Edge of a Revolution by Nickelback: A Message to Challenge the Status Quo “Revolution! Revolution! Revolution!” chants the crowd with their fists in the air. The police surrounded the crowd and flashing lights bounced around the stadium. Fire and debris covered the stage as the crowd shouted with picket signs in hand. An electrifying sound accompanied by a steady beat fills the night sky, the Nickelback concert has begun. Nickelback’s famous 2014 controversial song, “Edge of a Revolution,” echoes throughout the stadium walls. Behind the band on the big screen, their music video mirrors their lyrics as they sing about the injustice within the government and favoritism of the wealthy. In the music video “Edge of a Revolution,” …show more content…
Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager, was shot and killed by a white police officer. Contrary to what evidence displayed, the grand jury voted not to indict the police officer of the crime (Buchanan, Fessenden, Lai, Park, Parlapiano, Tse, Wallace, Watkins, and Yourish). From the bands window, they looked out to see a riot that stemmed from the unjust verdict of the grand jury. As the outrage continued, they felt the world was on an edge of a revolution (Ramirez). Nickelback transmits compelling messages through their music and lyrics. Rock and alternative music fans love their music. “Edge of a Revolution’s” music video takes place in a private school classroom. The students filter into the classroom as a film called “Obey” and “Revolution” appears on a projector screen. Images of war, money, Wall Street, revolts, words like obey, follow, and buy flash across the screen. The film silently sends subliminal messages to the students, telling them how to live their lives, what to believe, and what to think. As the students watch the film, stoned, mesmerized expressions mask their faces. Once they begin to realize what messages they are receiving, outrage fills their faces and they begin throwing chairs and desks. In the verses of the song, Nickelback’s biting words express the injustice that ordinary people live with on a daily basis. The
Punk rock music has been used for decades to express dissatisfaction with society, government, or any idea common in mainstream media. Yet punk rock is not simply a tangent of the mainstream, it is a dynamic and fluid genre with many distinct songs. Don Letts, a mainstay in the London punk scene during the 70’s and 80’s, went as far to say that hip-hop was essentially “black” punk. While punk and hip-hop music are stylistically different, the fundamental tone of the two genres is the same. Even throughout the decades, hip-hop has sang the same issues as punk, including the plight of the lower class, police brutality, and gang violence.
Today many people feel compelled to buy anything or everything with an expensive price tag. This includes Expensive designer clothes, latest gadgets, expensive vehicles and many other similar things. This form of consumerism has embedded itself in today’s society; where it's encouraged to invest in such materialistic possessions. Kanye West is an African-American rapper, producer, and entrepreneur, who articulates his struggle with consumerism and the struggle for those around him in his song “All Falls Down.” West, utilizes puns, rhyme, and juxtaposition to highlight the issues surrounding materialism that can be interpreted differently by different listeners such as African Americans and White Americans.
The imagery that I find shows the emotions of what happened is when they say “hope was in the air” the people who were protesting were not expecting anything bad to happen to them. “They stood in peaceful protest” people who stand in peace are not expecting to be killed, they show that women and children were there too. No one expects women and children to be killed. The band says that student were there, student are educated they aren’t following blindly they believe in their causes. It follows up again with “And the silent majority stayed silent.”
Racial injustice against people of colour is an immense, ongoing issue that has not only targeted lives but has also taken many innocent lives. In America, these racial divisions date back to the days of slavery, where black people were denied of their basic human rights because of discrimination. In present day, some individuals view America as a post-racial environment, due to such victories as electing a black president; but the brutal, fatal and unjust events in Ferguson, Missouri prove that these divisions are still present. On August 9th, 2014, an unarmed, 18 year old black teen was shot and killed by Darren Wilson, a white police officer. The events that led to the death of Michael Brown occurred on an early morning where Mr. Wilson stopped Michael Brown and a friend after leaving a convenience store. An altercation occurred which prompted Mr. Brown to flee and officer Wilson to begin shooting. The death of Mr. Brown caused the city to stand up against police brutality through peaceful protest, looting, and even violence, to gain justice for Mr. Brown and his family. As the protests grew, the police used military tactics such as, tear gas, to “maintain order” during the unrest of the city. In recent, news the grand jury decided that Officer Darren Wilson was not responsible for the death of Michael Brown, which led to a larger public outrage not only in America, but also across the
Jamie Fader’s book Falling Back which was published in 2013, is based on ethnographic research over three years, from 2004 to 2007, of black and latino males on the edge of adulthood and that were incarcerated at the Mountain Ridge Academy reform school located in a rural area: “within a dense forest in western Pennsylvania, is Mountian Ridge Academy … ninety-acre campus contains eight dormitories, each of which houses thirty-two young men between ages 14 to 18” (p.1). The criminal thinking approach was intended to help young people identify the patterns that had led them to delinquency and replace it with corrective and prosocial thoughts. These young boys had been involved in drug offenses and violence within their suburban communities and were now in the process of behavioral change in order to help them reflect and be able to make better decisions which would lead them to a better life.
More often than naught protest music is often associated with war and politics and a little less with the social norms of the current society and culture. The most iconic artist that did challenge and changed the social norms was Elvis, even though at the time he was not aware of doing so.
Album covers are often designed to portray a message and show the theme of the music. In class, my group and I analyzed War by U2. This album originates from the United Kingdom, and was released in 1983 during the Cold War. The album’s theme focuses on both the physical an emotional effects of war. Some songs specific to the Vietnam War. The Album art shows a young man staring straight ahead with red letters vertical on the right. The red most likely represents blood. I thing there is a picture of a young boy to represent the youth and innocence that is lost in these violent wars. His blank, steely stare suggests that he has been exposed to too much tragedy for someone who has not even been on the earth
Analyze the extent to which these values and purposes were transformed and challenged over time.
Through songs many people express their feelings of the world threw the words they have wrote. Many songs talk about civil rights of the people and how change should be an option. In the world we live in today we have social issues that people have to face such as: police brutality, racial profiling, discrimination etc. Through Kendrick Lamar, Public Enemy, The Game, Bebe Winans, and N.W.A they will use their voice as a weapon for change among all people. Music with a message thrives in a live setting, for obvious reasons, and many politically conscious musicians aim to channel the heightened emotions
On August 9th, 2014, 18-year-old Michael Brown was shot and killed by a Ferguson County Police Officer, Darren Wilson, in Ferguson, Missouri. Due to a paucity of information surrounding the shooting, the town of Ferguson has since experienced riotous unrest. The nation’s eyes were fixed on the clashes that ensued between protestors and police. The shooting was brought to people’s attention within minutes when a local singer who goes by the stage name “Thee Pharaoh” shared a couple of photos on Twitter which featured Michael Brown lying face down on the concrete in a pool of blood while a police officer stood over the lifeless body. Those photographs were then circulated hundreds of times over within the first few hours on Twitter and other
This article was basically about the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO by a white police officer named, Darren Wilson. The death of Michael Brown led to violent protests which lasted for weeks. Several weeks later, the officer who was responsible for the death of Ferguson teenage, Michael Brown, was not indicted by the Grand Jury of Ferguson. Shortly, there was an uproar ad more protests broke out across the state of Missouri and the United States as a whole.
On August 4th, 2014, an eighteen year old boy by the name of Michael Brown was killed by Darren Wilson. Mr. Wilson was an officer of the Ferguson Police Department. He was a twenty-eight year old white male and was accused of killing Michael out of racial hatred. This case was examined but not enough evidence was accumulated to charge Mr. Wilson with the murder of Michael (Moylan). This act of violence touched many people’s hearts but made many people angry. It was thought that the FPD was being racist when Michael was killed because of statistic after the investigation. The arrest rate in seven felonies in the FDP decreased by over fifty percent and the police commissioner stated that overall crime decreased. (Newsday) After these statistics were reviewed, some thought it was time for repercussions. This in turn was the reason behind
Liang Heng and Judith Shapiro's "Son of the Revolution" is a comprehensive story of Liang Heng's life on growing up during the chaotic times of the Chinese revolution. The purpose of this novel was to depict the horrors and hardships of life during the revolution period in china during Mao Zedong's reign. In the beginning of the book, the author portrays that news and ideologies always stated that the government was working for the good of the people of the country. However, as the book unfolds the author reveals that the government is actually exploiting the people through misuse of people's trust. The book also provides insights into the Chinese life during the period of 1954-1978. This 24 year period saw major
The October revolution is established to be a social revolution that was enacted through the leadership of Vladimir Lenin. It has evidently proven to be a voluntarist revolution through the methods used to gain power. In this essay, the following will be looked upon, first, the comparative aspect and critical analysis of structural theory, and how it does not fit the components of the October revolution. The essay will look at both the voluntarist and structural theory, however, it will emphasize the importance and relevance of the voluntarist perspective. Second, the essay will focus on the argument proving that the October revolution is voluntarist. The October revolution demonstrates a voluntarist structure through the leadership of Lenin
In order to understand the topic that is to be discussed in this essay, one must first understand two seemingly unrelated topics. Those topics are feminism and punk rock. These two social movements spawned the love child that has come to be known as the riot grrrl movement. The history of the riot grrrl movement is deep and intensely intertwined with themes of monumental social change, musical evolution, and the previously unseen all-encompassing nature that is unique to third wave feminism.