When Young People Speak Out, and Everyone Else Thinks It's Silly

Pussy Riot, image via Last.fm

I've noticed a trend that troubles me. People have commented before, on Tumblr and other social media platforms, but I just thought I'd say a word about it.

One of the first instances I noticed was when I was shown a clip from the 1960's TV show Dragnet. The clip was from an episode called "The Big Departure," in which Sgt. Joe Friday and Officer Bill Gannon deliver a speech to a few teenagers that tried to start their own community and stole from a grocery store.  

First, the two officers explain to the morose adolescents that they are extremely privileged when compared to earlier generations. They try to make them feel guilty about complaining when they obviously have everything. After that, they attempt to make the teenagers feel bad about the technology they've grown up with. But teenagers didn't invent the technology they were using...I wonder what generation gave it to them?

Personally I think this kind of rhetoric encourages conformity and a nihilistic worldview. If we don't encourage our young people to speak out about the things that matter to them, who do we think will be making changes in the future? How will the big things change for the better if we can't even be bothered to address the small things? I'm not saying that these teenagers were in the right, especially since vandalism and speaking out are not necessarily the same thing, but they did seem to be dissatisfied with society and their concerns should not have been brushed off so lightly.

I am forever behind on news, so I've only recently heard about the backstory of the feminist musical group Pussy Riot. A few years ago they were whipped and some of their members imprisoned for public displays of political and religious dissatisfaction in Russia. When asked about this in an interview, President Putin responded that there were other countries in which these women would have been treated even more violently.

While it's true that some have thing worse than others, I think that this kind of rhetoric is incredibly unproductive. It encourages inactivity and silence on the grounds that things could be worse, that the oppression could be greater. If we silence those who warn against the problems that are already there, what will stop them from becoming worse?

I realize that I am comparing apples and oranges here between the campy representation of 1960's youth in Dragnet and the women of Pussy Riot. I'm not necessarily saying that every protest is good or helpful. But I refuse to call it "wisdom" or "maturity" when adults try to make out that young people are troublesome and stupid when they try to speak out against the things that are clearly enough of a problem to merit a response. If adulthood is about going along with things even if they don't seem right to you for the sake of personal peace and comfort, then may these young people never "understand when they're older."

8 Songs for People That Hate Christmas Music

image via Flickr, artist Ian T. McFarland

 It's Christmas Eve. You can see the light shining at the end of the tunnel. Only one more day of commercial Christmas music. Soon there will be no more Frosty, no more Rudolph, no more stalker Santa “seeing you when you're sleeping,” and no more holiday date rape based on a pretense of “baby, it's cold outside.” But the distance between you and musical freedom somehow still seems so far away...


If this is you right now, I sympathize. I stopped enjoying Christmas music many years ago. It's sentimental without depth, attempting to manipulate people into a frame of mind that makes it easier to sell things to them. Personally, the holiday season is difficult for me as I work at a place that requires that only Christmas music be played from Thanksgiving until Christmas. That being the case, I'm always looking for alternatives that still satisfy that requirement without annoying me too greatly.


Here is a list I've compiled of songs that are perfect for any cynic's holiday playlist.


1. “Don't Shoot Me Santa” by The Killers


The darkness, humor, and existential sadness of The Killers is much needed during the holidays. This song brings out the scary side of Santa Claus culture among children, namely the fact that some little kids end up on the “naughty” list. Only the consequences are apparently much greater for adults.


2. “Blue Xmas” by Miles Davis


This is one of the most cynical Christmas songs I know. It's basically a long description of everything about the holidays that has become corrupted. It's also Miles Davis, so it's obviously great jazz with or without the lyrics.


3. “Jingle Bells” by The Sex Pistols


This is the best version of “Jingle Bells” ever created. It's completely unpolished and uncontrived; just the Sex Pistols having some fun.


4 and 5. “Yule Shoot Your Eye Out” by Fall Out Boy or, alternately, “Merry Christmas, Kiss My Ass” by All Time Low.


No Christmas Playlist is complete without a classic emo song about rejection and holiday heartbreak. And no Christmas playlist should have more than one. I recommend choosing between these two. Not only do they encapsulate the collective angst of the 2000s with a bitter aftertaste of “nice guys finish last,” but the choruses have catchy hooks.


6. “White Christmas” by Guns'n'Roses


Much like my Sex Pistols recommendation, this song is a hard rock cover of an old classic. I don't really need to say any more about this one. The fact that it is by Guns'n'Roses should be enough.


7. “Chipmunks Roasting On an Open Fire” by Bob Rivers


To be honest, this one's a little dark even for my taste. It's a parody of “The Christmas Song,” but instead of chestnuts it's the chipmunks being roasted on a spit. The most disturbing thing about it is that you can hear the classic chipmunk voices as they react to being literally burned alive. You've got to really hate Alvin and his friends to enjoy this song. I do not recommend this one for children, unless your kids are really twisted and sadistic.


8. “O Tannenbaum” by Psychostick

This humorous song parodies the style of German industrial rock band Rammstein. The video features the band members attempting to participate in holiday traditions in as metal a manner as humanly possible. It's a perfect Christmas song for metalheads or anyone that wants to headbang out their holiday-induced aggression.


I hope these songs help you get through last hours of the commercial holiday. I also hope that you can find simple joys in your own way, and ignore what the corporations tell you about how you should celebrate. Have a lovely holiday, whatever holiday you recognize.