Anatoly Kirichenko
"Not Another Campaign"

originally posted 2008-03-11 06:23:57 --promoted for some intriquing analysis, cho

Anatoly Kirichenko
“Hip-Hop is Dead”

In recent years, rap music has become too well connected with the culture industry, and the politically charged overtones and meaningful messages are non-existent. Rap is not only selling albums, but also a lifestyle and a “culture” to its listeners. Essentially, rap music has been transformed into a form of marketing, encouraging young African Americans as well as whites and all other ethnic groups to purchase items that bring these groups more in line with the “ideals” of rap music. The industry has a goal of creating consumers rather than giving them something good to listen to. According to Michael Quinn, “Never Shoulda Been Let out the Penitentiary",

What is intriguing about rap is that it is the culture industry’s main strategy for bringing economically and culturally marginalized blacks into the consumer society. To this end, it is necessary that contemporary notions of black identity must be engaged by the culture industry itself. Quinn 81

I am still watching Blitz most nights. I have compromised with my stomach by remoting Dobbs. First thing to note is how the media is still fanning the flames of race by constantly rehashing the Clinton/Obama rhetoric on the subject. I have let it drift by while preparing the evening meal, but I was truly stunned when Obama weighed in on how Bill Clinton, when he was president, didn't match up to Reagan's accomplishments. What did we have here?

It's now January of the year 2008. In approximately two weeks, George W. Bush will address the nation and lie to us all. Still. Not again, but still. He's been lying to us since the day he first took office, along with his gang of neoconservative warmongers. They were off to a running start then, and they've run rampant throughout the nation with nary a challenge from Congress.

In the first four years, that was almost unavoidable -- the Republican majority played hard and played dirty, abdicating the duties of Congress in favor of party loyalty over the needs of the country.

The next two years saw that majority begin to crumble, until -- in the 2006 election cycle -- the Democrats broke the Republican majority.

We, the People, expected change.

The World expected change.

For whatever the reason, change never came.