Shadow Stabbing

Week 11 Discussion board post

I know we were not required to post to the discussion board this week, but after reading the Cameron White article, I just wanted to share some thoughts. I know my group discussed this in their final chat, but I was at a funeral so missed the discussion.

In the second paragraph under the heading Introduction, White writes, “History education in our schools has suffered for some time. Issues include the ongoing culture wars between history and social studies, standardization leading to test preparation in place of history education, and low level transmission of information, among others.� The phrase “low level transmission of information� really jumped off the page as I was reading. Many of us are familiar with teaching to the test and dumbing down the curriculum, but I have not heard classroom education mentioned in such a way before. It makes it so clear in my mind what White really means: teaching rote facts, memorization, and recitation, but doing little to challenge students to think critically about the material or develop higher-order thinking skills (imagine Bloom’s Taxonomy here). Also, teaching material at a low level of transmission does not imply that students will retain the information much after leaving the classroom!

Further, I can see a true danger in low level transmission in our classrooms! Students are challenged by their world more than ever before and there is greater need than ever before for students to be critical thinkers, involved citizens, and informed individuals. Teaching basic-level material without challenging students to apply new information or think about the classroom material as applied to contexts outside the classroom does a huge disservice to the students.

This leads me to another portion of White’s essay that I agreed with very strongly: “The overt goal of our schools is to enhance knowledge, skills, and values development for our children. Unfortunately these goals are more often than not top down, authoritarian and promote passivity. These goals therefore seem to be driven by the ultimate goal of preparing our youth for the world of work. This is a realistic goal for schools, but should not be the driving force. Ultimately, we must prepare students for active participation as global citizens; and this means that we have a responsibility to teach for social efficacy, thus empowering students to be engaged in societal issues.� Last semester in CI 5155 our class examined at length the current and historical tension between these two different schools of thought: K-12 education as preparation for work and K-12 education as developing knowledge, skills, and values. Historically, the two have been set up as opposites, where one cannot exist when the other is present. As education has cycled and changed and evolved, one modality or another has taken precedence, then gradually has rotated to the other as the most dominant presentation. My question is this—why does one preclude the other? Why are people looking at these two ideas as ends of a spectrum? Education is not a linear field of knowledge and skills to be taught, nor are students one-dimensional, linear beings. Education is a web of interconnected ideas and skills and overlapping competencies. Similarly, students are complex, unique beings. We should not look at education with such simplistic ideas about what works or doesn’t work.

And finally this leads me to share my thoughts about inclusion of music into classrooms. Many studies have been done on the effectiveness of music in the classroom, even if the goal is not to study the music in a historical context—but that is a topic for another day! Specifically using music to supplement history or social studies lessons is a great idea. I think some people shy away from this—or don’t even consider it at all—because teachers often forget to draw on real-life, relevant information for students. There is a sad propensity for education to get stuck within the 4 wall of the classroom and not draw on examples that students can relate to. But using music is a great way to do this. There is a great lesson plan from PBS that studies history and music during the Revolutionary War era. (see link ) Similarly, studies of recent American history (the 60’s, Vietnam War, the 70’s) could be greatly enhanced by examining the popular music of the day. Or teachers could examine the spiritual music of slaves from the Civil War era. This is a great way to avoid what Howard Zinn says: we often decontextualize history in our schools by providing merely the winner’s perspective (2000).

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Week 11 Blog Post

DISCLAIMER: I work with deaf students and music is not an important part of their lives. I could have chosen a song to use in my classroom, but that is not realistic—they can’t hear the music! So for this assignment I chose a song that really spoke to me the first time I heard it, but it wouldn’t be appropriate to use in a classroom (with hearing students) because of the language.

Originally, I was going to use “Like a Rolling Stone� from Bob Dylan because, let’s face it, any music by Bob Dylan makes for great study. Then I started reading the article by Cameron White and I realized that he’s right about something—not all protest music was written in the 60’s and 70’s. There is great stuff still being produced today that is worthy of closer examination, so I chose a different song: “American Idiot� by Green Day from the album of the same name.

The title track was released as a single one week before the album in September of 2004. The album itself was the result of a misfortune in the recording studio—Green Day had been working on an album called Cigarettes and Valentines, but the master tapes were stolen shortly before recording was completed. This turned out not to be a terrible loss because they felt their writing was not that great and they decided to make an album that was more “relevant.� The result was American Idiot.

Here are the lyrics to the song American Idiot:

Don't want to be an American idiot.
Don't want a nation under the new media
And can you hear the sound of hysteria?
The subliminal mind f--k America.

Welcome to a new kind of tension.
All across the alien nation.
Where everything isn't meant to be okay.
Television dreams of tomorrow.
We're not the ones who're meant to follow.
For that's enough to argue.

Well maybe I'm the faggot America.
I'm not a part of a redneck agenda.
Now everybody do the propaganda.
And sing along to the age of paranoia.

Welcome to a new kind of tension.
All across the alien nation.
Where everything isn't meant to be okay.
Television dreams of tomorrow.
We're not the ones who're meant to follow.
For that's enough to argue.

Don't want to be an American idiot.
One nation controlled by the media.
Information age of hysteria.
It's calling out to idiot America.

Welcome to a new kind of tension.
All across the alien nation.
Where everything isn't meant to be okay.
Television dreams of tomorrow.
We're not the ones who're meant to follow.
For that's enough to argue.

Consider the historical context of September 2004: 9/11 was only 3 years in the past, the Iraq war was in full swing, and a controversial presidential election was on the horizon. It was a very tumultuous time and news stories were dominated by talk of politics, war, and post-9/11 life. Here are some of the important historical markers and the context in which the album American Idiot was written:
-- politicians were fighting about the Patriot Act and its potential for protecting Americans (or invading privacy)
-- presidential campaigns fought about the motives and information used in going to war
-- President Bush touted his response to the events of 9/11 on the campaign trail
-- Democrats and some Independent voters were still angry about the 2000 election in which Al Gore won the popular vote but not the presidency
-- the 9/11 Commission’s report revealed that Saddam Hussein was not connected to al-Qaida and 9/11
-- American media and politics criticized for post-9/11 fear mongering and hyper-emphasis on terrorism and war
-- Bush administration perpetuated fallacies about 9/11 and Iraq war: events of 9/11 linked to Saddam Hussein even after Commission report is widely circulated; Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction despite UN weapons inspections repeatedly coming up empty-handed; Iraq purchased yellowcake uranium from Africa even after Joe Wilson’s explosive New York Times op-ed piece

The song is clearly a call for people to pay attention, get involved, think for themselves, and not be mindless followers of the media and talking heads. It is an important message no matter the historical context. However, when placing the song on a timeline and considering all the turmoil of the time in which it was written, the referents of several subtle comments become clear. For example, in the first verse, “the new media� is a clear reference to post-9/11 news journalists, often criticized for fear-mongering, sensationalizing, and presenting one-sided coverage of issues. In the same verse, “hysteria� can also be pointed at 9/11, but also at the political upheaval surrounding the 2000 and 2004 elections and even the Iraq war. “Mind f--k� is a way to drive home the point that American media audiences are falling for the media representations, that they are passive audiences not thinking for themselves—almost like being brainwashed.

In referring to himself as a faggot, the artist was commenting on the way dissidents were viewed in the majority of America and in the political sphere of the time. When the song was written, the Iraq war was just starting to come under criticism, but the majority of Americans—in group-think—still believed that the war was justified and people wanted justice in the wake of 9/11. Anyone who split from the supportive, ultra-patriotic view of the war was seen very negatively, almost as a heretic. By using such a powerfully charged word—faggot—the song makes the point that people who take different views from the mainstream are bad, heretical, and traitors. But the singer goes on to say that he won’t be part of a “redneck agenda�, likely a direct insult to the president (from Texas) and the rumors about his interest in Iraq and oil because of his own family’s personal involvement with the oil business in Texas. Further, redneck has many negative connotations. The last two lines of the verse again point to the media and the popular opinion of the time and the group-think surrounding post-9/11 fear, unquestioning support of the war and the Bush administration, and paranoia about terrorism and people who are different.

The third verse drives the point home very clearly, if there were any doubts from the previous verses and refrain, that they are skewering the media. However, instead of pointing only to the media as being part of the problem of hysteria and propaganda, the song then turns its angst on all of America for letting itself be controlled by the media and for being mindless, for being idiots.

This song is a protest of the popular media, of the hysteria of the American public and the media, and a rebuke to the American people for following the popular media outlets, for letting themselves fall prey to the propaganda and hysteria. However, considering the specific time in which the song is written, it is important for people to understand the specific media events and propaganda the song refers to. People listening 50 years from now may understand that it is a protest song, but without the historical context, they will miss some of the really great subtle references to events that happened around the time the song was released. Further, listeners may not understand the specific call to action that is made in the song—wake up, pay attention, get involved, don’t believe the hype of the post-9/11 media, don’t fall for the company line from the Bush administration.

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Like most people in this country and around the world, music is a natural, everyday part of my life. Music is always in the background in the grocery store, the elevator, the shopping mall; it is an integral part of advertising on TV, radio, and internet; it creates emotion, suspense, and meaning in movies, documentaries, and TV shows; it is an entrenched part of religious ceremonies and rituals; it is part of civic and social proceedings. Music in my everyday life is escapable—and that is before listening to music for pleasure through radio, iPod, CD, etc.

Most of my listening is on iPod while at the gym or on my home computer through iTunes. I rarely listen to music on the radio, but if I do, there is only one station—89.3 “The Current�. Most of the time, though, I listen to what I know and like—Bob Dylan, Grateful Dead, Phish, Regina Spektor, Trampled by Turtles, 90’s bands (Pearl Jam, Green Day, The Offspring), Johnny Cash, Ella Fitzgerald—lots of tried and true but with a few newer things thrown in.

My listening habits made this assignment particularly interesting because I was forced to face something I have sort of steeled myself against and pulled myself away from—what I think of as pop culture radio station music. I have no idea what is out there because I really don’t listen. I don’t have my head in the sand, so when I look at the Top 40, I recognize most of the names—I just don’t know the musicians’ work. Another struggle in working on this week’s homework? I work with deaf kids. I can’t really envision how music will be part of my classroom!

At any rate, I finally settled on a song for this assignment—“Mandy� by the Jonas Brothers. It is an upbeat song with a rock-ish sound and quick tempo. Here are the lyrics:

(Verse 1) Mandy used to be that girl
The one that never said a word
But she only sang
S Club 7 and all those boy bands
Now it's been a few years
It looks like things have changed
Now she's mine and I want to say

(Chorus) Mandy always laughs when I act stupid
I am unaware that I'm a nuisance
With her it's never wasted time
Mandy always knows exactly what I'm
Thinking she's always on my mind
And now I'm never gonna let her go
Cause Mandy always knows

(Verse 2) Mandy always tells the truth
Even when it's hard to do
And she always understands
Even when it don't make sense
Even though she is a blonde
I'm the one that feels so dumb

(Chorus)

(Bridge) When I have a problem
I'm sure that Mandy knows
When I'm feeling lonely
I'm sure that Mandy knows
When everything's crazy
She's always there for me
And I'm sure that she knows
I'm never ever gonna let her go

(Chorus 2x)

Never gonna let her go
Cause Mandy always knows

My adult self listens to this song and hears it as a poppy, cheesy little number for pre-teens and teens to listen to at slumber parties and school dances. It seems quaint, trite, and unremarkable—just another teeny-bopper song about simple, shallow teenage romance. When I try to put myself into those adolescent shoes and mindset, however, a part of my brain can relate. The importance and excitement of a relationship and the need to be understood are expressed in this song. As Powers points out in her article,
“Contemporaries of Langer, including Raymond Williams and John Blacking, similarly saw music's potential to help listeners grasp the subtleties of emotion. (…) What memorable songs offer, including banal ones, is a way not just to feel but to better grasp the structure of feeling, by re-creating the sense of becoming enraged, turning on, or falling in love.� The upbeat tempo of the song reflects the excitement, the novelty, the exhilaration of a fledgling relationship. The simple lyrics cut straight to the important parts in the relationship—Mandy understands, Mandy accepts, Mandy laughs at stupidity.

My adult brain comes back online during investigation of this song and I am tempted to write it off again as nothing more than bubblegum pop that points to overly simplistic views on relationships. Then I am drawn back into the world of the young adult brain by another part of Powers’ article: “And teenpop needs its candy clichés more than any other genre, since adolescence is all confusion, the time when music offers for many the first map to adult emotions.� The confusion and excitement of a relationship or the overwhelming feeling of peace at being understood may be difficult for an adolescent to sort out—friends may not be able to relate, it may be embarrassing to discuss, the adolescent may have the egocentric idea that nobody else had experienced the same feeling before—so to hear the sentiments reflected in music may normalize their feelings.

Even though I can understand how this particular song could evoke a response from young adults, I am still critical of some of the media messages sent in popular music. Young adults are constantly barraged with media messages about how they should think, dress, act, etc. This presents a great opportunity for a study of media representations surrounding music in a media studies classroom. This wouldn’t work for my population of deaf students, but I think it would be a worthwhile exercise for other classrooms. As Beach points out in his summary of chapter 5, “By examining media representations, students are learning to interrogate the ways in which the media construct versions of reality and to recognize that these constructions influence their lives and identities.� A close examination of a sampling of popular music could reveal to the students any implied or explicit messages about gender, behavior, relationships, etc. and how those messages may influence the listeners.

Conversely, a media ethnography study (Beach chapter 6) of popular music could help students explore how “the meaning of texts evolves out of the activity of audiences’ social participation with media texts.� A study of the Jonas Brothers’ music could explore how listeners and audiences have created their own meaning and helped shape the culture surrounding the music. Afterall, popular music wouldn’t be popular if a fan base didn’t exist. A media ethnography study could reveal the ways in which that fan base has developed and how it interacts with the music—blogs, vlogs, YouTube, fan websites, live in concerts, etc.

I am very interested in the idea of pop music in the classroom and regret that it won’t work for me at this point in my teaching!

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