This video explores the rise in youth activism and politically conscious music.  The host, George  Stroumboulopoulos, speaks to us from the protests in Quebec City which took place during the Summit of the Americas on April 21-22 of this year.  Tens of thousands of citizens joined in protests against the Free Trade Area of the Americas, which thirty-four heads of state from North and South America met to negotiate.

The following questions and activities are based on the order in which information is presented in the video.  The activities included here cover three different types of questions and assignments: basic review questions on information that is presented in the video; questions which deal with issues or events requiring further research; and assignments which require personal reflection on the issues being explored.  You may wish to view the video, or sections of it, more than once. 

The activities included here are only suggestions.  You may wish to adapt these for the students in your class.  Some of the questions might be best addressed in small group discussions or in a form of classroom debate; you may wish to extend others to include specific actions or participation in a campaign.  Obviously, it is important to use those activities that best suit the students and the curriculum. 

QUESTIONS:

1. The title and part of the soundtrack for this video come from a song by Public Enemy called “Fight the Power”.  Examine the lyrics to this song.  Explain why the title is an appropriate choice for this video.

2. A number of images at the beginning of “Fight the Power” come from the video “Testify” by Rage Against the Machine.  Based on the lyrics and images shown here, what impression do you receive about the ideology of this band?  What are some of the issues they address through their music?   How do these images contribute to the message of “Fight the Power”?

3. According to The Popular Culture Reader, popular culture is defined as “mainstream culture — the arts, artifacts, entertainments, fads, beliefs and values shared by large segments of society.”

a) Bono of U2 states that popular culture can change the world.  Do you agree?  Assess the power of popular culture and music as tools of transformation or change.  What is the nature of this transformation?  Is it political?  Social?  Personal?  Give examples to support your answer.

4. In the first segment of the video, a number of musicians such as Bono, KRS One, Jonny Greenwood and Jello Biafra offer their opinion on the role of the artist in our society today. 

a) What are their reasons for creating music that is politically charged and for becoming active in political and social causes? 

b) To what extent does a band’s political ‘statement’ or ideology matter to you as a fan?   Do the reasons offered in question a)  influence your consumer habits (that is whether you would buy or listen to someone’s  music)?  Do those reasons influence whether you would become active in political or social causes yourself?  Explain.

5. a)  In one segment of the video, we see Ralph Nader of the Green Party in the U.S. delivering a speech.  He states that, “If you’re not turned on to politics, politics will turn on you.” Explain how you interpret Nader’s comment.

b) Nader’s speech is followed by a scene from the protests in Quebec City, where thousands of people are being tear-gassed by the police. What do his words suggest about what happened at the Summit of the Americas in Quebec City?

6. The host of the video, George Stroumboulopoulos of the New Music, speaks to us from the protest in Quebec City which took place during the Summit of the Americas on April 21-22 this year.  Tens of thousands of citizens joined in protests against the Free Trade Area of the Americas, which thirty-four heads of states from North and South America met to negotiate.  He explains that he is in Quebec “because a rise in social activism with youth means a rise in politically conscious and socially charged music.” 

a) In your opinion, are we experiencing a rise in social activism among youth today?  Offer evidence to support your opinion. To what extent have you witnessed a rise in politically charged music?  Are the bands or musicians interviewed in the video ‘rare’ examples or is this kind of music becoming more popular with youth?  Give reasons to support your answer.

7. There was a great deal of controversy over the media coverage of the Summit of the Americas and the protests in Quebec City. What do you know about these events?  Where does your knowledge come from?  What impressions did you receive from the media?  How is your impression of the Summit and the protest influenced by the images you see in “Fight the Power”?

(See below for extension activities on the FTAA, and the media coverage of the Summit and the protests.)

8.  The video footage of the protest in Quebec is based on the conventions of documentary filmmaking.  How does this kind of filmmaking convey a sense of reality?  (Consider the use of on-camera testimonial footage, unscripted dialogue, use of real people, etc.)

9. At several places in the video, there is a juxtaposition of images as the screen is divided into two or more sections.  Select one sequence and examine it closely.  What effect is created through the presentation of the images in this sequence?  How do the images work together to convey a message about music, youth activists and the protest in Quebec City?  Are there certain elements that are more powerful for you than others?  Why?  Compare your interpretation of this sequence with that of your peers.

10. Several artists talk about the music that has influenced them and encouraged them to become politically active.  Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine says of the Clash and Public Enemy: “not only did I learn things from them, but they also helped me feel part of a larger community and helped give me courage in my own struggles.”  For several youth interviewed at the protests in Quebec, the music of Rage Against the Machine and Radiohead has been an important influence in their lives. 

a) Describe specific examples of music that you think can give people courage in a variety of situations.  Explain whether or not music has ever given you courage in dealing with struggles in your own life.  Why do you think music plays that kind of role for you?

b) Listen to the music, read the lyrics, and if possible watch the videos of several of the artists who are interviewed in the first section of the video.  Discuss the ways in which these artists might give courage to social activists today.  Explain whether or not you personally find their music inspiring or courageous.     

11. Speaking about the role of music in our society, Chuck D of Public Enemy says that, “mainstream media supports a government doctrine of opinion to the people, whereas music comes with a lot of opinions that give people a choice.”

a) Is Chuck D right?  What doctrine — or belief — do you think mainstream media support?  Consider the influence of such factors as media ownership and control, sources of revenue, and sources of news and information.

b) Does music give people a choice in terms of opinions and beliefs?  Are these opinions and beliefs different than what is presented in the mainstream media?  Explain your response with examples.

12. Jello Biafra states,  “Chuck D said ages ago about “Public Enemy”:  ‘We are the real CNN’ and I’m glad so many artists are taking this seriously.”  

a) CNN stands for Cable News Network, a 24 hour, mainstream, commercial television network owned by AOL Time Warner.  Given this context, what is significant about Jello Biafra’s statement?  Investigate the song lyrics and the issues addressed by several of the artists interviewed here.  In what ways might these artists be considered the “real” CNN? 

13. Several artists in the second section of the video are concerned about mixing politics and music.  List several reasons why some musicians think that politics and music don’t mix.  Do you think these reasons are valid?  Why or why not? 

14. On music and politics:

-James Dean Bradfield of the Manic Street Preachers suggests that some artists will only attach themselves to a cause if it is “fashionable”

-Martin C-Perna of Antibalas says, “everyone can go out and make kind of vain music, and then say ‘I’m about unity too’, but that’s not their group, that’s not why they started playing the music….”

-Bono says that, “when celebrities open their mouths about political issues I get nervous.”

a) What do these statements suggest about the credibility of some musicians who become involved in social or political causes? 

b) Why do you think Bono gets “nervous” when celebrities speak about political issues when he has done so himself? 

c) What, in your opinion, would make a celebrity involved in social or political causes credible or worthy of respect? 

15. Speaking about taking a political stand, Dylan Fusils of Antibalas says:  “A lot of people seem to be, regardless of their ideals, …kind of scared to speak out, kind of afraid to stand up for themselves and what they believe in because they see people around them being crucified in the media.  Everyone’s got this feeling, everybody’s looking over their shoulder, ‘don’t step out of line or they’ll come and get you.’”

Kinnie Starr says: “Politics primarily is also about the discovery of personal strength.” 

a) Discuss whether or not you agree with these statements.  Are they true only for musicians, or do they apply to people in general?

b) Is it possible for music to play the kind of political role that Kinnie Starr describes?  That is, can it help people discover a personal strength that allows them to take a stand on social or political issues?  Give examples from your own experience to support your answer. 

16. In the final section of the video, George Stroumboulopoulos states that the resurgence of youth activism is being represented in music.  It is clear from this video that today, many artists have become involved themselves in a number of social and political movements.  Some of these movements are based on issues or concerns related to:   Jubilee 2000, the plight of  garment workers, united farm workers, FTAA,  Zapatistas etc. 

Select one or two of the examples mentioned in the video, and using relevant periodicals and websites, conduct some research to learn more about the issues involved.   

Summarize your findings.  What are the key concerns at stake here?  What recommendations would you make for people who want to become involved in this movement?  What action would you be willing to take?   

17.  Ralph Nader says that “music has played a great role in struggles for justice throughout history.”  According to Naomi Klein, what roles are artists assuming today?  How is this different from what artists did in the sixties and in the eighties?  Consider the example of Radiohead and their “No Sponsor” tour, or Propagandhi participating in and performing at the Quebec protest.  In your opinion, how effective are these kinds of actions in the struggle for justice?

18.  “At various times, it wasn’t the politicians that actually stood up to the events but actually the people.  People are pissed off.  They want things to change for the better for people who have nothing.” Bono of U2

“I think it’s the responsibility for each of us, not just myself, I’m not special… I have opportunities that other people don’t have, I have a stage to stand on and a microphone to speak into, but I see those as opportunities, more than responsibilities, because my responsibility is simply that [of] a human.”  Ani Defranco

“All musicians need to be responsible.  There’s no such thing as neutral. That’s what everybody’s got to realize.” Martin C-Perna of Antibalas

Discuss your responses to each of the above quotations.  In light of these statements, what role do you think musicians should play in political and social activism?  Offer reasons for your answer.  Do you think your reasons apply only to musicians or to other people with some kind of celebrity?  How do you respond to Defranco’s statement that social activism is everyone’s responsibility because we are human?  What role are you willing to play?  Write a reflection in which you explore your responses to these questions and your own feelings about social and political activism.

EXTENSION ACTIVITIES:

19.  The Summit of the Americas

“When you can’t control people by force and when the voice of the people can be heard, you have this problem.  It may make people so curious and so arrogant that they don’t have the humility to submit to a civil rule and therefore you have to control what they think.  And the standard way to do this is to resort to what in more honest days used to be called propaganda.  Manufacture of consent.  Creation of necessary illusions.  Various ways of either marginalizing the general public or reducing them to apathy in some fashion.” 
(American dissident Noam Chomsky)

“The media salivate when they talk about Quebec City and the probability of violence, with the result that the positive views for global changes get put aside.”
(Barry Zwicker, Canadian journalist and media critic)

Many media critics agree that the coverage of the Summit of the Americas provides an excellent case study for the manufacture of consent in the mainstream press for support of the Summit meeting and the condemnation of the protesters.  Investigate the media coverage of these events closely using the questions below as a guide.  Following your investigation, discuss the ways in which the above statements by Barry Zwicker and Noam Chomsky apply to your findings. 

-Who is quoted?  Who is left out? 

-What is the main message?  What facts are present to support it?  Who benefits if this message is accepted?  Who loses?

-How much information is available?  What information do you need that is missing?

-What events are covered?  What coverage did the parallel (alternative) conference called the People’s Summit receive (sponsored by the Hemispheric Social Alliance and its Canadian counterpart Common Frontiers)?

-What visuals have been included?  What do they suggest about the events and the people involved in them?

b) Summarize your findings.  What reasons can you offer for the coverage we have and have not received?   What effect do you think news coverage has had on our perceptions of the Summit and the protesters? 

c) What can you learn from alternative media sources (characteristically independent and non-profit) that you cannot learn from mainstream media coverage?  Consult such websites as www.indymedia.org; www.nologo.org, and www.straightgoods.com  and compare your findings with the information you gathered from the mainstream media.  Account for any differences you discover. 

(These same questions can be applied to the coverage of the G8 meeting in Genoa, and the alternative Genoa Social Forum, both of which took place in July of this year.)  

20. Conduct your own investigation into the FTAA and why it became the focus for the protest in Quebec City.   To investigate the concerns of the protestors and civil society groups, consult websites for groups such as the Council of Canadians (www.canadians.org), and Common Frontiers (www.web.net/comfront/).  To learn about the position of several government leaders and their position on the FTAA, consult the website for the Business Council on National Issues www.bcni.com/ and the website for the FTAA itself (a web search will bring up several relevant sites).  Consider the following questions:

·        what is the main purpose of the FTAA?
·        what are some of the key areas that this agreement covers?
·        why do many business and government leaders believe that the 
         agreement is a positive one? 
·        why are many civil society groups opposed to this agreement?  
         What are their key concerns? 
·        why did so many groups and individuals believe that a protest was
         necessary in Quebec?

Summarize the insights you have gained from your research.  Based on what you have learned from this exercise, do civil society groups have valid concerns?  Why or why not?  How much of this information was available in mainstream media coverage?  How did the mainstream media coverage shape your perception of the FTAA and the protest?  Explain your answers with examples from your research.

Written by Carolyn Wilson:
Carolyn Wilson is a teacher, author and President of the Association for Media Literacy in Ontario, Canada. Carolyn teaches Media Literacy and English at St. Michael Secondary School in Stratford, Ontario and is the co-author of the best selling text book, Mass Media and Popular Culture, Version 2. She recently developed an interdisciplinary global education program that includes a billeting experience in the Dominican Republic and a volunteer placement with a local social service agency. She has written about and given workshops on such topics as global studies and the media, corporate sponsorship in education, gender representation in the media and communications technology.