Thursday, May 19, 2005
on pop culture
2 pop culture observations from my morning commute:
1. Saw an add on the outside of a bus for a new Russel Crow movie, Cinderella Man. The tagline was something like "when America was on its knees, he brought the nation to its feet." He plays a boxer, apparently from back when white American boxers won heavyweight titles. I don't know anything about this movie, but I do like boxing movies. Interesting how Hollywood has to go back so far to find a real American (white) hero though. Interesting also that it didn't take long for blacks, once allowed to box against whites, to take over the sport in the US. It's a sport for the toughest of the tough, and the toughest usually come from the most desperate. Boxing, even way back when, gave hope for a reasonable living and an alternative to grueling union-less labour for America's early white immigrants. But no group was more desperate, oppressed, impoverished, than black Americans.
2. 'I'm Coming Up', by Pink, is a kickass song. And every time a woman sings a kickass song, that is about neither love nor just being an (awshucks) girl, and it becomes a hit, people talk about how it empowers girls and demonstrates how far women has come. But it's not a feminist song. It's not about women's lib. It's just about freedom; it's about the same thing as '5-o'clock World' (by Dave Clark 5?), that feeling of having met all your crappy obligations n responsibilities, and you're free to party. Whether that means watching a ballgame and downing a sixpack, playing with the kids, a euchre tournament with the smiths, or heading to the bovine sex club to score punked out chicksndudes, it's freedom baby. And in this world we only get to be free about 5% of the time, so it's well worth singing about. Thanks, Pink!
--Bopper
1. Saw an add on the outside of a bus for a new Russel Crow movie, Cinderella Man. The tagline was something like "when America was on its knees, he brought the nation to its feet." He plays a boxer, apparently from back when white American boxers won heavyweight titles. I don't know anything about this movie, but I do like boxing movies. Interesting how Hollywood has to go back so far to find a real American (white) hero though. Interesting also that it didn't take long for blacks, once allowed to box against whites, to take over the sport in the US. It's a sport for the toughest of the tough, and the toughest usually come from the most desperate. Boxing, even way back when, gave hope for a reasonable living and an alternative to grueling union-less labour for America's early white immigrants. But no group was more desperate, oppressed, impoverished, than black Americans.
2. 'I'm Coming Up', by Pink, is a kickass song. And every time a woman sings a kickass song, that is about neither love nor just being an (awshucks) girl, and it becomes a hit, people talk about how it empowers girls and demonstrates how far women has come. But it's not a feminist song. It's not about women's lib. It's just about freedom; it's about the same thing as '5-o'clock World' (by Dave Clark 5?), that feeling of having met all your crappy obligations n responsibilities, and you're free to party. Whether that means watching a ballgame and downing a sixpack, playing with the kids, a euchre tournament with the smiths, or heading to the bovine sex club to score punked out chicksndudes, it's freedom baby. And in this world we only get to be free about 5% of the time, so it's well worth singing about. Thanks, Pink!
--Bopper
Labels: 2005, non-fiction, politics, Toronto
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Hey Benji!
Your writing is of remarkable quality - you've got another dedicated reader and someone linking to you.
(Note: I found you through Jon Ben of jonben.blogspot.com and Bishop's/UBC physics fame)
Good on ya.
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Your writing is of remarkable quality - you've got another dedicated reader and someone linking to you.
(Note: I found you through Jon Ben of jonben.blogspot.com and Bishop's/UBC physics fame)
Good on ya.
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