Youth Radio - Topic: McCain

Two Youth Radio Election Watchers Speak Out

nishat — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 19:14:03 -0600

Mr. Alsobrook, 17

If Obama wins, we'll have the first African American president. If McCain wins, we'll have the first female vice president. But I'm not watching, because I already have my mind made up - I want Obama to win.

From watching the election, I think Democrats are fair and Republicans are greedy. When McCain was on 60 minutes, he asked why some people would work for others -- "if you're rich, you got it, why give it to others?". Why not?

Obama wants everyone to be on the same level .

And -- he's African American. He'll be the first, and it'll put me more inpired to do something that I thought I'd never be able to do.

Alaina Neal, 19

The election makes me nervous just because I can foresee problems happening with either a win or loss.

If there's a loss - I think there's going to be widespread anger within minority groups and that has the potential to be rioting and a lot of uproar. I think we kind of place everything in Obama. I can't see past him to the next candidate -- it's a once-in-my-lifetime opportunity and if it's gone, it's gone.

If it's a win, I think there's going to be an equal uproar from the people who are against minorities -- about how it was fixed. Our country is going to be in disarray.

If he wins, I hope he can do the best he can and it will be accepted - there's a lot of pressure on him.

Political Remix Video - The New Activism

mmacias — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 12:04:40 -0500

In order for this country to be a fully functioning democracy, with every citizen taking part, we need to have access to diverse and independent voices who are giving the public numerous sources of news, images, and ideas. This way everyone can make decisions that are based on a wide range of information. Unfortunately, the state of the current media infrastructure is as unstable and as the supposed “reconstruction” efforts in Iraq led by private contractors.

What we have now: conglomerated media outlets, very few media executives who are minorities, news that's influenced by corporate interests, and oppressive and criminalizing portrayals of minorities in media. So we really need media reform.

Citizens also need to be able to petition the government, as is there constitutional right. If we can't hold politicians accountable for their actions then there just going to get swept off their feet by lobbyists and run around giving out $850 billion dollar bailouts to banks and corporations. Wait...they already did that! So that means we aren't doing something right. What else can we do to hold government accountable, and who is going to do it?

One answer lies in the generation that has grown up with a TV in their living room and a computer at their desk, which is usually going to be people who identify as youth. These are people who know more about using Word and Google than they do about typewriters and library index cards. These “Digital Natives” are exposed to a culture that, for the last 50 years, has been about advertising, and manufacturing consent, and making money for corporations. But there's a way to reclaim awareness, declare your independence, and use this media against the powers that be. It's called: Political Remix.

Political Remix can be, and already is, a critical tool for youth and activists. When you Remix you take a piece of pop culture media and you change it in a way that creates new media that represents your culture or times. The end product could be an homage, a critique, a satire, a parody, etc. Remember: remix is not confined to one medium, you can remix anything.

You may concerned about the legality of this act, especially because of the stream of negative rhetoric coming from corporations telling you its illegal to take copyrighted material and use it for your own purposes. However, thanks to the revolutionary documents this country was founded on we are free to "appropriate" copyrighted material as long as we follow some guidelines. These are called Fair Use Laws. [Please Google this right now and learn more about it. Also, look up Lawrence Lessig, intellectual property, and the Fair Use Remix Institute (FURI)]

Remix has always been part of history. Poets, artists, and writers have "recycled" bits and pieces from past history to create new culture. Remix, when used creatively, can be a very powerful weapon. It can challenge corporate media and break the stereotypical molds that advertisements create for youth. But most importantly, remix is one way to take part, fully, in this democracy. This country can't function as it was meant to if there are no voices that can speak out against injustices.

One recent example of how Remix is being used to hold politicians accountable is the piece called “So You Think You Can Be President” by digital artist and activist Jonathan McIntosh. The piece uses footage from the presidential debates and the reality TV show “So You Think You Can Dance” and creates a new reality TV show where the presidential candidates compete for the public's vote and have to listen to judges' reactions.

Here's the piece “So You Think You Can Be President”:

You can check out more of Jonathan McIntosh's work. He also keeps a blog about the best remixes on the web.

Catching the Obama Bug

caitlin — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 18:22:42 -0500

As someone who's not a very political person, I have to admit that Obama is getting me excited. My parents are adamantly for Obama, and they can't wait to vote Democratic in the November Elections. My dad has rushed home from work numerous times to catch the debates on time, and my mom rambles on about political issues. And it's not just them -one of my friends has an Obama sticker on her car's steering wheel, along with any other Obama accessory you could think of, and another one debates with her Republican dad every time they're together. But nothing about Obama's policies, or even politics in general, has ever reached out and grabbed me.

That is, until a few days ago.

Ever since I've started watching Obama videos on YouTube, and really listening to what he had to say during the debates, I've gotten really excited about Obama. Perhaps it's because I live in such a liberal area and I'm surrounded by Democrats all day every day, but Obama's speeches and videos and words do something for me. When he quotes documents like the Constitution, that have been around for centuries, and when he talks about his family, I feel happy. What he says makes my heart beat fast and makes me excited for the future. It's a feeling I can't put my finger on, and I think it's hope.

I guess I've caught the bug.

More on Obama and Hope:

MSNBC: Obama seen as "hope of entire world" by Nation of Islam Minister Louis Farrakhan: Click Here
Vimeo: Vote for Hope-Obama '08 Video: Click Here
The Press Association: Obama's last push for the presidency: Click Here

Obama Delivering on Hope

caitlin — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 19:20:47 -0500

Throughout Obama's campagin, hope has been the headline of his ideas. I see an average of 5,432,980 shirts a day with the word "HOPE" printed under Obama's face. But what does he mean by "hope"? Is no hope at all better than false hope? Studies show that prisoners who are sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole are generally happier and more successful than those who have a chance for parole, most likely because they know they have to make the most of it. Does hope just make people lazy?

As Obama told New York Times reporter Michael Powell “Hope is not blind optimism.” Pause. “Hope is not sitting on the sidelines or shirking from a fight.” Pause. “Hope is that thing inside of us that insists, despite all the evidence to the contrary, that there is something greater inside of us.”

Hope is not just assessing a situation for what it is, but assessing it for what it can be. That is the flagship of Obama's campaign. This is also a major theme in many religions, especially Christianity, from which Obama hails. Hope and finding happiness is also a cornerstone of Buddhism. In fact, the primarily Buddhist country of Bhutan measures its "Gross National Happiness", much like America measures Gross National Product. Perhaps Obama hopes for a new America that is centered around happiness and success measured by the people rather than by the economy.

Obama's ideology of hope was first recognized when he gave a speech addressing the Democratic National Convention in 2004.

"Do we participate in a politics of cynicism or a politics of hope? John Kerry calls on us to hope. John Edwards calls on us to hope. I'm not talking about blind optimism here -- the almost willful ignorance that thinks unemployment will go away if we just don't talk about it, or the health care crisis will solve itself if we just ignore it. No, I'm talking about something more substantial. It's the hope of slaves sitting around a fire singing freedom songs; the hope of immigrants setting out for distant shores; the hope of a young naval lieutenant bravely patrolling the Mekong Delta; the hope of a millworker's son who dares to defy the odds; the hope of a skinny kid with a funny name who believes that America has a place for him, too. Hope in the face of difficulty. Hope in the face of uncertainty. The audacity of hope!"

From this speech and idea came Obama's popular book The Audacity of Hope. Obama's promise of hope has spanned from books to speeches to campaign slogans, and he has built up enthusiasm and optimism in the American people: an idea which has especially inspired young people. In doing this, Obama has set himself up both for success and failure. His promises of hope could help him win the election, but if he wins and fails to deliver all he has pledged, the American people will be very let down. Part of this has been built up even more by celebrities and advocaters of the Senator. Artists such as Will.i.am and John Legend produced the song "Yes We Can", with lyrics overlapping words from Obama's speeches:

But to either affirm his success or failure, Obama must first get into the White House, and we'll see how that goes on November 4th.