If you paid any attention to Obama in May of 2012, then you probably know that Obama came out...in support of same sex marriage, that is. You can view one of many videos, here:
And what about the Broadway-Musical-Turned-Movie, RENT which documents the lives of Bohemians living in New York, struggling with poverty, love (in all forms) and HIV/AIDS.
Same sex relationships and the debate about same sex marriage has become so relavent in the past decade that it's almost impossible to not have discussed it. So what does all of this really mean? Why does it matter that Obama supports gay marriage, that Macklemore writes a song that solely focuses on supporting same sex marriage, or that musicals like RENT document the lives of those with HIV/AIDs in New York City? Well, the Pew Research Center breaks it all down pretty neatly, examining the blogosphere for signs of support or lack thereof for same sex marriage. While it's hard to know what an entire nation thinks, the internet has become a quite useful tool in conducting studies that involve polling the public for general consensuses, and Pew takes the issue of same sex marriage and does just that.
To do so, "PEJ used computer technology from the media monitoring firm Crimson Hexagon to identify the tone of the conversation on both Twitter and blogs."
According to PEJ, despite the fact that the amount of conversation about same sex marriage jumped 60% within just a few days following Obama's bold remarks, the actual general consensus about same sex marriage remained the same. In fact, PEJ reports that "on blogs, 40% of the conversation featured positive views of same-sex marriage, compared to 14% that was opposed and 45% that was neutral. The Twitter numbers were very similar-41% was positive, 16% was negative and 43% was neutral. Prior to Obama's interview, 40% of the statements were in favor compared to 16% opposed and 44% neutral. In the later period, those numbers were virtually identical-40% in favor, 14% opposed, and 46% neutral."
The majority of bloggers and tweeters fall in the pro-to-neutral category, and behind the computer screen, they're not afraid to say so. What about musicians? How do they feel?
Defying many of hip hop and rap norms, new and well-to-do Macklemore takes a stand in his song "Same Love" ft. Ryan Lewis in favor of same sex marriage and criticizing the right wing conservatives and Americans who do not support gay marriage as ignorant. He cites, "America the brave still fears what we don't know, and God loves all his children in somehow forgotten," hinting at the hypocrisy of the religious groups who preach equality for all of God's children, yet cannot accept those seeking marriage equality.
Though the song is filled with serious arguments against the narrow-minded anti-same sex marriage proponents, perhaps the line that resonates most deeply with me is this:
"when everyone is more comfortable remaining voiceless,
rather than fighting for humans that have had their rights stolen"
These are two powerful statements that really illustrate what musicians like Macklemore are truly capable of. One, Macklemore does not only take a stand in favor of same sex marriage, but does so publicly. In his music. In a genre that does not publicly support gay marriage. And the song still appears on the Billboard Top 100 charts... and even before its debut, the YouTube video had 30+ Million views!
So what do Twitter and Blogs and Macklemore all have in common? These are outlets, hip hop music and the internet, that are specific to our generation, my generation, generation Y. These are our outlets of expression that allow us to speak our minds, to be heard not only in America but around the world. We're not afraid to support same sex marriage, and a large percentage of us are simply neutral.
We, the Millennials, are speaking in the best way we know how. So listen up. Act up. Support Same Sex Marriage.
My friends and I attended the Macklemore concert in Atlanta during the Final Four and let me tell you this guy is rowdy. However, his performance of "Same Love" took a serious tone and when addressing the audience he made a statement along the lines that "same-sex rights are the biggest civil rights movement of our generation and it is up to us to take a stand."
ReplyDeleteIt was inspiring seeing thousands of college-aged kids singing along to the lyrics and I didn't notice any crude comments or behaviors.
Macklemore admits that as a child he thought he might be gay (because of his ability to draw and keep his room clean), but he is, in fact, straight. It is pretty courageous as a straight rapper to openly support being pro-gay.
http://www.chicagonow.com/music-mom/2013/03/is-macklemore-gay-funny-he-had-the-same-question-himself/
A book I read last summer called "Please Kill Me" is an oral-history of the punk rock movement. No it is not a book about people who commit suicide (although some did) but rather about the 60's and 70's rockers who are remembered for not giving a shit. Legendary rockers such as Lou Reed and David Bowie actually made it cool to be bi-sexual in their social circles-- yes as a way to seek pleasure but more symbolically as a way to flip off the man. It is really interesting to consider that gay was cool rather than something to be embarrassed about.
Like Macklemore, bands such as the Talking Heads and Dire Straits also had pro-gay songs early in their careers. However, as they emerged into stardom, they became less willing to advocate these issues. Could this be something to expect from Macklemore in his next album?
This is actually an issue I considered while I was writing my post. On one hand, it is quite bold to openly support the pro-same sex marriage movement as a highly publicized figure like Macklemore. However, it is even more bold to continue to project this message, or even actively pursue the cause. I personally think that Macklemore realizes the impact that his lyrics have had upon the same-sex marriage movement, and I truly hope that he continues to publicly advocate for same sex marriage openly, utilizing the immense power he has as an internationally recognized music figure. So ultimately, yes, I do think that Macklemore will continue to write lyrics like those of "Same Love" promotion same-sex marriage, and I hope that such songs are equally as well recepted.
ReplyDeleteYou pointed out that the Internet is a way to gauge public opinion. I wonder if the proliferation of the internet and social media, and the easy access of sharing opinions is actually shaping social norms and acceptance? I am not sure if it just seems that there has been a burst of acceptance of the gay community over the past few years because that is when I personally started becoming aware of things, or if my perceptions are backed up by actual changes; however, I feel that tools like Facebook must have had a huge impact. It’s like the “everybody’s doing it” phenomenon, but for actual good. Also, it resonated with me when you said, “these are outlets, hip hop music and the internet, that are specific to our generation, my generation, generation Y.” It shows that young people are probably more powerful than ever before to make change…as long as we don’t stay neutral.
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