From the lyrics we see that the front woman, Karen O., characterizes her as a "poor little baby" which is important because it places her in a very private role. She is someone who does not have a role in the public or any sense of autonomy. We can assume that this loss of autonomy is caused by external male control over her life as expressed by the refrain "Y-control," which refers to the Y chromosome which only men have.
This song is in the genre of feminist postpunk, which owes part of its history to the 1990s Riot Grrl movement (if you want more information on that movement you can check out this wikipedia article or we can talk about it in class). Feminist postpunk is interesting here because it works as what Warner called "functional public[s] for women." This is to say that it is a private market that links women as readers and writers. Of course this assertion only half works because the music is available on stages that are not solely available to women--though so were the writings of Catherine Beecher.
The ultimate question regarding this song is if the private issues expressed by Karen O. have a public importance. Through creating this music, performing it in public, making a video it, and posting it on the internet she is making issues that seem private public. Further, she are not using a detached and rational based argument (which is the hallmark of the traditional public sphere), but instead shows herself as personally invested in the argument. My question to you is twofold: is it important for private issues to become public issues and would the argument be more or less effective if it were more objective and rational?
Thanks,
Mr. Harley
This song is in the genre of feminist postpunk, which owes part of its history to the 1990s Riot Grrl movement (if you want more information on that movement you can check out this wikipedia article or we can talk about it in class). Feminist postpunk is interesting here because it works as what Warner called "functional public[s] for women." This is to say that it is a private market that links women as readers and writers. Of course this assertion only half works because the music is available on stages that are not solely available to women--though so were the writings of Catherine Beecher.
The ultimate question regarding this song is if the private issues expressed by Karen O. have a public importance. Through creating this music, performing it in public, making a video it, and posting it on the internet she is making issues that seem private public. Further, she are not using a detached and rational based argument (which is the hallmark of the traditional public sphere), but instead shows herself as personally invested in the argument. My question to you is twofold: is it important for private issues to become public issues and would the argument be more or less effective if it were more objective and rational?
Thanks,
Mr. Harley
First of all, pretty weird music video. I didn’t really quite understand what was going on at first or what she was even singing about until I read the lyrics and watched it a second time. I believe that while the issue she is addressing, the issue being the suppression of women (and possibly children?) in the public culture, is very relevant and should be addressed publicly I am not quite sure if this particular utterance has driven the point home. The feminist movement is brought into public and for good reason, it is only through awareness and political change that these private issues can be influenced for the better. I also think that the argument would be better understood if the lyrics were a bit more rational but I do believe the band has grabbed the attention of the audience it is addressing I’m just not sure if it’s for the right reasons. I’m also not sure if when watching this music video the audience can really understand the message of the song. As a side note I don’t quite understand the use of the children in the video, maybe I’m looking at it through too narrow of a lens, but it would be great if somebody else could explain to me what was going on there.
ReplyDeleteIt is definitely important that private issues become public. In class we discussed that a persons business is a private matter. If a meat packing company is however not being sanitary, the consequences can affect many people, making this a public issue. Another example of the importance for private issues to become public issues occurs in the home. In early America, it was normal for a man to beat his wife. As time progressed and as the issue became public, laws were made to prevent such inequalities. It's not hard to see the pattern that it is often necessary for private issues to become public issues. The private issue that this song is depicting is that women are oppressed. This is obvious through the lyrics "well I"m just a poor little baby", and "y-control" (meaning men are in control). I feel that people are naturally emotional, so it is important to put emotion into ones argument to get the listeners attention. This song however, is a little too emotional. So emotional that without the lyrics, I wouldn't have understood its meaning. If it were more objective and rational, people would be able to understand the songs' meaning. A more objective and rational message would have also made Karen O's message seem more believable. It is important to make a message emotional, but not so much so that it doesn't seem credible.
ReplyDeleteThinking about this question, I found it difficult whether to say yes or no. It is such a grey area and a lot of times it depends on the circumstances. But for the most part I would have to say it is important that private issues become public. I believe that issues such as abortion or even individuals sexualities should be no ones business except for those whom it concerns. But when we talked the meat packing industry in Chicago and the book, "The Jungle", I strongly believed that private issues such as those being a public issue is a necessity. I think that if a private issue will effect those in any given public, thats when it becomes a public issue. Going off of the music video, I agree with Gabrielle when she said it was a very weird video.I too had to watch it more than once to understand the message. It goes along with the reading and how females fit into the private sphere as well as the public sphere. What I took from the lyrics of the song were that it is perceived that men do have control of women and also that women have always looked to men for answers. I believe that women looked to men for answers because it has always been men who have controlled the public sphere. This also explains why this control of women from men has always been perceived. For the second part of the question, I definitely believe that the argument would be more effective as well as more clear if it were more rational. The fact that these problems are in fact more objective can blur the line between public and private.
ReplyDeleteDepending on how private the issue is, by means of if it is just an individual issue or an issue among people of the same household, it must become public to be resolved. So yes it is important for private issues to become public. For example the song addresses female oppression due to a male presence, since the song is about the individual's feeling of oppression it makes the issue a private matter. Clearly the song writer felt that she needed to be heard, or make her issue public; so she wrote a song and made a video which made her issue public. Had she not made her issue public no one would know what struggles she was dealing with privately. Whether this act of making her issue public actually helped I'm not sure, but the fact that she made a private issue public is still true. I think female oppression needed to be made public to get any sort of resolution. I think the argument would be more effective if it were more objective and rational because then the issue would be more clear and to the point. When it is less objective and rational it makes it very difficult to know distinctly what the problem is and if it is a private or public matter. For the video I would have understood it a lot better if she would have been more objective about it because I felt that it was abstract in the sense that I didn't fully understand what it was about until I read the lyrics and watched the video for a second time.
ReplyDeleteWoah. That video was super violent. However, I think the violence represented kind of goes along with the first question. Usually issues that are kept private have to do with such things that are causing harm to those uninvolved in the public sphere. For example, when Devon discusses males abusing their wives, this is a perfect representation of this. They are causing harm to the private because if the females are to stay in the home all day, then no one will ever know of the terrible violence being caused. It's male domination and the woman has very little opportunity to gain control. In general, think about secrets. Secrets are secrets because it is a fact kept from an individual or group with fear of hurting their feelings, ruining a surprise, or maintaining a reputation (among others). With that being said, I think that some issues such as abuse or harassment should be made public. We are to be living in an equal society and violence towards minorities is not equal. However, some private issues should remain private. People do have the right to privacy and not all things should be public knowledge. To answer part two, I disagree with Devon in the sense that a more objective message is more effective. I think the personal quality of the lyrics and the emotion allows others to relate more. It also may be a bit forward and open, but Karen O. is expressing something that so many others felt, but were still wary of saying themselves. I think Karen was probably celebrated during the release of this song because she seems powerful and in control. She's forthcoming about private issues and was possibly a role model for the feminist movement. She took action and contributed to the start of their revolution.
ReplyDeleteWell that was a weird four minutes. I actually really liked the video though. Not because I have a weird enjoyment of watching kids cut their hands off, but beceause I felt like this music video actually had alot to say. I hate it when music videos are weird, violent and innapropriate just for the sake of being so. This music video however I felt had a lot to say about society's currently masculine dominance in our culture. To answer the second part of the question first, I think that having such a graphic and very overt music video can be both a good and bad thing. I personally liked how in my face it was, and I think it really can get people thinking. If a video like this is such a grotesque example but Karen O. feels strongly about it, what could others be thinking about this problem as well? On the other hand, I feel it has the potential to spark uproar and controversy to those who feel it is not appropriate. However, if it causes an uproar, it also causes debate. The fact that Karen O. has the freedom to make her private opinions so overtly public is exactly what gets private life issues public. Because of this, I think it is important for private issues to become public when neccessary. While I don't think it should be done simply to cause chaos and to give us something to be rebels about, I feel if there is a legitimate problem, making these issues public and seeing what everyone has to say about them is the best way to understand them.
ReplyDeleteFor the first question I would answer this with both yes and no. I do believe that some issues should be dealt with privately without public interference. However, I do believe when it comes to being wronged or harmed in anyway these private matters need to be put into light by the public. Especially when it comes to woman's rights and abuse. I believe that marital issues start off as a private issue but once it turns into abuse it needs to be brought out to public so that these people can get justice and be treated fairly. As far as the song goes, clearly the song writer believed her issue needed to be brought out into the public as a statement. She is clearly feeling dominated by the male world, when we hear the line "Y-control" and even when she says "so all my lovin' goes under the fog". I take this as her feeling hidden and over powered in a number of ways. So her utterance in this song I believe is to bring out the issue of the supression of women. Now as far as the second question goes, I would say that maybe the argument would be more effective if it was more rational. However, this depends how you look at it. If you see this video as odd and confusing (as I did at first) then one might look past the meaning of the song and not see the real issue. So maybe it would be more effective to be rational in that sense. However, if you take the whole issue of living in a male dominated culture overall, women get very irritated with this and even more irritated when people don't hear them out. So maybe the writer felt that taking a radical approach towards this topic was the better way to go, maybe to grab peoples attention. A radical approach to what she feels is a radical issue. However, personally, if I were not looking at this song in class, I probably would have looked past it. So it's all how you look at it.
ReplyDeleteI believe that private issues have no business being out in the public. We already have people telling us how we must act and dress for a 'social norm,' but if we have people how we need to start thinking, we are loosing any hope in government. Problems such as abortion and pot legalization is only for a select few from the public. There are already certain laws that prohibit dating violence and child abuse, because of course those things should not be tolerated. But, if you (and your family) are dealing with a serious issue like that, you don't want to be put in the public eye as a bad boyfriend, or parent. Those PRIVATE issues should remain private, and only bringing in a higher power if necessary. Otherwise you will have people, that are bored, snooping in on your business and making their own opinions.
ReplyDeleteThis music video had a lot of power in believing that private issues are suppose to remain private. Sure she was talking about male dominance, but, only venting feelings that she has. She didn't do anything drastic like burning down his house or killing his mom.
From looking at the past, it seems like it's not always a bad idea to make private issues public. For example, it used to be acceptable for a man to treat his wife with violence, or at least it was greatly ignored. It was not a public issue at the time, but the public knew that the abuse was going on. It wasn't until the issue was introduced to the public negatively that anything was done about the problem. There are now laws that help prevent this abuse as a result of the issue being expressed to the public as a problem. So I think it is safe to say that how the issue is conveyed to the public can directly influence any action taken. I think Karen O. conveys the issue very appropriately, using strong emotions and shocking, eye catching violence.
ReplyDeleteThis video and the message that the band is trying to portray is very similar to the last chapter of my Social Problems class last semester. The last chapter was called Social Change and it fundamentally outlines the point that in order for societies to change they must first recognize an issue that was, at one point, ignored and unrecognized. Then bring it into the public eye where it can attract enough funding and support to make it to some kind of legislation. This is how it works in any scale of society; from the local to global scales there are all kinds of issues that are still privatized because they have not gained enough support to make it into the public sphere.
ReplyDeleteThe people who are usually responsible for social movements and change are young to middle aged people who have opened minds to change and connections with money. This goes to answer the second question where you asked if it would be more effective if the bands arguments was more rational. I say no for the main reason that music and art are direct reflections and representations of the culture that the artists came from. The art itself is an outlet to express ideas and issues to expose them to newer audiences. This exposure can really help out a social movement or problem that may not have reached the public sphere yet. This is a major way to advance a movement or to even contribute to an issue that you are affected by.
This video is a good example of making private issues public. The song is talking about male dominance.It is important to bring these issues into the public because thats how things start to change and get resolved. If women had continued to keep quiet, not a lot of issues would have been improved. Karen O. was able to express herself through the music and said things that spoke for a lot of women. It was effective because she got the message out there and brought up the issue that would reach a lot of people. I think depending on how Karen O. made it more objective or rational, it could have been more effective. If she used real examples and didn't just point fingers at the gender completly (not saying she did) it could have made a bigger impact.
ReplyDeleteI believe that it is necessary and important to share certain private opinions or relations to the public. If something was harming someone's health, or they were in extreme danger, an even an opinion that could initially change the world or the public's mind-set of things.The private issue of Women's Right during the election is a prime example that is something that should have been kept private and not public for men to set laws to women's personal (private) issues. Then in class we discussed the article "The Jungle" by Sinclair it happened in private business but involved the well-being of people within the community (public)....that was a private issue that NEEDED to come to the light or public. In terms of the video...very interesting by the way...I think her use of the children she was trying to show "vulnerability" gone bad" in a sense. I don't know when we see kids we see them as innocent but behind closed doors we all know that their bad as hell, however we actually won't see that because its in private; in the video it was like kids gone wild and since I could see and alot of other people could made it public. It's clear that Karen O had a message that she wanted to get out, however I believe if she had a more rationally and clear video I believe it would have been more effective.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the only time a private issue should be public is when someone’s health is in danger. Other than that, I say private issues should stay private and public issues should stay public. If a husband or a man is physically abusing his female partner and the woman can’t do anything to protect herself, she should go to the public and get some help to make it stop. If a family is in a bad financial crisis, that should stay private only to the family. If the argument was more objective and rational it would make it more effective in getting the point across. People only pay attention to the bad side of everything and push aside the good things that happen. Karen O got her point across by her lyrics and video. It was a new different way to make something private public.
ReplyDeleteGotta love a music video where kids rip out intestines. Anyways, I agree with the previous statements that say there is a gray area on what should be private and what should be public. Some private issues should be made public. I believe issues like rape and domestic violence are private issues that need to be public. People should be able to have the public's support and protection from both of those. However, I believe some things should be kept private. For example, when we looked at the map that showed the names and addresses of people who owned guns, I believe that should be private. We don't need to know who's buying a gun.
ReplyDeleteI think Karen O. did a good job at displaying private issues that she thought should be important. Although the video was gross and dark, I think it was her way of expressing how she felt to be in a society controlled by those with Y-chromosomes. Saying that she was a baby, shows how she feels helpless against a male-dominated society. I think it also means that she thinks men treat women like babies and sometimes women are not fully aware of the control men have over them. Also, having a dark, in-your-face video makes people pay attention and listen. People are attracted to dark and grotesque images. I think her method made her argument effective. No one listens to rational anymore. Her strange way definitely caught my attention.
first off the music video was pretty odd... but trying to get the attention of people was her main intention i believe. watching this music video the first time didn't really get the message across, but after reading the lyrics and re watching the video it made the message quit clear. More and more private matters have been becoming public. As soon as more than one person finds that the matter should be dealt with and its affecting numerous amounts of people, there will be a voice brought up fighting for action, whether its women's right or something on a much smaller scale. private matters will always become public as long as more that one person is experiencing it, and wants it to change. no matter how big or small the matter really is.
ReplyDeleteMaking the personal political or bringing private issues to the public sphere for discussion is extremely important in my opinion. In this case, Karen O. created something which is now out for public discussion about how she feels living in a male dominated society. This song and it's music video are now speaking to multiple publics that are going to interpret things differently from how she meant it or blow this off as a violent video with no deeper meaning. I think both of those interpretations are valid and spark a discourse that adds to the larger discussion of living in a country built on patriarchal values. So I guess, no I don't think the argument would be better off being more objective or rational. That's kind of like asking me to not look at the world through a feminist lens to be more rational because I don't think that's possible. I am woman that cares about issues that affect women and asking me, or anyone, to separate parts of themselves that inform how they see the world is kind of an impossible order.
ReplyDeleteI thought this music video was very strange and at some points I was confused on what she was actually trying to get across. However, after reading the lyrics, her message became more clear about how men dominate and control many things. As for the question about private issues becoming public, I think it is important for private issues to become public. For one, if one person is having a private issue, it is very likely that others feel the same way and are having the same issue. Making these issues public will have a greater impact and make the issue more well known. If it is a serious enough issue, making it public will help a resolution become more clear and make that issue able to be solved. I think her argument and the way she went about expressing it was very affective. It wasn't rational. It didn't even make very much sense. But because of that, she got people's attention and made them look deeper into what she was trying to say. I think that is one of the best ways to get a group's attention. Make them look and make them understand in a bold way.
ReplyDeleteIt was hard for me to understand what they were doing in the music video and what they were trying to say. It was a very interesting piece though and good to watch. After reading the lyrics and watching the music video again I gained a better understanding of this. I think that men controlling women at one point was a private matter but now it is a public matter. I think this because of the women's rights moment and we don't live in the stone age anymore. Anyone should be allowed to do anything they want at anytime so long as it is appropriate.
ReplyDeleteThis music video was strange and a little creepy to say the least. She did manage to get her point across though about her private issues. It is important for private issues to become public. The ideas she was attempting to adress was the idea of supression of women and how men control just about everything in public culture. This music video was very creative and did a great job of expressing how private issues should become public by children being violent and how she kept repeating the y control. Y control meaning (y chromosome) is saying that men determine just about eveything in the public and women have to keep most things private.By making this video she has now brought the issue of men controlling society public.
ReplyDeleteThis video is very speculative in multiple ways that it seems to portray public and private. Karen O demonstrates the oppression of women in a private sphere as well as the brutality of the public male sphere. It is very important for private issues to become public especially if the dominance over women is beginning to control there lives even when the "public Sphere" isn't always there, the male figure is always the dominant subject. Karen O really demonstrates the reality of the public shpere having such a high influence on the private sphere specifically on young individuals (mainly women). In the video the boy sitting at a table telling the girl to chop off his hand(in a very demanding tone) gets exactly what he wants when the girl swings. This exemplafies the dominance and forceful intentions of men in a public sphere even in private. Women are wanting this issue to become well known to the public. Therefore they show their frustrations with crude and vulgar intentions and gestures in the video. Specific issues should defaintly become public.
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