Monday, April 21, 2008

Lil Boy

Here is the link to a youtube video that makes my roommate look she is going to pee her pants:
(she looks like she's laughing but she's laughing so hard that it looks like she's holding her breath)

http://youtube.com/watch?v=MKD_JAgh9hY

(you really only have to watch the first minute or so to get the full effect)

I thought of this video, because it makes me laugh and it is a great rendition of the classic Beetles song that was written during the Vietnam War era. While this may be an avenue for producing many laughs, especially in my dorm, there is also an important cross-cultural observation that can be made. If we first think of the context in which this song was written, it was part of a major anti-war movement that occurred throughout the music world. To many people in the past and present alike, this song not only represented a way to protest the government's actions but it also reflected the lifestyles that many embrace. There was and still is an idea that love prevails, no matter the obstacle. So, Hey Jude could be seen as the auditory confirmation of this concept, especially in Great Britain. However, after viewing the video, it should be quite clear that the song has an entirely different connotation to the people shown listening to it. It essentially becomes a late night comedy piece, which is certainly entertaining but another real cause of war. No, the song Hey Jude does not cause war, but the fact that it is interpreted in such drastically different manners reveals how easily culture can influence the occurrence of war. Therefore, lack of understanding others, even in the simplest of fashions, is probably a greater factor and cause of war than many would like to believe. We may think we're getting better, but then its all a scream.


1 comment:

Sarah K. said...

amanda- good job taking a rather simple and humorous video and relaying a deeper meaning within it. you are very insightful here- I am embarassed to admit that I didn't put two and two together and I hadn't realized that "Hey Jude" was from the Vietnam war era. Now that you explained it, I can appreciate the connection between the song and war and getting lost in translation.