I was watching “The Daily Show” last night and had a very horrifying revelation. There is a serious lack of thought going on today in our government. I know this isn’t really much of a revelation, we all knew it, but to have it shoved so simply in my face was truly depressing. See, President Bill Clinton was the guest on the show and when John Stewart would ask him a rather serious question he would take a moment, look down a bit, and think. I turned to Tony and said, “Look at him thinking,” to which he replied “Yeah, that’s really nice.” It was a very sad moment.
I don’t know if I have ever seen George W. Bush think. I have seen him pause, probably for dramatic effect so that he appears to be thinking, but I have never seen a true look of thought on his face. A sincere look that says, “Wow, that’s a good question, let me think about it for a second,” has disappeared from politics for the last 6 years. Hearing what Clinton is doing with his Global Initiative was so inspired and so focused. He actually was able to impart a sense of optimism and hope for change. I was like a crack addict for him. I’m not going to say he was the perfect president. I don’t think any president really was prefect. I just know that out of those that I have been around for, he was by far the best. He was personable without being an idiot. He was thoughtful without being a pompous ass. I actually believed that he cared about the country. I miss Bill Clinton.
I’m really glad to see that he is working hard to create a better world. That’s what someone with his connections should be doing. One interesting thing he said is that while the work he is doing now is free of politics so in a sense he can reach more people, he will never have the machinery behind him to effect change the way he did as President. It’s sad that the person with all that machinery behind them is generally so bogged down with things that they can’t truly focus in on anything and therefore truly make a difference in a positive way. I think it is much easier to make a negative impact on a society, as we can see today, when you are in that position. Wouldn’t it be nice if the UN was truly effective and we could move toward some world government type of situation that would actually work? Unfortunately, the world is full of people and people will always be selfish and power-hungry creatures. Sucks to be us.
Let’s hope for some happy songs
Pimpology, Too $hort- I really like Too $hort. As a female, I probably shouldn’t but there is something so pure about his music that I can’t disagree with. With him, you know what you are going to get, basic rhymes, a steady cadence, and songs about being a gangster. For what he does, he is the best.
It’s Good To Be Here, Digable Planets- Well let’s take a trip to the other end of the genre for a second. This stuff is also kind of what you see is what you get but, again, you can’t disagree with it. Bill Clinton would like the saxophone.
The World’s Address, They Might Be Giants- Well this is a totally different song from the other two. I don’t have much to say except that it is incredibly entertaining and, with they Might Be Giants, you always know what you’re going to get.
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3 comments:
Love TMBG, but started losing interest once they stopped writing songs for grown-ups. If they've started up again, then I guess it would take some effort to look into their new stuff. *sigh*
Saw Clinton on with Jonny last night too. Though I was blogging, so I didn't actually pay attention to what he was saying. But yes, I miss him too, and always thought it would be great if he could get a special pass to run for a 3rd term. But then again, what's to stop Dubya from getting a special pass too and trying to do a 3rd term as well...so actually, scratch that idea.
Yeah, gotta watch out for those special passes. Right now, Dubya and his minions are trying to ram a bill through Congress to disenfranchise many, many voters by requiring national identification cards in order to vote. Argh! It is well known that this sort of thing will not prevent voter fraud (as it is ostensibly “supposed” to do) but that it will actually prevent many legitimate, qualified voters from being able to vote. Contact your congresspeople asap on this, by phone or email. ColorOfChange.org is sponsoring an email drive on this right now. Sorry for the long rant, but this is that important! I honestly think that GW is going to try to stay in power any way he can. This is very scary; we all need to be vigilant and active.
… But what I really had wanted to comment on is this: If you’re in the mood for deep, serious thinking about global issues and creating a better world, I highly recommend Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire. I just read it (again) for my Critical Pedagogy class, and it’s great. He gets into depth about the importance of teaching and learning in a real way that makes a difference in the world, and how to be a teacher and a leader (in that kind of a “revolutionary” sense). I read that when the book first came out, students in Third World countries were actually in danger if they dared to read this book; and they were so eager to read it that they’d photocopy chapters and share them secretly.
Life's parade of fashion just leaves me depressed
Under every garment I can see the world's address
Call the men of science and let them hear this song
Tell them Albert Einstein and Copernicus were wrong...
I will love TMBG forever... especially Put Your Hand Inside the Puppet Head
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