Final Blog

In my first blog post I said; “We as people need change and protests are one of many ways in which to spur on such change.” I still believe with this statement, for every protest we have talked about in class has tried to initiate some sort of change. PETA for example tried to change people’s views about animal rights, Fahrenheit 9/11 tried to change people’s views about George Bush and the Iraq War, and so on.

In my blog I also said that “I believe that no matter how big or small a protest may be, what really matters is the amount of change that it perpetuates.” This is another statement that I found this class to reaffirm. For example, Critical Mass and The Yes Men are two forms of protests that are completely different but still effective. Critical Mass consists of thousands and thousands of people from all over the world who have so many different views. Many of them want more people to use bikes and stop driving cars, many are protesting for more bike lanes, and many are just having fun. No matter what their motives, it is still considered a protest. The Yes Men, on the other hand, consists of only two people. They both believe that the World Trade Organization is terrible and their protests focus on uncovering the organizations’ dirty truths. Each of these protests are completely different but they are effective in their own way. That’s why I think it is so hard to define a protest- because they come in so many shapes and sizes.

Protest Song

For my protest song, I chose “Be the Change that You Want to See” by Kat Edmonson, who is a local Austin artist. I had never heard of her before, but this song came on the radio the other day and I really liked it. I looked up her music video on myspace and it is also really interesting The title of this song alone is similar to the quote by Mahatma Gandhi that says “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” First of all, Gandhi definitely classifies as a protester for peace and change, and that quote is even on the front page of the website for our class!

In her song, Kat is protesting for people to take a stand and do something about all the troubles we see. It’s so easy to notice a problem (which a lot of people do) but more people need to start doing something about all the problems. Her music video consists of a bunch of images of people who are all different ages, genders and races each holding up a cardboard sign with something they believe written on it. Some of the quotes say “stand for change,” “empower ordinary people to do extraordinary things,” “paint the white house green,” “talk to our enemies,” “keep an open mind,” and so on. There are over thirty different quotes on cardboard each with something that we should strive for to make our world a better place. Kat’s song is a great example of a protest song because it tells you over and over again what she is protesting; which is to quite standing around and watch as bad things happen, but to take action and get involved and do something to help our society.

Ann Coulter and Michael Moore

I consider Moore to be more of a protester than Coulter. He focuses on certain issues, like Columbine, 9/11 and so on and makes a statement about them, protesting his ideas. Coulter’s arguments, on the other hand, are solely based on personal attacks against the Democratic Party. In Fahrenheit 9/11, Moore edits his documentary in a way that makes Bush seem like a complete idiot and how the war with Iraq never should have happened. In doing so, he is protesting against the presidency and the war. His arguments are persuasive because he has so much physical evidence- from documents to film clips to interviews- regarding the topic.

I think the reason for their popularity and American support is based primarily on the fact that they are so extreme and one of a kind. There are people who make political documentaries like Moore, or extreme republican’s like, Coulter- but it’s their style and just something interesting about them that makes them so intriguing. For example, I don’t believe anything Coulter says, but I liked listening to her because I was interested in seeing what ridiculous thing she would say next and how defensive she would be in saying it. Moore is also popular because he is so extreme and even if you don’t believe in what he says, he does a very good job at making some interesting arguments. They both have completely different tactics, but since they are unlike so many other political figures, it’s hard not to find them fascinating!

Ann Coulter

I honestly don’t know how Ann Coulter has made such a big impact on the media. I think her arguments are weak, and I don’t understand how anyone can support someone who is so defensive and mean. Everything anyone says she just laughs off, pretending like it doesn’t get to her. In doing so, she maintains her insensitive and ruthless image. If I was a republican I would be embarrassed to have someone like her on my side!

First of all, I think she is terrible at debating. All she does is directly attack others; like John Edwards, Hilary Clinton’s legs, and the widow’s from 9/ll. Second, she is really rude. She doesn’t let anyone get a word in edgewise and then she just laughs at them. Then, when she says things like how the widows from 9/ll were happy about their husbands death, its ridiculous! Who could believe such a statement? Obviously these women were extremely grief-stricken, and by saying these things she comes off as completely heartless. Her arguments are also very fallacious. For example, Al Franken directly disputed one of the statements in her book by proving that one of her quotes was taken completely out of context. Not only is Ann a heartless person, but this proves how her arguments aren’t even valid. What I want to know is why we give someone like Ann Coulter so much undeserved media attention?