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In reply to the discussion: "What shall we do now?" (re. the UCSB shootings) [View all]Laelth
(32,017 posts)37. Another few pieces of evidence.
Last edited Mon May 26, 2014, 05:04 PM - Edit history (1)
1) Here are some of the lyrics from "What Shall We Do Now?"
What shall we use to fill the empty spaces
Where waves of hunger roar?
Shall we set out across the sea of faces
In search of more and more applause?
Shall we buy a new guitar?
Shall we drive a more powerful car?
Shall we work straight through the night?
Shall we get into fights?
Leave the lights on?
Drop bombs?
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/pinkfloyd/whatshallwedonow.html
Where waves of hunger roar?
Shall we set out across the sea of faces
In search of more and more applause?
Shall we buy a new guitar?
Shall we drive a more powerful car?
Shall we work straight through the night?
Shall we get into fights?
Leave the lights on?
Drop bombs?
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/pinkfloyd/whatshallwedonow.html
To me, those sound like things men might be inclined to do, not women. No doubt, there's a lot of personal agony and introspection in the movie, but who are "we" in that song? Is it unreasonable to assume that Waters is talking about men (in the aggregate)?
2) In addition, I note there are two key screams in the movie. The first is vocalized by the primary male character (and it's in response to a painful exercise of female power). The second is uttered by the primary female character (and it's in response to a painful exercise of male power--war, violence, bombs, destruction). It's hard for me to divorce these primal, human utterances from what I see as the overall theme (i.e. relations between the genders).
3) How do you explain the imagery in the clip posted above--specifically, the wall destroying a Christian church that then re-assembles itself into a new church (a vaginal, brick-menstruating church). If that's not talking about power relations between genders, what is? Waters seems to argue that femininity has replaced Christianity as the dominant religion in the dystopic world he describes.
Of course, ymmv. Thanks for engaging me on this topic.
-Laelth
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You are trying to conflate war and the character's personal problems
muriel_volestrangler
May 2014
#34
If you taught rhetoric than I ask you to step back and look for a larger, overarching theme
KittyWampus
May 2014
#2
So the invention of bigger and better guns and war machines had nothing to do with it?
davidn3600
May 2014
#11
we have often talked about the backlash resulting from so much success of women over a small
seabeyond
May 2014
#15
We fight to amend the Second Amendment. The existence of guns prevents the very conversations
ancianita
May 2014
#45
that has nothing to do with love and desire. that has nothing to do with being fearful
seabeyond
May 2014
#56