Miss Rotten's Roar

>^..^<

Wednesday, June 12, 2002

I haven't updated this little thing in AGES. I'm at the library and getting a wee bit bored is my only inclination to do so now. I'm going to check out a book called Shades of Simon Gray by Joyce MacDonald, and later go to some thrift stores.

MeoW

.: posted by Aqua 1:50 PM

Thursday, March 14, 2002

I wrote this essay for my English class.

Unjust laws can only serve to inhibit the truly noteworthy people. Ralph Waldo Emerson said that laws do not make a difference to true heroes. Emerson is fully justified in his claims.

History serves to back up Emerson’s views on heroes. In Thomas Jefferson’s time, writing the Declaration of Independence was a violation of British law. Britain was the ruler of America at the time Jefferson penned the document. Jefferson’s writings led to the beginning of the Revolutionary War. A war would seem to be a significant price to pay for the supposed breaking of the law; however, to free America from British tyranny, Jefferson chanced breaking British law and became quite the hero for it. Art history is also useful in supporting Emerson’s statement. Russian abstract painter, Wassily Kandinsky was continually forced to flee his residencies due to governmental disapproval. He fled his home country after the Russian Revolution, because the new leaders loathed his artwork. However he fled to Germany, and shortly thereafter, Hitler came into power and forced Kandisky to flee yet again – this time, to Paris. Although Kandinsky was running from various governments, he still created masterpieces of abstract art. A London critic hailed his work as “pure visual magic.”

However, Emerson’s statement does not only apply to political figures and artists; it can also serve to describe common people. Often, to accomplish goals, one must bend rules and regulations. Influential groups and individuals in any given community are often given inexplicable leeway. Mumia Abu-Jamal is no longer a “common man,” but he once was. He was an African-American radio journalist accused of killing a Philadelphia police officer. A large number of people still hold that he was innocent of this charge. The only law he broke was being an African-American with a public voice. Now, Abu-Jamal is on death row, but in many underground, radical cultures, he could be considered a hero of sorts.

Laws, rules, and regulations are means to an end. Heroes must sometimes bend these laws to accomplish heroic feats. As Jello Biafra said on a spoken word, “If evolution is outlawed, only the outlaws will evolve.”

.: posted by Aqua 10:29 PM

The following is a column I wrote for the Dispatch.

The radio station has a new slogan — “98.7 the Zone, not your little sister’s station.” This is the same station formerly known as “The Point.” The difference is 98.7 no longer plays pop music, such as Britney Spears.

Now it focuses on mainstream alternative with an emphasis on mid ’90s groups such as Hootie and the Blowfish. This format change pleases me, though it wasn’t meant to.

Simply put, 98.7 changed its format to attract people aged 18 to 35. I, being 16, am supposed to be a fan of pop or of “nu-metal,” such as Linkin Park. However, I got into alternative in Hootie’s heyday and am already nostalgic.

In 1998, 94.5 “The Rock Alternative” underwent a format change. It became “The Rock Station.” As “The Rock Alternative,” it touched on lesser-known acts, as well as popular alternative rock. However, the change had to made, it said, to attract men age 18 to 35. I remember that station executives said it was because men in this age group could purchase station memorabilia more reliably.

Later, 94.5 “The Rock Station” switched frequencies with Whistle 100 so it could have access to the syndicated John Boy and Billy Big Morning Show. Now the 94.5 I once loved is 100.3 “The Buzzard.” It plays classic rock, which if the truth be known, I really enjoy.

My personal enjoyment, however, is not the issue at hand. The point is that demographics, rather than quality, rule the dial. At least for major radio stations, this is true.

College radio stations, on the other hand, generally show more variety. Disc jockeys on 90.9 WQFS — Guilford College radio — basically are allowed to choose anything they wish to play on the air. With freedoms such as these, you may tune in to hear anything from punk rock to bluegrass on a typical Saturday evening.

For this simple reason, college radio stations should be equipped with stronger signals. Many of these stations have such weak signals that one can only listen to them when in the same town as the college. Others such as WQFS have wider signal ranges, but still do not extend more than perhaps 50 miles in circumference. Major stations tend to be in range for at least 100 miles from their source.

It is diversity that leads to quality. Major radio stations either have not realized this, or are too greedy to live by it. Thus, there are country stations, hip-hop stations, ’80s stations, and so on. Every station specializes in a particular style.

All this specialization amounts to is an effort to attract a certain demographic. Quality and diversity are thrown to the wind, and many listeners simply end up bored.

.: posted by Aqua 10:09 PM

Sigh. I think I'm burning out. I found out I didn't get accepted into Governor's School. I didn't get to visit Edna when I was at the rest home. She's such a sweet lady. I have to write an essay and make a poster tonight.

.: posted by Aqua 9:13 PM

Wednesday, March 13, 2002

This one will be long. It's a rant I wrote today

Tied into inherent, underlying roles, even I change my words. It's not popular to say that feminism is still relevant in our culture. It's not popular to say that roles have evolved but not changed. It's true though -- less is still expected of women's abilities. On average, a woman would have to get a graduate degree to EQUAL the income of a male high school dropout! Disturbing, isn't it? Women's income is still viewed as secondary.

I listen to music, and while Eminem himself doesn't bother me, it's scary that so many people believe in his message of misogyny. He is a symptom of our sexist culture. There is a quiz online called "Are you a militant feminist?" but the quiz is such that, if you are reasonable at all, you are at least 50% militant feminist. The only way to avoid this label, is to select that you wear painful high heeled shoes and mini skirts. What stereotypes! Or is the quiz attempting to bash stereotypes by proliferating them? If the latter is the case, the writers are irresponsible and ill-infromed. Proliferating stereotypes, even with the best of intentions, only serves to enforce them.

Women are still expected to be in lesser positions, and in some sense, serve men. We're expected to look a certain way, dress a certain way, act a certain way. Women are expected to make up their faces, dress revealingly, and above all, be passive -- ALL FOR THE PLEASURE OF MEN!

Doesn't this seem ridiculous?

.: posted by Aqua 4:55 PM

Tuesday, March 12, 2002

Bah. Ebay is so disconcerting. My friend, Tabitha, wanted me to look up the methods you can go about buying things from them.

.: posted by Aqua 8:37 PM

Once and Again showed a great episode on ABC last night. In it, Jessie finds out her friend, Katie, is a lesbian. The episode showed how Jessie initially reacted and then changed the way she felt about it. They kissed near the end of the show. I don't want to go into a complete summary in case they do rerun it. However, they are talking about cancelling Once and Again which I think is really sad. It's one of the best shows on TV. Whenever it explores an issue there is depth and thought involved. It's not some flighty, brainless excuse of a TV show.