Homelessnes in America

Homelessness is a serious problem in America. The song Moments (by Emerson Drive) was written to show us that homeless people are just like everyone else. They have dreams, problems, and families just like us. Sadly, homeless people across the country are being criminalized simply for being poor. However, there are better ways to deal with homelessness.

The Meanest Cities is an article published in America, a national weekly magazine that publishes articles about the relationship between Catholic teaching and American politics and cultural life.  The magazine was first published by the American Jesuits in 1909 and now has a circulation of about 45,000 readers. The Jesuits still publish and maintain the magazine today. The Meanest Cities is an article that deals with how cities handle the issue of homelessness. I believe that the Jesuits offer a great argument into why cities should make a greater effort to help people move out of homelessness, rather than criminalizing them.

This system  of helping the homeless involves using “constructive alternative to criminalization.” These alternative methods, such as the nonprofit Task Force for Ending Homelessness based in Broward Country, Fl., help people move out of the condition of being homeless rather than criminalizing them.  The teams’ role is to inform chronically homeless individuals of available social services and encouraging their use. Since the program began five years ago, it is estimated that there have been 2,400 fewer arrests annually. This example proves that not only is the author’s solution presented as feasible and practical, but that it is actually already being used and has worked for the past 5 years in parts of the country.

Overall, I believe that the Jesuits offer a great argument into why cities should make a greater effort to help people move out of homelessness, rather than criminalizing them. They appeal to the reader’s emotions, they give concrete examples, and lastly they provide not only a solution, but one that has been working, as opposed to the current broken system.

Just how effective are they?

Songs such as Rebecca Black's "Friday" are controversial in the terms of their effectiveness. People listen to songs for various reasons like the fact that they really do like the song, or it could be to laugh or poke fun at it. Regardless of the reason the song is having an effect on its audience. Which effect is this though? For those of us who truly like the song we become fans of Rebecca Black and support her music by buying her albums and going to her concerts; however for those of us who do not like the song, but simply watch it to have a laugh, we too are supporting her. Through our use of her as entertainment, her popularity grows (i.e. her appearance in Katy Perry's song Last Friday Night - TGIF) and more people tune in. It is for this reason that you can deem songs such as "Friday" as being highly effective and profitable.

Now to mix in politics. How many times would you tune out a politician if they made you laugh? Odds are if a politician can grab your attention, through whichever means (i.e. Obama fist bumping with his wife) and for whatever purpose (i.e. to get them in office), once they have your attention you are going to listen. Notice the number of young people who voted for Obama - I bet his image of being "cool" helped him attract youth who didn't want "just some old guy" who is in office.

It doesn't matter if you laugh at them because you think of them as a joke, if they cause you to look at a certain issue in a different way, or if what they say causes you to vote for them - they have just had an effect on you. All three of these outcomes will boost the popularity of the politician, thus potentially making them more effective because now a wider audience is listening to what he/she has to say.

This leaves us asking the question: "What does this type of media say about us?"

It says that we allow for our emotions and personal feelings toward someone dictate how we act. Are we going to watch the music video because we think her voice is funny and ignore the lyrics? Are we going to vote for the politician because he made us laugh?

People need to come to their own discernment about what they believe in and not allow for a catchy tune or a joke decide for them.

Proud to be an American: 9/11 Tribute

Patriotism is a great freedom we have in our country. In some parts of the world, it is forced upon citizens, but in America, we have the choice to be patriotic. Many artists choose to show their patriotism through songs like “Proud to be an American,” “America the Beautiful,” “God Bless America,” and “The Star-Spangled Banner.” These songs are meant to connect people not only to their country, but also to each other, through patriotism. The love of one’s country moves people to do the extraordinary, such that of the actions seen on 9/11 and the months and years after.

Tuesday, September  11th, 2001 is a day that will live infamy in the hearts of Americans. On this day, a series of coordinated attacks on the United States were carried out by 19 al-Qaeda terrorists, who hijacked four passenger airplanes. Two of these jets were intentionally crashed Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, the third into the Pentagon, and the last one crashed into a field near Shanksville Pennsylvania, when passengers attempted to fight back against the terrorist. These passengers were in my opinion the first counter-strike against terrorism made by Americans as a result of 9/11. 

Patriotism can be used as a political device to rally people for pro-government movements, such as The Patriotic Act. The Patriot Act increased the government’s power significantly. It allows for the government to spy on its own people, detain terror suspects indefinitely, and increases the president’s power during peacetime. I am not saying that the Patriot Act is a result of patriotic songs, however, it is my opinion that the Patriot Act was passed because of the actions that occurred on 9/11 and was only fueled by America’s patriotism. 

The Intersection of Music and Politics

Music and politics collide on various levels. Music can be used to push political agendas. If artists write songs about political and social issues such as lesbian/gay relationships, poverty, or a political party, then these songs become a vehicle for political activism.  If the government was to limit what artists could write and sing about then the music industry would become nothing more than a government controlled broadcast that forces it's listeners to receive a bias message. It is for this reason that the music industry must be free from government control. Thankfully, due to  freedom of speech, artists are able to express their thoughts freely. For example, The Black Eyed Peas were able to point out various issues that they found were wrong with the world, especially in the United States, through their song, "Where is the love?" This song pointed out political and social issues such as racism, poverty, and political secrets. Two other examples are Obamagirl and Iman. Through their songs "Crush on Obama" and 
"(OBAMA - Whatever I Like)" these artists were able to show their support of President Obama.