Bernie Sanders continues to trail behind Hillary Clinton for the Democratic Nomination, but has not lost pace. He continues to march on with a steady beat, with a following of supporters who are more energetic, and bring a creative energy to the Sanders candidacy that is lacking in any of his supporters. I encourage anyone who disagrees with this statement to respond and challenge me on it, by the way.
Among the most vocal and artistic of Bernie's supporters are the many revolutionaries gathering on youtube to post songs celebrating his vision and uncompromising integrity. boobsforbernie2016 brings us "Talk Bernie to Me,"which they refer to as a political "semi-parody" of "Talk Dirty to Me" about the Democratic Socialist. They want to bring back "Girl Power" and protest the expectation of women to vote for Hillary Clinton. Rejecting the "special place in Hell" arguments of Steinem, these ladies choose instead to emulate the feminist icons of music that serve as their inspirations: namely Gwen Stefani, Christina Aguilera, and The Spice Girls. The girls of boobsforberie2016 have the radical belief that feminism allows women to choose for themselves.
In his Yahoo News article "How indie rock could help Bernie Sanders win the Nevada Caucuses" Romano discusses his frequent use of music and allied musicians in getting his message across. The rapper Killer Mike has been supporting Bernie Sanders for some time, and held a joint concert along with Vampire Weekend before the Iowa Caucus. A concert this past Friday night, before the Nevada caucuses, included many California based Indie bands, whose songs were largely in line with Sanders' populist message. And while Bernie did not win Nevada, he remains a strong force this primary season. Music has been, and should continue to be, a powerful force in the Revolution.
In my previous entry The Art of a Revolution, I linked to Makana's "The Fire is Ours," his moving Bernie anthem. Now, The Color Bars have released a new music video entitled "The End of the Corporate Age." It is a smooth, catchy tune, warning the corporate establishment that the people will not tolerate the status quo.
That's not all: The Bernie Blog has kept up with the contributions of Revolutionaries, who often include poetry, and in one case, a set of new lyrics to the tune of "Do You Hear the People Sing?" from Les Miserables.
This kind of creative energy is exactly what the Political Revolution needs. It is precisely why I am proposing "Sing Outs for Bernie." Just what are sing outs?
Simply that: Singing. These are events where people gather together and sing. The songs need not be original creations; they need not be about Bernie Sanders; they don't even automatically have to include folk songs like "This Land" (a favorite of the senator's). Everyone should be encouraged to sing, and to sing along. This is about building a spirit of positive energy. Uniting us through a mutual love of music. Let's sing out for Bernie. Let's sing out for the America we deserve.
Going down to Rancho Mirage, CA today to protest the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which would sell out not only our environment and economy, but even our own national sovereignty to the depredations of corporate greed. This is a disaster of legislation that must not be allowed under any circumstances.
If you are near the area, I urge you to join us. President Obama and leaders from Southeast Asia will be present to discuss getting the deal ratified. Let's show them that we don't want any part of this corporate coup.
There's no denying that Senator Bernie Sanders has his proponents fired up. Many are now "feeling the Bern," including the award-winning musician Makana, who recently released to YouTube and Boing Boing his new Bernie loving anthem, The Fire is Ours. It speaks to the frustration with a corrupt and dishonest political system, and praise for the only one who seems to stand out, complete with a blazing upright piano that taking "feeling the Bern" a bit literally.
It's clearly the work of a talented musician and songwriter, in that he makes unsubtle political language actually sound good from a musical standpoint. It's a catchy tune that, with luck, will start getting stuck in people's heads. No revolution is complete without music. Or dancing.
Plus, I don't see any other candidate with their own theme song. Well, at least not one they didn't write themselves...
But this isn't the only thing going out there in the world of Bernie-themed art. HVW8 Gallery recently hosted a whole exhibition of Bernie art. The Art of a Political Revolution - Artists for Bernie Sanders just wrapped up in Los Angeles, CA, and has moved to Austin, Texas, where it will open TONIGHT at 7pm!
It features the works of some sixteen artists. They may not be Diego Rivera, but they show a variety of engaging styles, powerful imagery, and creative energy. I think this one is my personal favorite:
I like the non-traditional color scheme. Red, white, and blue is by now overused in political materials to the point where it has become meaningless. Going with an unusual scheme of orange and green is fresh, earthy, and warm. In line with him are at least three people of color, along with a man of indeterminate heritage. These figures are in silhouette, so we can only identify them by their profile, and need to read into the details. The woman next to Bernie stands out because she is orange, whereas the rest of those standing "Together" with Bernie are in shades of green, and because her Afro hairstyle marks her as Black. The silhouettes, by lacking much of the traditional facial features we look for in a face, demand that we project ourselves onto them, and read into them, building up some of their identity for ourselves. This is a reflection of what we always do with life in general (we see the world not as IT is, but as WE are) and with minorities especially, but by putting a bit of ourselves into them, it is also a call to empathy, linking back to the title concept that we are all in this "together." The Revolution is for all of us.
