Matt Johnson
The article by Ludwig Hurtado, “Country Music is also Mexican Music,” and the interview by Laina Dawes, “Finally, Filmmakers Tell the Forgotten History of Seattle DIY Self-Defense Group Home Alive” both draw the connection between the relatability of media to one’s personal life and the large scale success of that media. In Dawes’ interview “Finally, Filmmakers Tell the Forgotten History of Seattle DIY Self-Defense Group Home Alive,” Leah Michaels said “The way that Home Alive got the word out through their community was by making posters, zines and newsletters, and then when they did that CD they got some not only national but international attention” (Michaels paragraph 10). This excerpt demonstrates how initially Home Alive was targeted for a local community audience and had success, but then gained large scale fame internationally. One of the reasons for the growth of Home Alive was that a lot of women across the world could relate to struggles of sexual assault that Home Alive was protecting women against. Hurtado’s article “Country Music is also Mexican Music,” connects to this idea by explaining how the personal relatability of Country music contributed to its success. In Hurtado’s article he included findings from Nadine Hubbs who is a musicologist and cultural historian at University of Michigan, “Folks she spoke to found country music to be relatable to their own cultural values, like loyalty to one’s family and a diligent work ethic” (qtd in Hurtado paragraph 20). This ability of Country music to relate to its audience’s personal values is a deep connection that will create large lasting success. These two examples show the international extent of topics such as cultural heritage and sexual assault because media involving these topics will gain large popularity, as seen from the examples.
Band Aid - “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”
Various Artists from Africa - “Strong Girl”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGvOaGp5M-4
I chose the song “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” by Band Aid and “Strong Girl” by various artists from Africa to connect to the message from the readings that media gains international popularity from personally relating to people across the world. The song “Do They Know It’s Christmas” was created to raise funds for those affected by the ethiopian famine. One part of the lyrics in that song is “There's a world outside your window, and it's a world of dread and fear.” This song’s message of human suffering of those in Ethiopia caused millions to come together across the globe to raise funds because they could personally feel the pain someone else was feeling. This relates to Laina Dawes’ interview “Finally, Filmmakers Tell the Forgotten History of Seattle DIY Self-Defense Group Home Alive” because similar to the Home Alive movement gaining international recognition because of the international problem of sexual assault, Band Aid’s song “Do They Know It’s Christmas” was famous because it was about human suffering which all people feel personal pain for. The song “Strong Girl” by various artists from Africa draws on many experiences from young women across the world struggling with gender roles, with a part of the lyrics that says “Show the world that you’re a strong girl.” This message for women to stand up for their equality addresses a systemic worldwide problem of sexism and the international nature of the issue is a contributing factor to the success of the song “Strong Girl.” Although the songs are about different things, the success of “Strong Girl” from personal relatability of sexual assault is similar to the idea that Country music gained large popularity due to its cultural relatability to its audience as discussed in Hurtado’s article “Country Music is also Mexican Music.” Both of the songs “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” by Band Aid and “Strong Girl” by various artists from Africa gained worldwide success through their personal relatability to their audience.
I chose the song “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” by Band Aid and “Strong Girl” by various artists from Africa to connect to the message from the readings that media gains international popularity from personally relating to people across the world. The song “Do They Know It’s Christmas” was created to raise funds for those affected by the ethiopian famine. One part of the lyrics in that song is “There's a world outside your window, and it's a world of dread and fear.” This song’s message of human suffering of those in Ethiopia caused millions to come together across the globe to raise funds because they could personally feel the pain someone else was feeling. This relates to Laina Dawes’ interview “Finally, Filmmakers Tell the Forgotten History of Seattle DIY Self-Defense Group Home Alive” because similar to the Home Alive movement gaining international recognition because of the international problem of sexual assault, Band Aid’s song “Do They Know It’s Christmas” was famous because it was about human suffering which all people feel personal pain for. The song “Strong Girl” by various artists from Africa draws on many experiences from young women across the world struggling with gender roles, with a part of the lyrics that says “Show the world that you’re a strong girl.” This message for women to stand up for their equality addresses a systemic worldwide problem of sexism and the international nature of the issue is a contributing factor to the success of the song “Strong Girl.” Although the songs are about different things, the success of “Strong Girl” from personal relatability of sexual assault is similar to the idea that Country music gained large popularity due to its cultural relatability to its audience as discussed in Hurtado’s article “Country Music is also Mexican Music.” Both of the songs “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” by Band Aid and “Strong Girl” by various artists from Africa gained worldwide success through their personal relatability to their audience.
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