MAGNET knows a thing or two about good music, art and interesting people, so when Dengue Fever was asked to be guest editors, we all replied within minutes: ”Yes, please!” We have had our noses to the grindstone as of late because that’s what you need to do when you release your latest full-length studio album, The Deepest Lake, on your own label, Tuk Tuk Records. It’s a hell of a lot of work, and us sitting down and writing about subjects other than ourselves sounded like a great respite. So thank you, MAGNET. Enjoy the info, rants and inspirations. Who knows where they’ll take you …
Paul Dreux Smith: I have been doing extensive research in the world of politics (I browse through my Facebook feed and proceed to read the first paragraph of really important studies), and what I have realized is that people like me are the biggest obstacles in creating a fair and just society in this new “America” of ours. I say new because we are experiencing the greatest disparity in wealth distribution in quite a long time. (I would tell you how long, but that was probably in the second paragraph of the above mentioned Facebook study that I didn’t read.) With social media now giving us the ability to gather en masse so we can voice our displeasure with various rulings, legislation and policies, it appears as if we are in the midst of an awakening. Are the ’60s back? I hope not. The weed wasn’t very good back then. Is the American Spring right around the corner? I hope not, because that movement is still mired in the logistics of power struggles. Tearing down regimes is way more complicated than it looks on CNN. What are we accomplishing with all of these protests? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not against them. We need to channel our energy into something that feels positive. I am confused, though. These protests seem to fit snuggly into the power structures that we are all so fed up with. I don’t see the disruptions created by protests changing the minds of the Koch brothers. I think most people in power realize that our system is set up to absorb moments like these without any real loss to our capitalistic ways. Not to mention the recent changes to legislation that have made public protests harder and the slow steady militarization of our police force, which properly equips them for our increased amount of civil unrest.
I don’t think real change can happen when the majority of Americans who understand the truth and want to see change aren’t really willing to sacrifice anything. How many of us are willing to die for our cause? Hell, how many of us would give up Netflix for a year in order to see some change? Anyone … Bueller … Bueller? I have two children, so I keep telling myself that I need to be here for them. You can’t be a father and a be a radical! That’s a problem. I sign a hell of a lot of petitions online. It’s easy. I feel a moment of pleasure from it, then get distracted by adorable kittens doing adorable kitten things. That’s a problem. I vote at every election. That’s a problem. Wait … what? Voting is the equivalent of saying you are OK with the present system. Change can not come from within. If our whole political process is a sham, which I wholeheartedly believe, then I am crazy to believe that partaking in that system will lead to a new one. I think it’s time for more drastic measures from the people who actually have the experience and the wisdom to build a new society that prioritizes the human condition over the consumer condition. Students tend to be the ones leading most revolutions. In America, the majority of students are loaded with debt, which creates stress and fear. It’s hard to start revolutions when you should be using that time to earn pennies so you can pay off that $300,000 loan that is breathing down your neck. Debt is a form of modern-day slavery, and it is quite a comfortable fiefdom, unfortunately. That’s a problem. Maybe we don’t even have to tear down the existing power structure. Maybe we just start building right next to the present structure. Over time, our neighbors, still residing in Amerikkka, will start moving in, one by one. I got dibs on the penthouse. Oh, wait … that’s a problem.
