Comments on: Revolution is not an AOL keyword

Revolution is not an AOL keyword

sheauga — Sun, 27 Apr 2003 12:40:18 -0800

Revolution is not an AOL keyword. "You will not be able to stay home, dear Netizen.
You will not be able to plug in, log on and opt out ..."

By: jfuller

jfuller — Sun, 27 Apr 2003 12:55:07 -0800

This just in, somebody from Berkeley yammers on about revolution, can't even rhyme "party" and "Bacardi."

By: gluechunk

gluechunk — Sun, 27 Apr 2003 13:12:21 -0800

And for comparison, the lyrics to the original "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised"

By: Vidiot

Vidiot — Sun, 27 Apr 2003 13:20:30 -0800

And the television will not be revolutionized, either.

By: sheauga

sheauga — Sun, 27 Apr 2003 13:38:50 -0800

Howabout net literacy for underserved or older populations? "For women and minority writers, who have been denied literary authority and may have been even denied literacy, parody is even more significant. In the African American tradition, it would be signifying. It would be a way of signaling to their African American readers something that less informed readers would not understand." "Hutcheon locates some of parody's impulse among the demographic of "those who are marginalized by a dominant ideology" (p.35). I would include in this population individuals who, despite their privileged access to the new technologies, are seen to have little business being in the mass media, perhaps especially young people." The original of this parody Who is Gil Scott-Heron? Quick info, and a bio from Rolling Stone.

By: elwoodwiles

elwoodwiles — Sun, 27 Apr 2003 14:24:03 -0800

Excellent comment sheauga. I have to admit it's going to take me awhile to read through the longer articles. I'm still aching away my traditional sunday hangover Right off I should say, I don't like the AOL version of this poem. I enjoy parody, sarcasm and the greatly misunderstood medium we know as irony, but this is a parody of a very powerful and prescient poem. By parodizing The Revolution, the author (perhaps unintentionally) dilutes and cheapens the original. It's comparing being oppressed in America with being an AOL user, which is a self-serving comparison at best. Then there is the larger problem I have with this re-write: It's not funny. It's not even a giggle. The original had this sense of rage mixed with a sense of humor, this parody lacks the vision that would give it any power as a written piece. Totally off topic: I keep seeing this thought floating around, this idea that when one rebels from a system, they end up embracing the system they attempt to subvert. Like a freedom fighter who overthrows an oppressive government only to become a more oppressive government, A hacker who end up working for MS, an artist who deconstructs art only to end up on a gallery wall, selling paintings to the kindheads who want a canvas that matches the 3 piece couch set. It's without a certain irony that I note I first heard the Scott-Heron piece on television. I gotta quit drinking till 5am.

By: ZachsMind

ZachsMind — Sun, 27 Apr 2003 14:41:53 -0800

Okay so basically this is an attempt to update the original version. So if one wants to be part of the revolution, they can't be sitting on their ass watching TV and they can't be sitting on their ass surfing the web. They have to go outside and break laws and be generally rowdy and eventually get beaten up by a bunch of policemen who are like, pawns of The Man or something. If that's the case, I'd rather not be part of any revolution. Where's my corn chips?

By: quonsar

quonsar — Sun, 27 Apr 2003 15:02:33 -0800

It's comparing being oppressed in America with being an AOL user, which is a self-serving comparison at best. and therein lies the problem...

By: angry modem

angry modem — Sun, 27 Apr 2003 15:23:47 -0800

TV is a one-way medium; the internet is not.

By: sheauga

sheauga — Sun, 27 Apr 2003 15:26:41 -0800

Hmn, didn't realize AOL users were oppressed. Revolution, in the sense of "The American people have a revolutionary tradition, or "revolutionary solutions to important science and technology problems" doesn't capture the imagination sufficiently? Another example of a useful parody with diluted impact: using the Signifying Monkey ( strong language version / NSFW version ) to teach math.

By: ZachsMind

ZachsMind — Sun, 27 Apr 2003 15:30:27 -0800

AngryModem: "TV is a one-way medium; the internet is not." Yeah, but both TV and the Net are relatively sedentary activities. Comparatively, participating in a revolution is more active and improves your cardiovascular workout. Thomas Jefferson once said occasional rebellion is a healthy thing for a society, but this poem is saying that not only is it good for humanity but it's good and good for you, and it's part of this complete breakfast!

By: seanyboy

seanyboy — Sun, 27 Apr 2003 15:31:04 -0800

You've only got to have seen about ten minutes of the war show to know that the revolution will be both televised and sponsored by Nike. And I'm not an AOL user, but I'm betting that "revolution" IS an AOL keyword.

By: sheauga

sheauga — Sun, 27 Apr 2003 15:37:09 -0800

Jefferson quote, with comments on the distinction between a rebellion and a revolution.

By: ZachsMind

ZachsMind — Sun, 27 Apr 2003 15:39:54 -0800

From the breakyourchains.org, right after a 'vote to impeach' GWBush banner: "ALERT! NOW IS THE TIME TO STOP BIG BROTHER! CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVE!" LOL! If the executive branch of the US Gov't is Big Brother, that makes the house of representatives the good guys? I mean, contact your representative and do what? Tell him he's a tool? This is the lamest excuse for "The second american revolution" I've ever seen. Thanks for the laugh.

By: sheauga

sheauga — Sun, 27 Apr 2003 16:04:25 -0800

Well ZachsMind, at one point, your phrase "second American Revolution" would have provoked giggles and literary fingers in the air, reciting: "Without Marx or Jesus, the second American Revolution has begun!" But the cultural reference now might just as well be Prop 13, Lincoln, or ENIAC. More on seanyboy's observation about the implications of Nike and marketing revolution, and the use of revolution as a marketing tool. "Out of the liberation marketers of Madison Avenue, those who have prevailed in American life are the ones who have learned to channel this anger to their own purposes."

By: mr_crash_davis

mr_crash_davis — Sun, 27 Apr 2003 16:33:21 -0800

When you talk about destruction Don't you know that you can count me out?

By: Vidiot

Vidiot — Sun, 27 Apr 2003 16:40:09 -0800

as one of the comments in the original link points out, the revolution may not be televised, but it'll certainly be blogged...

By: skinsuit

skinsuit — Sun, 27 Apr 2003 17:10:11 -0800

Here's another take on the revolution. Apparently, it will be digitized.

By: Vidiot

Vidiot — Sun, 27 Apr 2003 17:23:34 -0800

...vocalized, printed, webcast, satirized, painted, all business, remixed, carbonated...

By: armoured-ant

armoured-ant — Sun, 27 Apr 2003 17:50:38 -0800

Via Wil Wheaton Dot Net, a week ago, of course.

By: hairyeyeball

hairyeyeball — Sun, 27 Apr 2003 18:13:36 -0800

count me out Can't you hear Paul saying "in" just a split-second later in the background on some takes of that tune?

By: dg

dg — Mon, 28 Apr 2003 23:43:33 -0800

Only if you play it backwards, hairyeyeball