Eminem, Detroit, Chrysler: RISE

It’s been a packed few days, and I’m so exhausted I shall die soon. So, I’mma gonna be back to discuss this in a hot minute–but for now, I’m just posting it here so you y’all can look at it and start formulating your own opinions on it!

What it is: the new Chrysler video that was shown on the Super Bowl. It features Eminem driving through Detroit and then going into (what I think is) Fox Theater. There, he stands in front of an all black (presumably) gospel choir. He then stares directly into the camera says (I think, my hook up is bad, and I can’t see for sure) “It’s what we do.” Then it goes to a Chrysler logo.

Things I think about when watching/covering protests

When I am watching/covering protests, I tend to look out for/listen for certain things.

* Who are the major players in the situation? Who is *describing* the major players in the situation? That is, what is MSM saying about the major players versus what are bloggers, tweeters, locals saying?

* What is the relationship my country (the US) has with the each of the major players?

* How much economic influence has my country had with/have over each of the major players?

* Does my country  have a history of intervention in the area in question? (Such that it is official US policy, rather than a situation w/one particular president)–and what outcomes have those interventions had on locals?

* What position is my country taking on the situation at this moment?

* What relationship do all the different players have with each other? Has there been local support of particular players?

* What do local people think of the situation? Is there a way to support what they are asking for? Is it safe to promote their voices?

* Are locals specifically asking for a certain type of help? (i.e. leave us alone! Get out of our country! Act as witnesses! Economic support please! etc)

* What relationship does Main Stream Media have with the area in question? What does most of their reporting center on? What is the general tone of their reporting? (i.e. is it mostly about “the Terrorists!” and “the Problem!” Is there little to no reporting at all on the region? Is it mostly favorable?

* Why are negative stories about the region (i.e. The Islamists might take over! Arabs are racist! They hate Israel!) being run in MSM at this time? Why do certain negative stories become especially popular (It’s just like Iran!)? What are these stories acting in service of?

* Who is being centered in the story being reported on?

* Whose *needs* are being centered in the story being reported on? (e.g. look at how people in Cairo are talking about economic duress, and the MSM in the US is talking about Who Will Take Over and What That Means For the US (or Israel).

* Who is *not* visible in the reporting (i.e. are you only seeing men?)? Who *is*? (e.g. I’ve found it interesting how many MSM stories there have been about women taking part in these protests–which is *good*–but why the difference between MSM representation between women in Afghanistan (who need our help and we must intervene) and women in Egypt (who are leading protests). Why the change in discourse? Especially when MSM has been SO unbelievably dedicated to a *fault* in representing women from the region a very specific way since before the Wars).

And the thing I think is important to point out–I don’t necessarily even have an opinion about the things I consider and notice. I will wait to hear what Egyptian women have to say about how they are represented, for example. And I will just keep certain things in mind so that I have context with *other* issues–like keeping in mind that the US sends billions of dollars to Egypt when considering that Obama seems to be siding with Decency in this situation.

This is not everything I consider–but it’s a lot of it. And it’s stuff I *learned* to consider–the first posts that I ever made about protests were more centered on OUTRAGE–how on EARTH could this fucking HAPPEN!–Now-I think it’s important to 1. frame the situation for readers who are inevitably getting a shitty framing from MSM and/or 2. skill share analytical tools with others who have also been denied the resources to understand specific situations.

What things do YOU keep in mind when watching/covering protests?

i was writing this post before I found out that an egyptian reporter has died from gun wounds in Cairo—

and now I’m kinda reluctant to say anything, because i do NOT want what I am saying to be in ANY way interpreted as being “pro violence” or making light of the very real risks that reporters are being subjected to in Egypt right now…

but I finally decided to say something—because I read that brian williams and katie couric *left* egypt…and…I don’t know.

Ok—so—I wonder. Has anybody else felt like the violence that even FOX news reporters are finding themselves subjected to has sorta—I don’t know—made a MASSIVE intervention in the traditional script western media usually applies to reporting on crisis situations?

Like—reporters are no longer reporters—they are *stars* of their very own reality t.v. shows? they go to live locations like New Orleans or Haiti so that they can make “good tv” NOT because of any professional journalistic standards like “breaking a story” (which is problematic in itself in many ways) or “keeping public informed” or god forbid “witnessing” such that international pressure can protect?

It’s like—this violence and attacks directed at *western corporate media* (NOT talking about other journalists)—has stopped (on a certain level) MSM’s ability to make this story about Anderson fighting alligators or whatever. And it’s sorta exposed how crappy our news sources are these days—say what you will about Tom Brokaw or Peter Jennings or Walter Cronkite etc—they were *journalists* reporting stories—(back in the olden days, Brokaw’s just a dick now) and they *stayed in zones heavy with violence* to bring viewers stories and perspectives they wouldn’t have gotten otherwise…I am not suggesting that they told the stories the best way—or were void of Western Imperial Gaze (Kai has been writing a lot about the media and Tiennamen Square—I was too young to be aware of how coverage was happening regarding that, but I *do* remember the Scud Stud dude from the first Iraq war among other crap)…I’m instead pointing to—at least there was some sort of journalistic integrity where the job was *about the story* and *accountability to the viewer*—NOT about performance—at least not in the sense of today’s media “performance” .

And I’m remembering that story that was going around tumblr about a week ago (that I can’t find)—by Jeremy Schahill (I think) where he outlined the violence that became normalized against media when the US justified the murdering and attacks against al Jazeera and the murder of US journalists (from the Washington Post) that Bradley Manning exposed and how nobody paid that any mind and even the Post just sorta let it drop (it was the post, right? I wrote about it on my blog, but my blog is down so I can’t check it)…

and then I’m seeing US media personalities taking off in the face of violence and turning the violence into an opportunity for good performance rather than taking a stand and standing in solidarity and in alliance with other reporters (like the one from al Jazeera who was the *first* one to get beat up and is never mentioned in any reports or the reporter who was just killed or the reporters who have been killed…)…Amy Goodman (as usual) is one of the only journalists (instead of personalities) that I’ve seen make any sort of solidarity type commentary….

I just don’t know what I’m more appalled at—the violence journalists and media personalities are being subjected to, or the fact that supposed journalists are *leaving* the country….I don’t think a journalist should stay no matter what—or that their presence is even a good thing—think: brad will who should’ve never been in Oaxaca—but even so—indy media honored him AND were critical of his actions as a member of media and critiqued his actions in context of the journalists role in relationship to a community under siege and used a tragic situation to reaffirm a code of ethics for indy media makers…

I don’t see anything *like* that happening right now with MSM, even with those who came under attack. And when reporters are not critical of their own position within a storytelling—how on earth will viewers ever learn to be critical of their positions as viewers and consumers of media?

 

So–how has everybody been?

It’s been forever since we talked–how have you been??

I’ve been alright. Been working on the zine–I’m almost done with it and really happy with it. I started it all over because I didn’t like how Disney romantic love it was (it is a zine about love)–I like the more critical harder edge it has now. I’m really excited to get it out to people!!

What have you been working on?

Here’s the temporary blog until I get the other one up!

It didn’t feel right not having a stable home to write at. So, I’m here!

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