Hitler was evil.
But you wouldn't know that if thousands of people hadn't followed his lead.
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a tremendous milestone.
That never would've happened if it weren't for the tireless and cohesive efforts of thousands.
Three members of the Russian punk rock band, Pussy Riot, have been jailed since February because of a performance.
You wouldn't know or care if it wasn't all over Facebook, on Madonna's back during a show, and plastered through international media.
The one thing all of these mentions have in common is cultural signifigance.
In these three cases and in many more, culture took on the political meaning of that time, that place, those people. And that's why people knew about it, and that's why people were engaged.
Let's face it, politics aren't sexy. On their own, they're not flashy or entertaining - unless someone loses their shit on the senate floor or accidentally tweets penis pictures. Serious issues go unnoticed for the same reason that more people watch American Idol than C-Span.
Of course, C-Span is far more relevant to our lives, our well being, our future. But American Idol is fun to watch, engaging, sexy.
A Russian writer and performer was on NPR the other day, commenting on the Pussy Riot issue.
What particularly caught my attention, as I did my second round of shoulder presses, was how she lamented the extreme focus on the issue.
She said that due to the media frenzy over their captivity, so many issues, far more relevant to the Russian people, are going unnoticed. When asked why: "they're not as interesting to people."
Bingo.
The fact that Russia jails hundreds of dissidents every year isn't as interesting. Or the fact that those dissidents don't receive proper medical treatment and die during what should have been a 2 year sentence. These aren't made into billboards by celebrities or pinged incessantly on Facebook, because they lack the style and swagger to ignite cultural interest.
And without that, political issues, no matter how important, will always simmer below the line of mass public knowledge and engagement.
In the 60s, politics were made sexy and engaging by artists. Music was overflowing with political messages and it was considered cool to go to protests, to be engaged, to "be the change."
Hitler pumped out propaganda videos and posters like he was running a movie studio. A line from Mein Kampf reads,
"The function of propaganda does not lie in the scientific training of
the individual, but in calling the masses' attention to certain facts,
processes, necessities, etc., whose significance is thus for the first
time placed within their field of vision."
Absolutely right. No one gives a shit until you show them in a way they can digest it, until you make it a part of their culture.
In Hitler's case, he appealed to the wounded pride of a nation. Propaganda was always about the strong German overcoming the trials and tribulations of injustice to rise, a superior race.
That made it interesting to people, that made it sexy.
If he were just to come out after the first world war and suggest more violence and make far flung suggestions at racial cleansing, he would've sunk into loony anonymity.
Humans are fickle - we are self gratifying beings. If we aren't entertained, engaged or otherwise drawn to something, we don't care about it.
Political and social issues have to appeal to this human trait, and that's something this generation has lost.
It's not cool to be into politics anymore. Preaching escapism has become central to my generation's dogma. We'll regurgitate 60s fashion, art, and music, but hollow out the meaning for an empty but oh-so-chic design. We'll donate to save Darfur but only because that celebrity said so, and once the check is mailed, we let the message fade.
Since 9/11, countless laws have been passed that constrict our freedoms and usurp our rights. Crickets. In January, 2010, the Supreme Court basically OK'd corporately sponsored elections. Silence.
We don't fight for anything because it never seems urgent enough. People aren't going to go looking for reasons to get into politics. Politics has to come to them.
And the only way for politics to get to the people is through popular culture.
We're desensitized to politics, disinterested - because our culture dismisses any political ties.
And so, we will continue to focus on very minute issues, such as Pussy Riot, or the occasional disaster relief, simply because they rise above that simmering line, to engage us culturally.
And until larger issues, like oh, I dunno - the corporate dictatorship we live under, our broken two party system, our shattered infrastructure, our thoughtless wars, our tattered economy - until issues like these are made sexy, with enough glitz to grab our attention, they will remain beneath the surface, like a cancer quietly destroying a people - without their knowledge.
No doubt, it's our fault as a nation, for not stepping up to the plate to take interest in our own country, but in all honesty, that will never happen - it never has.
People don't just care - they have to be made to care. Information has to be delivered in a way that piques interest.
So, how can we do that?
How can we make politics sexy, interesting, engaging?
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