Chodorkowski, the owner of Jukos and a Russian billionaire was imprisoned in 2003. Officially, it was due to certain irregularities in the process of privatization of Russian enterprises. He was sentenced to eight years in prison, or rather a labor camp in the far east. Another reason, which isn’t official is that Chodorkowski was imprisoned because he was a presidential candidate of 2001, thus threatening the position of Vladimir Putin. He is a an extreme example of the Twitter Radio. Are people who fight for a better and more democratic world destined to fail?

“if they know that the police are on the way to do a random sweep of an area, they might send out a Twitter message telling the protesters the quickest way of getting out of a particular spot.” This sentence begs to be linked with the Nazi or Communist repressions. They are certainly more subtle in the United States, yet they are a fact.

The true inconvenient truth is not the CO2 and the gas-guzzling SUV’s. It is the political manipulation leading to repressions of those who seek the truth and normality.

Punk isn’t dead, it just smells funny

Was punk rock really the last subculture? Among various more or less popular subcultures, hip-hop, metal and punk rock have always tried to be on the top. They actually still try since neither of them is really dead. Frank Zappa once said “Jazz isn’t dead, it just smells funny.” I believe the same applies to the genres mentioned above. Perhaps they already had their glory days but they are still very much alive in certain communities. They are living examples of the idea presented in the “Merchants of Cool“, that as soon as something becomes trendy and cool, it begins to die. People strive to be different and they do not want to be associated with products which are very popular and hip. Subcultures are being sold just as any other product.

Nearly half a century ago, a man born in the suburbs of London created a vast cultural movement. His name is Malcolm McLaren and the movement is commonly known as punk rock. In 1975 he formed the Sex Pistols and not only he designed clothing with Vivienne Westwood but also sparked a cultural revolution. As Dylan Clark notes, “the image of rebellion has become one of the most dominant narratives of the corporate capitalist landscape”. The youth declared an open war on capitalism and establishment. They decided to create their own reality. Bands such as the Clash and Ramones rapidly emerged, gaining world-wide popularity. The business was up and running. While the adolescents were seeking their alternative realities and manifesting their oddity, the artists and manufacturers of clothing, pin-ups and posters were counting money. While punk rock was transforming into new wave, grunge, pop-punk and emo, a very few remembered about the original ideals held by its precursors. Most of the contemporary manifest-songs composed by emo girls (or boys – their gender isn’t always clear since they really do look alike) are rebelling against a curfew or a mean teacher at most. In this sense, punk is dead.

Punk, just as any other business had its ups and downs. It has transformed into a new form and it has new clothes and make-up. Perhaps in a few years, we will be looking back at its current form with nostalgia, just as we are looking at the 70’s now.

Spread of Technology, Development of New Media, Diminishment of Morality and the Death of Privacy; Welcome to the XXI century!

Technological development is certainly unavoidable; the need for constant improvement simply lies in the human nature and it doesn’t seem like it’s going to change in the near future. Having more knowledge and possibilities virtually every year, we strive to make our lives safer, easier and more entertaining. It is reflected by an increasing popularity of social networks, cell phones with the most extraordinary functions, online shopping, free Internet calls, Google Maps, but also an increasing control and invigilation of every citizen by the government.

A great number of phone calls and emails is being filtered by a proper government agency, most new cars come with a built-in GPS, credit card purchases are, or may be monitored, AT&T officially admits to allowing a third party to listen to its customers’ phone calls and the idea of being anonymous on the Internet is pure fiction. Though it is all designed for our security and it undeniably serves its function, our privacy is completely gone.

By gaining more and more information about our preferences, tastes and interests, a great number of portals and services such as Yahoo, Google, Facebook and MySpace target their ads directly to us. The era of ad-free YouTube is probably irreversibly gone. I have recently come across an interview with Chad Hurley, the founder of YouTube and he openly said that the ads are for the money. YouTube is not very profitable and it might need some extra cash for the copyright infringement suits recently filed by artists against it.

Unfortunately, the vast majority of noble and sometimes antiestablishment and underground ideas are quickly verified by the capitalist reality. Perhaps it is what Mr. Jenkins had on mind in “Introduction:“Worship at the Altar of Convergence.” Our culture is defined by maximizing profits, consolidations and a clear unity in the intellectual level of media. It is worth noting that the so-called “high-culture” has nearly vanished from the media. Standing in the doorway to a new millenium, a big question arises; where exactly is our culture going?