Tuesday 1 July, 2008

Anthem

’cause this whole world needs an anthem
And I’m trying to put the words where they belong
Yeah this whole world needs an anthem
And I’m hoping everyone will sing along


True, eh? how very true. I'm not going to justify that. You should know better by now. There are enough tv channels tripping over themselves to find the weirdest shit on the planet and then broadcast it to give their hapless viewers a fresh stock of disturbing images.
I was talking to a friend in Sweden today, and she was going on about the oil prices, and greenpeace and the indo-us nuclear deal. Wow, I thought, "Wassup?" just got a whole new definition. Okay, its not a bad thing to stay 'abreast' of current events, but some people have this, how do i put it - well, let me give you an analogy. Old people and infants have this problem controlling their bladder. Its not their fault you know.. it's because the muscles responsible for proper bladder function are too weak. Some people have the same problem with their mouths. They just dont know when to shut up.

Anyhow, when they see something interesting on tv, they feel this incessant urge to pass on their recently earned 'wisdom' to the next person they see or talk to. It doesnt matter if they're interested or not. They just have to get it out. Goddammit, I dont care if oil costs 150$ a barrel. It costs like 30 cents a litre here. Its stayed that way for over 15 years, and it will probably stay like that for another 15. Why do YOU care so much?
Oh, it's nothing, they were showing that on the business channel today. I'm impressed, you know, that you watch the business channel. Watch ESPN ffs, or HBO or even History channel. Why why why watch 24 hour news channels. I mean how much world news do you need daily? At least with the history channel you gain more knowledge. And with sports or movies or series you never get bored talking about that stuff.

News addicts, that's the new fad. Its not general knowledge, its public indifference. I've seen people watch live sessions of parliament. The scary part is that they sometimes laugh to themselves, and nod vigorously from time to time. I mean, what can you possibly gain from watching the german parliament in session. Whatever shit he smoked, I'd get a restraining order against it. 24 hours of news... man, that's insane.... remember the good old days? There was a news bulletin in the morning, one at noon, and one at night. And we used to steer clear of them every single time. BBC Radio, yeah, with their clanging chimes and dear god... what was that awful intro music they had for the news. Maybe that's the reason I began to hate the news bulletins. That awful music.. ugh!!

Now that there's 24/7 coverage, news channels are praying for wars and disasters. Cyclone in Burma... gooooo, wait, what's that? the government isnt allowing foreign aid? omfg, this is the motherload... lets go live.. there's a victim, look he doesnt have an arm, come on! mnve it, we need an interview... exclusive footage this will be.. oh yes, people just lovvee survivor stories. We need to spice it up.. lets say he lost his arm saving this kid over here from a falling tree.. yeah?

Sad, I know, but its just an example of the ground realities. The things that go unnoticed, under the banner of creating awareness among the public. Soon, I'm sure there's going to be a reality show wbere tbe contestants must fight to survive an actual disaster. An instant hit.

There's nothing I can do about it. It could have been worse. There are 24 hour weather channels too...

what im saying is
this is the anthem
throw all your hands up
yall got to feel me,sing if your with me, yeah

An anthem. Yes. WE need a fucking anthem.