iMedia: Dumb it Down

I'm not sure how to include my video in this post other than posting a link to it right here (it wasn't on YouTube because of copyright issues)....

Lupe Fiasco - Dumb it Down
[Also, sorry this doesn't pop up in a new window, I'm a little technologically challenged with Blogger]

Dumb it Down, is a song by Lupe Fiasco whose title pretty much sums up the entire song. It's essentialy about his take on today's mainstream music. It indirectly bashes record companies and executives as well as the majority of today's generation of music listeners who prefer to be entertained by simplistic and often risqué subject matter. He shows us his perspective on things and the pressure put on him to "dumb it down." I don't really know if people have actually been telling him to dumb down his lyrics, but I feel that the point he makes is valid and important. He doesn't simply use big words to come off as intelligent, but to express himself in a more effective way. He doesn't want to sacrifice clarity, so in a way, he is encouraging all of us to expand our vocabulary and become educated. Here, I think that Mr. Allen and his vocab quizzes would be in agreement. I believe that the goal of language is to describe our world the best we can and if using a big or uncommon word can do that, then I'm all for using it. Also, in my opinion, the wordplay is ridiculous in this song.

[Verse 1:]
I'm fearless
Now hear this
I'm earless
And I'm peerless
That means I'm eyeless
Which means I'm tearless
Which means my iris resides where my ears is
Which means I'm blinded
But I'mma find it I can feel it's nearness
But I'mma veer so I don't come near
Like a chicken or a deer
But I remember I'm not a listener or a seer so my windshield smear
Here, you steer, I really shouldn't be behind this, clearly cause my blindness
The windshield is minstrel, the whole grill is roadkill, so trill and so sincere
Yeah, I'm both them there
Took both pills, when a bloke in a trench coat and the locs in the chair had approached him here
And he clear as a ghost, so a biter of the throats in the mirror
The writer of the quotes for the ghosts who supplier of the notes to the living
Riveting is rosy, pockets full of posies, given to the mother of the deceased
Awaken at war, 'til I'm restin' in peace

[Chorus 1:]You goin' over *****'s heads Lu (Dumb it down)
They tellin' me that they don't feel you (Dumb it down)
We ain't graduate from school ***** (Dumb it down)
Them big words ain't cool ***** (Dumb it down)
Yeah I heard "Mean And Vicious" ***** (Dumb it down)
Make a song for the ****** ***** (Dumb it down)
We don't care about the weather ***** (Dumb it down)
You'll sell more records if you (Dumb it down)

[Verse 2:]
And I'm mouthless
Which means I'm soundless
Now as far as the hearing, I've found it
It was as far as the distance from the earring to the ground is
But the doorknockers on the ear of a stewardess in a Lear
She fine and she flyin, I feel I'm flying by'em 'cause my mind's on cloud nine and I'm a mime at the same time
Pimps see the wings on the underground king
Who's also Klingon
To infinity and beyond
Something really stinks, but I Spinks like Leon
Or a lion in the desert [Sphinx]
I'm flying on pegasus you're flying on the pheasant
Rider of the white powder, picker of the fire flowers, spit hot fire like Dylon on Chappelle's skit
Yeah, smell it on my unicorn, snort the white horse, but toot my own horn (sleep)

[Chorus 2:]You've been shedding too much light Lu (Dumb it down)
You make'em wanna do right Lu (Dumb it down)
They're getting self-esteem Lu (Dumb it down)
These girls are trying to be queens Lu (Dumb it down)
They're trying to graduate from school Lu (Dumb it down)
They're starting to think that smart is cool Lu (Dumb it down)
They're trying to get up out the hood Lu (Dumb it down)
I'll tell you what you should do (Dumb it down)

[Verse 3:]And I'm brainless
Which means I'm headless
Like Ichabod Crane is
Or foreplay-less sex is
Which makes me saneless
With no neck left to hang the chain with
Which makes me necklace-less
Like a necklace theft
And I ain't used my headrest yet
They said they need proof like a vestless chest 'bout the best, fair F-F-jet in the nest
Who exudes confidence and excess depth
Even Scuba Steve would find it hard to breathe
Around these leagues
My snorkle is a tuba, Lu the ruler around these seas
Westside Poseidon, Westside beside'em, chest high and rising
Almost touching the knees of stewardess and the pilot
Lucky they make you fly with
Personal floating devices, tricks falling out of my sleeves
David Blaine
Make it rain
You make a boat
I make a plane
Then, I pull the plug and I make it drain
Until I feel like flowing and filling it up again...(Westside)

[Chorus 3:]
You putting me to sleep ***** (Dumb it down)
That's why you ain't popping in the streets ***** (Dumb it down)
You ain't winning no awards ***** (Dumb it down)
Robots and skateboards *****? (Dumb it down)
GQ Man Of The Year G? (Dumb it down)
**** ain't rocking over here B (Dumb it down)
Won't you talk about your cars *****? (Dumb it down)
What the **** is goyard ***** (Dumb it down)
Make it rain for the chicks (Dumb it down)
Pour champagne on a ***** (Dumb it down)
What the **** is wrong with you? (Dumb it down)
How can I get on a song with you? (Dumb it down)

[Talking:] Look B, here's my man, my two way, uh, what should I - ah here take this, that right there,
**** what my boys say all the time, ***** you hot to me, I like you (Dumb it down)

[Lupe:] Bishop G, they told me I should come down cousin, but I flatly refuse I ain't dumb down nothing

Dialectics: Religion vs. Science

I'm not sure how exactly this prompt is supposed to work but here goes....

I was brought up as a Catholic. However, my parents have been pretty hands-off in terms of letting me make my own decisions about my beliefs. Recent events have caused me to review my stance on religion. Something that my busy life has not allowed much time for. For example, during the past couple weeks, some of my friends who are very religious have abstained from eating meat on Fridays. Also, today, I sponsored my younger brother in his confirmation. While the bishop asked him and his peers about their faith, I began to try and formulate what I believe. I took what I believed to be the two opposite ends of the spectrum and compared.

Science, has uncovered many things to us about the universe and dismantled many popular beliefs in the process, evolution being the most obvious one. I see myself as a pretty rational person and scientific facts tend to have more weight for me than ancient scriptures written by man. But still, there are many things that science has yet to explain such as the origin of the universe, the meaning of life, how to live, etc. For these things, I turn to Catholicism. This is what I like about religion. It brings us together as a community and provides us with guidlines on how to live. Different religions have different guidlines and you can pick and chose which to follow. Me, I still eat meat on Fridays.

So, after this dialectic (I hope I did it right), I think a compromise between science and religion depending on the individual is the way to go on this issue.

Blogging Around

As I was brousing through my classmates blogs, I saw that Margot had blogged about Raymond Carver's writing in Cathedral as her best of the week. She discussed his techniques and the story's effect on her own writing. I responded ...

Margot,

Carver's writing techniques in Cathedral really inspired me too. His variation of sentence legnth to convey Bub's state of mind was incredible. I'm really going to try to incorporate that into my story as well. Though, like you said, I'm not sure I'll be as successful as Carver. I also really like the idea of using actions to show emotion and delve into your characters is great. So, all in all, i agree that reading from these great authors is really going to help me improve my writing and I'm excited to continue working on my short story.

I also looked at Deuce's (Mitchell Bigelow) blog since he always has something intersting to say. He wrote about how he would have taken the blue pill if he was in Neo's situation and why. I wrote ...

Deuce Bigs,

Although I am still not entirely sure which pill I would choose myself, I can now see why choosing between the red and blue pills is not necessarily a clear cut good/bad, right/wrong decision. The first thing you said I agreed with in a previous post of my own (although not as articulately worded). The "outside" could be a desolate, crappy place to live with absolutely no guarantee of survival like in The Matrix. Also, you can't do kung-fu there. Your analysis of memories was really insightful as well. Your discussion of the imperfection of memory and whether or not real memories are better than fake ones was very well written. The repitiion in the last paragraph was great too. Overall, sweet blog.