The song remains the same

In the 1960s and 1970s several musicians tried to change the world through their music. The 'protest songs' of Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Neil Young and The Byrds gained a lot of air play, particularly on the pirate radio stations, as they sought to raise awareness of the dangers of nuclear weapons, the futility of the Vietnam War, or the need for greater equality, justice and freedom.

The late 1970s saw the emergence of an even more angry genre of music - punk rock exploded on the scene, grabbing attention, causing controversy and piquing our social awareness through the raw energy of The Sex Pistols, The Clash and Patti Smith, and political awareness flowed freely from the lyrics of Billy Bragg, UB40 and a number of other home grown UK bands in the 1980s. They railed against corporate greed, and called out for equality, justice and freedom (again). If we were cynical we would point out that they also became wealthy off the back of their record sales. Most recently, Hip Hop outfits such as Public Enemy have tried to tap into the power of the beat to challenge the status quo, change people's minds and drag them from their comfortable lethargy into political activism but they have a limited audience. Pink's 'Dear Mr President' held currency for a while, but a new president with a new agenda may have drawn some of its potency.

Political movements have risen from songs. Remember 'Stand Down Margaret', and 'Free Nelson Mandela', or 'Biko' (Peter Gabriel). But ultimately what has been the legacy of these music movements? Did they really change much at all? And what is the alternative now that music seems to have lapsed into its own lethargic morass of the X-Factor style 'karoake' culture?

Gil Scott-Heron sang 'The Revolution will not be Televised', but the times they are a-changing, and people now have mobile TV and Radio studios and newspaper presses in their pockets. We have witnessed the evidence that the use of mobile phones by citizen journalists has raised public awareness to the injustices, tragedies and disasters occurring across the globe - as they happen, and at the scene. Sometimes several hours ahead of the major media channels - instant messages, texting and other live networking has raised our awareness that there are riots on the streets of Iran, or that a major incident is happening somewhere in the world. YouTube videos, Flickr photographs and blog reports provide us with the content that informs, circumventing the mainstream media, and undermining the repressive control methods of those in power.

In the next few years there will be a rise in the use of citizen journalism, just as there will be a rise in the number of free internet channels that will be open for all to use. Perhaps we don't need the protest song anymore. The song remains the same, but the tools have changed. And they may be a lot more effective. Government ministers and those who wield the power will be looking over their shoulders with increasing regularity, as citizen observers with powerful links to the world ensure that they do the best for their country.

And that can only be a good thing, can't it?

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Karaoke culture

Handheld Learning 2009 has been special for a number of reasons, some of which I have already blogged about. But the opening keynote speeches this year, and one person in particular, took the proverbial biscuit. Malcolm McLaren is best known for his instigation of the punk movement in the UK in the 70s - the embodiment of anarchy, and is notorious as the manager of the iconic punk band the Sex Pistols. To invite him to speak at an event about mobile technologies in education would seem to be a little anachronistic, but speak he did, and he had a tremendous impact.

McLaren labels himself as an artist, which indeed if you examine his early history, is true. But he would be better labelled here as an agent provocateur - someone brought in to stir up emotion and cause a reaction. And that is exactly what he did. Looking more like an affable granfather than the angry man of punk, he took to the stage dressed in grey slacks, shirt and tie, and a comfortable wooley pullover. Gone were the wild corskscrew red locks, and the outlandish presence - it was almost as though he had assumed his place within the establishment. But nothing could be farther from the truth from the moment he opened his mouth and began to speak.

McLaren talked critically about the culture of Britain today - in his own words, often laced with profanity, it is a mediocre Karaoke culture - one in which there is no responsibility, and one in which reality shows hold sway, and instant success can be had for no real effort. This, he said was how the Blair government had functioned, and his remark about the inanity of Cool Brittania as a failed marketing ploy gained some audience approval. The instant gratification of the Karaoke culture, he suggested, was a huge problem for educators who are trying to instil a sense of achievement (even if it is a failure) into young minds.

His speech was at times rambling and self-absorbed as he reminisced over his time as a trainee wine taster, art student, musician and designer and eventually as instigator of the punk movement through his shop 'Sex', and his formation of the Sex Pistols. McLaren's ventures into the music and movie industries, and more recently, his full circle to return to his roots as an 'artist' have ensured he has been influential in all he has done, even though he is a self confessed educational failure. He has often been influential for the wrong reasons, and he admits that his forays into punk were calculated to destroy the comfortable complacency of middle class England and to challenge and undermine many of its social structures. He is a true anarchist in many ways, but is also perversely a part of the establishment, whether he accepts it or not. He has adopted the conventional, but without him, the present music and fashion industries may never have become what they are. Yes, the education system may have failed him utterly, but within his own account of his formative years, it is easy to spot how he also failed himself. He acknowledges this, but argues that failure in itself is not always a bad thing, and that the journey to discover oneself is sometimes more important. It was only when he became a student of art, he admitted, that he found his true identity.

McLaren had started his speech by admitting he knew very little about learning technologies. His parting comment though was telling, and resonated with many of his audience, even though many had been polarised. 'Don't becomes slaves to technology', he warned, 'see it for what it is. Use it as a tool, but don't become dependent upon it'.

Related posts

Authenticity vs Karaoke (Terry Freedman)

Malcolm McLaren and Education (Nick Kind)

Military-erotic wine-tasting education (mrjorgen Flickr video)

Edupunk won't go away... (Pontydysgu)