Waiting on the world...

In class we discussed whether or not celebrities should be able to use their status to promote social issues. I was listening to John Mayer's song Waiting on the World to Change, and it got me thinking about this point.

The whole song is a political message. Mayer talks about how his generation, my generation, takes a bad rap for not trying to do anything about all of the problems we face today.

One way to read the text of the song is to say that the song itself is a signifier of the way our generation lives and our beliefs. It signifies Mayer's belief that we cannot do our part unless those ahead of us are willing to cooperate.

The music video reinforces this reading. It also has some added features. The whole video is shot in black and white. I think this is reflective of Mayer's mood. He is disappointed and frustrated with how things are right now. However, the actual instrumental part of the song is upbeat. This shows that Mayer is hopeful that things can change.

The video also says that our generation has a different way of expressing ourselves. Rather than just speaking out, the people were spray painting their messages on billboards where they would get more attention.

One particular line in the song, fits in perfectly with what we discussed in Mass Media and Society:

And when you trust your television
What you get is what you got
Cause when they own the information, oh
They can bend it all they want

In this verse, Mayer is referring to two key issues. First, that the media industry is owned by five or six powerhouse companies including Disney, Time Warner, and News Corporation. With so few people controlling what we see, we are not given as many different viewpoints or as much information.

Mayer's point about bending information ties in with O'Shaughnessy and Stadler's idea that one of the ways media works is to construct and re-present reality. A majority of what people know they did not experience first hand. A lot was provided to them through media.
If our only knowledge of Afghanistan is what we see on television or in the news, we only know what those in charge of the media felt was important for us to know. Our idea of the reality of Afghanistan is going to be very different from the idea of reality of someone who has been to Afghanistan.

People have to be cautious of the media for several reasons. When newspapers or television shows are trying to make money, they won't necessarily show what's important. They will show what sells. Therefore, people have to be a little questioning of the media. If they take everything they see to be truth, they will have a very distorted idea of reality.

Also, there are many different readings for any text. People need to understand that not everyone see things in the same way.