Drexel just celebrated the end of its Homecoming week with a concert headlining Jay Sean and Sean Paul. It is an understatement to say that many students were extremely excited about these artists, in total 3,000 students and their guests attended the concert.
I also enjoyed the musical artistry of these main acts as a photographer and I am happy that I was able to get some great shots (to be posted soon). My All Access Pass allowed me to stand in the space between the barricades holding back concert goers and the stage. This not only gave me "front-row" seats to the performers but also to the enthusiastic, screaming fans - the majority of which were female. They screamed when he was announced, they screamed when he appeared. When asked by Jay Sean who were the real fans, where the pretty girls were etc, the only collective response was screams.
I have simply never been able to understand the obsession for stars. I mean the undying devotion to each and every song, multiple posters on walls, and exclamations of "that's my future husband or baby-daddy". I mean the need to know everything about an artist, to follow their every move and to be willing to do anything to meet them. I feel that this leads to an imagined connection to a person (the key word is person) that you have never met.
I have great respect for artists and appreciate their contributions to the world, but I see them for what they are: people who are making a living with something they are passionate about.
I'm not saying it is wrong to "love" a star or artist, but I would just like to understand what leads to them being held up on a pedestal above the rest.
What do you think?
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
"I"
The following poem was inspired after I read Ayn Rand's "Anthem" - highly recommended reading!It's still a work in progress, I just felt like posting what I already had.
Have you discovered your "I"
The part that must not die
Powered by the beat of your heart
From which all gets its start
The point of your existence
Found on the path of most resistance
Much easier to fold to the will of others
Under the guise of being 'brothers'
Taught the highest is the common good
Following rules as you should
Sticking to the beaten path
Suffering the silent wrath
And the demands of your self
That has long been on a shelf
Causing a sense of unease
That you can't/ don't/ won't do as you please
To develop your full potential
Worth more than paper credentials
The embodiment of all you stand for
Have you discovered your "I"
The part that must not die
Powered by the beat of your heart
From which all gets its start
The point of your existence
Found on the path of most resistance
Much easier to fold to the will of others
Under the guise of being 'brothers'
Taught the highest is the common good
Following rules as you should
Sticking to the beaten path
Suffering the silent wrath
And the demands of your self
That has long been on a shelf
Causing a sense of unease
That you can't/ don't/ won't do as you please
To develop your full potential
Worth more than paper credentials
The embodiment of all you stand for
Monday, January 18, 2010
To Speak or Not to Speak?
In this winter term of 2010 I am taking a class on Free Speech and Censorship. The subject we have been touching on is self-censorship in all aspects of life. The fact is that we are trained from a young age that it is inappropriate to speak on certain subjects depending on the situation and people we're talking to. But why is it that certain subjects are taboo around certain people? Think, for instance, of your family gatherings. Are your family members open to having a conversation about politics, sports, religion, abortion, and other sensitive subjects? Or are these topics discouraged because your grandparents or parents, aunts or uncles would get offended and then angry leading to a complete shutdown of any dialogue?
Or think of your facebook page. Is there content that you don't post or privatize because you are friends with family or employers? Why do you not make this content public?
Another scenario might be that you are in a conversation in which someone says something that offends someone else, will you correct the offender or do you let it go thinking it's not your fight to fight?
As a country, the U.S. is all for Freedom of Speech, but why is it that we don't practice or allow it when it comes to topics that make us uncomfortable? In my opinion, we suffer more from self-censorship as it is based on the fear of what other people might think of us. In censoring ourselves, we take away from dialogue that it is important to fully understanding a topic and how it influences ours and others' lives. Removing self-censors, however, is something that has to be practiced. Only through practice can we get past the grip of that uncomfortable feeling.
What examples do you have of self-censorship and what do you think of it?
- Nicolle
Or think of your facebook page. Is there content that you don't post or privatize because you are friends with family or employers? Why do you not make this content public?
Another scenario might be that you are in a conversation in which someone says something that offends someone else, will you correct the offender or do you let it go thinking it's not your fight to fight?
As a country, the U.S. is all for Freedom of Speech, but why is it that we don't practice or allow it when it comes to topics that make us uncomfortable? In my opinion, we suffer more from self-censorship as it is based on the fear of what other people might think of us. In censoring ourselves, we take away from dialogue that it is important to fully understanding a topic and how it influences ours and others' lives. Removing self-censors, however, is something that has to be practiced. Only through practice can we get past the grip of that uncomfortable feeling.
What examples do you have of self-censorship and what do you think of it?
- Nicolle
Gossamer Wings
Debris is falling
At a slower than wanted pace
Clinging to my newly forming wings
Not ready to let go
Keeping the thread
To old ways alive
A resort to comfort
In times of insecurity
Brought on by the elixir
That kills inhibition
The choice to evolve
To new colors
Cracked the cocoon
Only broken by the committment of action
Or the abstinence thereof
Past ways fall away
Piece by piece
Revealing the expansion
Of the rainbow
Ready to connect this soul
To the next world
In the journey of discovery
Of the light
That brightens with each
Metamorphesis
Not to be rushed
For gossamer wings
Tear at the slightest
Unnecessary movement
That strays from the process
Of evolution
The time it takes to grow
Savoured
As potential decisions
Compared to those of past
Are weighed
And with care
Not found wanting
As higher levels of clarity
Are reached
On the currents
Of the world's breath
And whisper promises
Of the great
That is to come
As what was and is learned
Turns into what is known
And lived
Second in nature
As much as the breaths
Taken every day
With the coming greatness
Soon to be achieved
Astonish not
At the effect
Just one beat
Of these rainbow wings
On the world.
- Nicolle
At a slower than wanted pace
Clinging to my newly forming wings
Not ready to let go
Keeping the thread
To old ways alive
A resort to comfort
In times of insecurity
Brought on by the elixir
That kills inhibition
The choice to evolve
To new colors
Cracked the cocoon
Only broken by the committment of action
Or the abstinence thereof
Past ways fall away
Piece by piece
Revealing the expansion
Of the rainbow
Ready to connect this soul
To the next world
In the journey of discovery
Of the light
That brightens with each
Metamorphesis
Not to be rushed
For gossamer wings
Tear at the slightest
Unnecessary movement
That strays from the process
Of evolution
The time it takes to grow
Savoured
As potential decisions
Compared to those of past
Are weighed
And with care
Not found wanting
As higher levels of clarity
Are reached
On the currents
Of the world's breath
And whisper promises
Of the great
That is to come
As what was and is learned
Turns into what is known
And lived
Second in nature
As much as the breaths
Taken every day
With the coming greatness
Soon to be achieved
Astonish not
At the effect
Just one beat
Of these rainbow wings
On the world.
- Nicolle
These Words
With you I can fly
Spread my wings and touch the sky
Your depth is my soul
The sweet release of control
Thoughts become so clear
Letting you go, brings you near
With you fantasy becomes reality
My deepest desires flow from me
Once I let you go
Your birth is set in stone
Your existence becomes eternity
Even after my soul has gone from me
With you I can live forever
Disappear my thoughts will never
Speaking to those after me
In eternity I am free
And they say no one is immortal
But it seems you have become my portal
Without you my world would be silent
Overpowered by my inner tyrant
Thoughts would merely disappear
Fighting others to become clear
But you provide that sweet release
A flow to never cease
A conduit to express mine
Until the end of time.
- Nicolle
Spread my wings and touch the sky
Your depth is my soul
The sweet release of control
Thoughts become so clear
Letting you go, brings you near
With you fantasy becomes reality
My deepest desires flow from me
Once I let you go
Your birth is set in stone
Your existence becomes eternity
Even after my soul has gone from me
With you I can live forever
Disappear my thoughts will never
Speaking to those after me
In eternity I am free
And they say no one is immortal
But it seems you have become my portal
Without you my world would be silent
Overpowered by my inner tyrant
Thoughts would merely disappear
Fighting others to become clear
But you provide that sweet release
A flow to never cease
A conduit to express mine
Until the end of time.
- Nicolle
My K-9
Do you see the trip wire?
And the K-9?
My team of professionals
Guarding what's mine
Meat doesn't entice
These fierce beasts
Poised to attack
Never conceding defeat
Responding only to my command
Not to any outside hand
For you could be just any man
Worthy of the treasure at stake?
Do you know and have what it takes?
What it takes is a connection
Built by love and affection
Based on a foundation of trust
Only then will they calm
Wary but calm
And allow you into the fortress
By far not homefree
But closer to me
And the part that most never see.
- Nicolle
And the K-9?
My team of professionals
Guarding what's mine
Meat doesn't entice
These fierce beasts
Poised to attack
Never conceding defeat
Responding only to my command
Not to any outside hand
For you could be just any man
Worthy of the treasure at stake?
Do you know and have what it takes?
What it takes is a connection
Built by love and affection
Based on a foundation of trust
Only then will they calm
Wary but calm
And allow you into the fortress
By far not homefree
But closer to me
And the part that most never see.
- Nicolle
Your Silence...
Your silence speaks volumes
Your mouth wont allow
Your stance reveals the disgust
Your words wont tell.
The awkwardness between us
Reveals a chemistry failed
Destroyed by a fault
That cannot be availed?
I crossed the line
In more ways than one
And I'm ashamed to admit
That my work cannot be undone.
To take back those words
I'd give everything in my power
To make things with you right
I'd travel back in time
Turning back the clock
Until everything's a dime.
Know that I am here
For when you are ready
To give sound to your silence
No matter how heavy.
- Nicolle 2008
Your mouth wont allow
Your stance reveals the disgust
Your words wont tell.
The awkwardness between us
Reveals a chemistry failed
Destroyed by a fault
That cannot be availed?
I crossed the line
In more ways than one
And I'm ashamed to admit
That my work cannot be undone.
To take back those words
I'd give everything in my power
To make things with you right
I'd travel back in time
Turning back the clock
Until everything's a dime.
Know that I am here
For when you are ready
To give sound to your silence
No matter how heavy.
- Nicolle 2008
Something More
See me as something more
Than you want me to be
More than the facade
You desire.
Look into my eyes
To the soul within
To the part of me
That guards my heart.
Seek not to own or conquer
But merely to compliment and uplift
See me for who I am
And let me discover
Who I can be with you.
For my love is
What I have to give
My knowledge
What I have to share.
Realize...
That without me
There is a you
And without you there is a me.
But take my hand gently
Treat my heart with care
For no matter what I say
I do want you there.
(c) Nicolle 2008
Than you want me to be
More than the facade
You desire.
Look into my eyes
To the soul within
To the part of me
That guards my heart.
Seek not to own or conquer
But merely to compliment and uplift
See me for who I am
And let me discover
Who I can be with you.
For my love is
What I have to give
My knowledge
What I have to share.
Realize...
That without me
There is a you
And without you there is a me.
But take my hand gently
Treat my heart with care
For no matter what I say
I do want you there.
(c) Nicolle 2008
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