C.D.’s, Lines, and Videotape: A Review of Music, Literature, T.V. and Movies
Benjamin T.
| Revision History | ||
|---|---|---|
| • February 1992 | Newspaper: Funded by Syracuse University students. | |
| The Alternative Orange: Vol. 1, No. 4 (pp. 5) | ||
| • August 27, 2000 | Webpage:  . | |
| DocBook XML (DocBk XML V3.1.3) from original. | ||
In the pursuit of mental stimulation, critical thought, and personal enjoyment I offer the following amateur reviews of some new and not so new venues of communication worth your time and money.
PUBLIC ENEMY: APOCALYPSE 91 THE ENEMY STRIKES BLACK
This fourth album from the dynamic combo of P.E. is something to keep your eardrums warm during the cold Syracuse winter. It amazes me how many people of all class and race backgrounds listen to P.E. (I heard “Cant Truss It” coming out of an unnamed White fraternity), but I wonder how many people really LISTEN (i.e., pay attention to the lyrics) to the powerful messages the this group has delivered to english speaking peoples across the globe.
APOCALYPSE 91 represents a continuation of thought provoking lyrics that started with IT TAKES A NATION OF MILLIONS (no comment on BUM RUSH…). P.E. deals both seriously and humorously with issues of racism and the white washing of history by European Americans (Cant Truss It, Get the Fuck Outta Dodge…). But APOCALYPSE 91 is also a serious, reflective self critique of the self destructive attitudes and behaviors that are crippling the revolutionary potential of the African American community (Night Train, 1 Million Bottle Bags…).
This fourth album unfortunately fails to deal with other aspects and groups of revolutionary struggle. While the African American community, like the white or Latino, maintains an offensive and threatening attitude towards homosexuals, P.E. does not lyrically act in solidarity with these oppressed brothers and sisters. It seems to me that as long as powerful and intelligent groups like P.E. fail to address this issue from a progressive viewpoint, peoples homophobic attitudes will not change. Another front that P.E. is soft on is their treatment of womyn, and as my close friend’ button says: IF YOU ARE DISSING THE SISTERS, YOU AIN’ FIGHTING THE POWER. The addition of Sister Souljah to P.E. could be a sign that the group is making room for a feminist critique of white and black patriarchy.
All in all, APOCALYPSE 91 is great for dancing, studying, or just thinking, and is well worth the investment.
LINES IN THE SAND: a short video documentary of the aftermath and implications of the Persian Gulf War.
This video, produced by Syracuse’ own Griffin-Wirth Associates, is an effective tool for deconstructing the national collective and individual perceptions of Operation Desert Storm, as portrayed by the mainstream media. As the documentary says, it wasn’ by accident that the “images of division, death, and defeat” were replaced by those of “military might, patriotism, and international acclaim for America”.
During the war, due to the deliberate and carefully censored process of the Pentagon, America was unable to see the images of human suffering that marked previous conflicts, like Vietnam or Panama. The images of Patriot missiles, smart bombs, and lively U.S. soldiers completely alienated the general public from the human cost of the war. This is why “Lines in the Sand” is essential as it serves as a link between the high-tec weapons and the crude destruction they levied on the people of Iraq and Kuwait.
The video makes this connection possible through powerful and telling interviews with the victims of the bombing, military experts who lambasted the overkill of the U.S. military campaign, and up to date analysis of the effects of a destroyed infrastructure- malnutrition, disease, and homelessness. Ed Griffith-Nolan, one of the first Americans into Iraq after the war, provides us with this up close view of Operation Desert Storm.
“Lines in the Sand” can serve as a tool for initiating discussion on the effects of the war and its overall validity, in the classroom, or in informal community settings. The video has been featured at the London Film Festival, and is being shown on PBS across the United States, in addition to other exposure on various cable and educational channels.
The video can be ordered through 168 Parkway Dr., Syracuse NY, 13207 for $21.95. In addition, the “Images of Conflict Workshop” kit can be ordered with the video for $37.95.
