Thursday, April 26, 2007

Speaking of which..

Speaking of a violent civilisation.. my aunt Anita Dube's latest exhibition at the gallery Almine Rech, 19 rue de Saintonge, Paris 3, comes right on time for this blog and to give another view of our world - both abstract and yet quite explicit.

The show opened today and will be held until May 15th.



Sunday, April 22, 2007

This is a violent civilisation...

Never cheap of a controversial discussion, i shall respond hereby to my friend Bobby's suggestion: "Post about gun control on your blog, and I will be happy to argue with you :)"

I met Bobby during my end of studies internship in Virginia Tech... this campus recently got some extra notoriety for being the theater of the most recent -and most deadly- university shooting in the US (unfortunately it tends to be so frequent that we have to be precise which shooting we're talking about)

So tell me why is it that, some 200 years after americans have had to "defend themselves against evil native indians" (hmm..), they still all should have guns at home and go shoot each other in universities, ghettos and other suburbs?!

And by the way, what is it about guns that so fascinates kids all the way to the remote buddhist regions of the world?!




May i illustrate by quoting Gil Scott-Heron's excellent song on the subject?

Peace out.


GUN by Gil Scott-Heron

Brother Man nowadays living in the ghetto
Where the danger's sure enough real
Well when he's out late at night
and if he's got his head on right
Well, I lay you 9 to 5 he's walking with steal.

Brother Man says he's 'fraid of gangsters
Messing with people just for fun
He don't want to be next
He got a family to protect
So just last week he bought himself a gun.

Chorus:
Everybody got a pistol, everybody got a 45
And the philosophy seem to be
At least as near as I can see
When other folks give up theirs, I'll give up mine.

This is a violent civilization
If civilization's where I am
Every channel that I stop on
Got a different kind of cop on
Killing them by the millions for Uncle Sam

Saturday night just ain't that special
Yeah, I got the constitution on the run
'Cause even though we've got the right
To defend our home, to defend our life
Got to understand to get it in hand about the guns

(chous repeat & solo break)

Saturday night just ain't that special
Freedom to be afraid is all you want
Yes if you don't want to be next
You've got a family to protect
9 out of 10, you've got a friend, you call the gun.

(chous repeat)

Everybody got a pistol, this must be the NRA
Yeah 'cause when it's time to shine up
You know damn well they're gonna line up
Everybody...

And the philosophy seem to be
At least as near as I can see
When other folks give up theirs, I'll give up mine