Values, Love, and Lady Gaga

Well, here I am, sitting alone in my empty house. Finally, I've decided to sit down and do this blog entry for writer's craft that I've been assigned to do for a while. I've been procrastinating doing this for ages, and now it's the time to stop being stressed and just write about whatever I feel like writing about.

So here we go.

How about that new Lady Gaga “Born This Way” music video? Absolutely horrendous. Just in case you haven't seen it, allow me to recap these horrible events as quickly as possible, before I barf..

First scene, we see our over-produced modern “sex symbol” Lady Gaga talking about some extra-terrestrial stuff, most of which you can barely understand or make sense of at all. Something about “the mother of the universe” is said, which cuts into a scene where it appears that she is giving birth to a giant head, complete with disgusting… added effects (we hope). So if you live through that first part, you can advance to the second scene, which is shows off society’s main focus – half naked people ridiculously dancing to a song that has absolutely no meaningful value in society. Believe me, you don’t want to watch it. It’s disgusting, degrading and pointless. “Oh Dan, your head is in the sand. Lady Gaga ROX!!!!!!!! Her lyrics talk about such meaningful values!!!!!”

Oh yeah?

I'm beautiful in my way

'Cause God makes no mistakes

I'm on the right track baby

I was born this way

Don't hide yourself in regret

Just love yourself and you're set

I'm on the right track baby

I was born this way

(Taken from lyricsmode.com)

Everything about this song makes me want to burst out laughing. Where is the meaning? Between the cliché “be yourself and don’t care what anyone thinks” to the complete irony of Lady Gaga, who was named by a rich music producer, who writes popular pop music that sounds like everything else, telling everyone to just “be themselves”…

I know this sort of goes in a different, broader direction, but stay with me here. I’m absolutely appalled by media these days. Between repeating the same songs or the same artists on the radio for months at a time, the excess focus on sex, drinking, and partying, and the complete pointlessness and emptiness of people’s lives. Why is television so bloody dramatic? Why does our society religiously watch shows that display the ridiculous “values” of partying and hooking up with random people *cough* JERSEY SHORE. WHY. It really doesn’t make any sense at all. We sit, laugh and admire these people selling out and throwing away the value of relationships, the beauty of sexual intimacy, and the true values of life. Why should our lives be connected around the idea that drinking, partying, and sex are the way to happiness? It may be the way to temporary highs, but I’d rather not sit at my 50^th wedding anniversary and think to myself “why the hell did I sleep with all those girls when I was in my 20’s?”

You know, it’s crazy. We sit and talk about true love. We crave real connections with people. Any mature person doesn’t look for crazy one night stands with anyone they can get their hands on. Real people want love. Why as a society are we destroying that core value? We sit and wonder why so many relationships end in divorce. Could it be our values?  Could we be brainwashed to think that once the sex isn’t good with our partner, we should just drop them like an old shoe and find someone better?

What are we thinking?

Well that was a bit of an excessive rant. I’m going to talk about something else before I march to wherever Mike “The Situation” is and throw him off a bridge or something (I’m kidding).

I can only think of one way to summarize this effectively, and this is through a song I love. It’s by this kid named Christopher Drew, also known as Never Shout Never (I know, I know, it’s a little girly, but I could really care less).

Who the hell have I been kidding

I sold my soul to the corporation

They know me better than I know myself

I better shut it up

I better shut it up

You gotta problem with the way I think

I gotta problem with the way you think

That you can program me

Like a damned machine

I wanna take a stand

And say f--- this scene

I'm sick of imagery

Instead of artistry

I'm sick of apathy

Instead of harmony

I'm sick of poets workin' part time jobs

While pissy people pick and choose the stars

I know that I should be

The last one to speak

About this but even sellouts have their dreams

Set the music free.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wV1FrqwZyKw&feature=topvideos
^View the Lady Gaga video here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rku0yMUvM0M
^Watch something a hell of a lot better

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Agw37_EOve8&playnext=1&list=PL3D0DAEEB767A0E8F
^Listen to something beautiful

Keep living the dream guys.