Doomed Doomed Doomed...
So I was watching this documentary. It was about how the companies get teenagers to think that stuff is "cool". It talks about how MTV studies kids not to give them what they want but how to advertise what MTV wants them to want. Finally it talked about how some kids used to rebel. They would listen to something that was only theirs. Music so crazy and angry that they never thought it would be bought up by MTV and repackaged like wrestling was all those years ago. The name of this band? Insane Clown Posse. This documentary was a little old but in the end it still showed what ended up happening with Insane Clown Posse. They ended up being on MTV with slick videos. They even made an appearance on... you guessed it... professional wrestling.
Now the movie never made the leap that I am about to make. MTV knows that kids want to rebel. What if it is secretly controlling their rebellion? Years ago people would make a big fuss about slipknot and ICP saying that this angry music was making their kids shoot up schools. This would make the kids just want to listen to these bands more. So what are they making a big fuss about now? Videogames. Grand Theft Auto made an appearance on 60 minutes the other day. Also this new game "25 to life" is being called a "cop-killing handbook" on CNN. All these shows are owned by corporations. The makers of the videogames are owned by corporations too. Most of the time, they are the same corporations. So more than likely the thing they are doing is getting the kids to want the items they are talking about more, while distracting the parents with stories about killer videogames, so that they don't notice that when their son gets diabetes they won't have adequate healthcare to keep him on the meds, and the cure is being blocked by the president.
So what can we do? Nothing. There is so much advertising out there that you really can't know what you are being manipulated into liking. Just maybe look around for new bands. That way you can stay ahead of the curve. And listen to some of the old stuff like Rolling Stones and Lynard Skynard. You know, before the marketing, when all the rebellion was real. And read a book once in a while. You rarely see those marketed on MTV.
"Smart people understand that there is no such thing as paranoia. It is just another mask for ignorance. The Truth, when you finally chase it down, is almost always far worse than your darkest visions and fears."---Hunter S. Thompson
Now the movie never made the leap that I am about to make. MTV knows that kids want to rebel. What if it is secretly controlling their rebellion? Years ago people would make a big fuss about slipknot and ICP saying that this angry music was making their kids shoot up schools. This would make the kids just want to listen to these bands more. So what are they making a big fuss about now? Videogames. Grand Theft Auto made an appearance on 60 minutes the other day. Also this new game "25 to life" is being called a "cop-killing handbook" on CNN. All these shows are owned by corporations. The makers of the videogames are owned by corporations too. Most of the time, they are the same corporations. So more than likely the thing they are doing is getting the kids to want the items they are talking about more, while distracting the parents with stories about killer videogames, so that they don't notice that when their son gets diabetes they won't have adequate healthcare to keep him on the meds, and the cure is being blocked by the president.
So what can we do? Nothing. There is so much advertising out there that you really can't know what you are being manipulated into liking. Just maybe look around for new bands. That way you can stay ahead of the curve. And listen to some of the old stuff like Rolling Stones and Lynard Skynard. You know, before the marketing, when all the rebellion was real. And read a book once in a while. You rarely see those marketed on MTV.
"Smart people understand that there is no such thing as paranoia. It is just another mask for ignorance. The Truth, when you finally chase it down, is almost always far worse than your darkest visions and fears."---Hunter S. Thompson
posted by Oscar at 7:40 PM
11 Comments:
rennie...what you don't know is that they plan our rebellions...in fact, they are the rebellion...they are that little kid that told you to listen to reagan youth and black flag. thats right...and now what? Henry Rollins is hosting a show on the SciFi Channel. Clear Channel hosts the Warped Tour. america controls everything.
Joey, that was oscar who posted that,
what YOU don't know is that I control MTV now, its something new, so you will still see them controlling the rebellion. They don't know that I control them, but pretty soon, you will see MTV, Clear channel, and Henry rollings who control the warped tour controlling the rebellions, no longer controlling anything, just turn into a mindless driblle. confused? oh so are they....so are they.
i kinda think it's the other way around now i am not 100% on this but i think the people control what the media feeds back to us. it's kinda like an op-amp it is reverse fed with it's output.mmm basically people started liking the "punk" style, be it clothes and or music. corporations did what they do best and saw a profit in the market. therefore they amplified it's audience by making it more public. these trends start somewhere, we just don't see it until it starts to go mainstream b/c of where we live. sure the internet helps with that but still i bet you there are a lot of trends that started somewhere and never really made it down by us b/c not enough people bought into it to where it would be profitable for corporations to market it.
either way first law of production be it consumer products or intelectual property is make sure u have a MARKET or else don't even bother. why the hell would you want to make perfume that smells like a horses sweaty nutsack?? i don't care if Paris Hilton said it's hot the product would bomb.
Ture, while that is how it usually works, we are talking about teenagers. Most teenagers will do anything to follow trends and will follow people they believe to be influential. There are even people that are paid to "hype" their products. And well the corps wouldn't do this if it didn't work so I'm assuming it worked.
Checo, you have a point in the fact that yes, the market does technically listen to the consumer, but you have no idea in how much the consumer actually listens to those who control the market. If you think about it, the reason why the whole "punk" thing came in style was because new money had to be made, pop and rap were already making money, and companies and corporations needed a new way to topple each other. Well what better way than to help feed the rebellion that teenagers already have from their parents? Just look at Avril Lavigne's beginning career, when she first started out, they were calling her and other singers the "anti-Britneys". This is because in the music business, the way to make it to the top is to topple what is already in the top.
Another way to look at it is through the advertising agency, there's many different subtle things that companies put in their advertisements that we catch subconciously, or even conciously that just shows the companies really do put a lot of effort into trying to sell it. As for the horse sweaty nutsack perfume, add a little hibiscus, and you just might have a goldmine there.
my whole point is this: the corporations didn't "invent" any of these trends. they took an emerging popular trend and market that. As for Avril, as with many artists you have to remember one thing. They are PEOPLE and therefore they change, thier ideas and viewpoints mature and evolve. That is the natural law of survival. Thier view of the world changes and therefor so does thier music. Given some artists do change thier style to better fit a market like we saw in Gwen Stephanie who totaly and completly CHANGED her music EVOLVE. Yet evolving is not as people so often call it "selling out". There is a fine line between the two though. Yet again this is how these people make thier living they have to adapt to the market somewhat to stay alive. Kinda like Madonna's ability to adapt her music has kept her in good standing as long as it has.
Cakes gonna be in austin Yayyy!!!
BTW who gives a flying fuck what teenagers are doing. If they are being stupid oh fucking well. For those of you concerned about there well being just sit back and hope they grow out of it when they mature. Checo, the op-amp analogy was a little much buddy.... OH ya also MTV has beeen doing this shit for AGES. Just b/c we dont agree with the music its doing it "with" now (Pop, HipHop, etc.. etc...etc. doesnt mean they are going to stop as so longg as a profit exists, and if wanting to make a profit, well ill be damned why am i in college. (EVIL LAFF) Muhahahah
Dude, that is exactly mine and neto's point. What neto was thinking about and put in his original post was "MTV knows that kids want to rebel. What if it is secretly controlling their rebellion?" That sounds a lot like your "they took an emerging popular trend and market that." And it works on Avril's and Madonna's point too. Avril didn't start as a pop punk singer. She was originally a country singer. She wanted to sing country, but they made her a pop punk singer because that's where the money was going. Because the direction the corporations were turning to was in marketting the "rebellious" youth.
Although I do have to disagree with you on Gwen Stephanie, She's not evolving, she is selling out. she sold her soul out a long time ago.
A good example of a evolving musician is Beck, he has kept his fan base, has not changed his music to what is "popular", and still makes videos in MTV. So he isn't afraid to put his face out there for a growing fanbase. Beck is a very good artist. whether people like him or not, he garners respect.
And Madonna, Madonna's been MTV's prostitute(before anyone takes offense for that, look up the word prostitute, there's more meanings than you think) for years, her main thing has been to make money off of her music, so I really can't say anything off of her.
And Carlos, you don't have to be in college to make a profit. Just ask Dave Thomas. He pwns you. And it works the other way around, you don't have to make a profit to make a good living either. Henry David Thoreau pwned us there.
Rennie i never said that you or Dave thomas or anybody for that matter had to be in college to make money, i said "IM" in college to make money
Sorry Typo i TOTALLY agree with the Gwen thing it was supposed to read "Gwen Stephanie who totaly and completly CHANGED her music did NOT EVOLVE."
Dave Thomas still pwns you.
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