Ugh!
Yo! I recently came down with something, and have been very lethargic due to the disease/virus/ear infection. I just went to a minute clinic last night and got some azithromycin (anibiotics). I'm feeling much better today, which is good because I'm working 15 hours. Ok, I don't really have a whole lot of time to post, so here's one of the stories I said I was going to post.
May 5, 2005
Revelation is a Third Eye
In the midst of the hype that was the new millennium, Filter’s “Cancer” is a dose of reality. More so, it shattered the transparent glassy fear of the Y2K bug with an eye opening revelation – we should be wary of ourselves. Ignoring any and all societal criticism, “Cancer” is bold, daring, and surprisingly scary. Filter’s insight on the human race leaves the listener queasy, as the band regurgitates that the human race’s negligence and ignorance will inflict a heavy toll on the planet.
The song starts with Richard Patrick, the lead singer, hoarsely whispering, “I cross the oceans, I cross the seas, I cross the mountains, like a new disease” (“Cancer”). At this point in the song, he could be describing anything. Manifest destiny is the allusion. The song continues, “I cross the borders, I cross the line, never to see the light, till the end of time” (“Cancer”). These lyrics don’t specifically spell it out, but any listener could probably hypothesize as to where the song is headed. This last portion of the verse points to the fated future; it will be too late by the time we notice the error of our ways.
The singer then sings of the experiences he’s encountered, “I’ve seen the canyons, I’ve seen the cities, I’ve seen the prisons, that take such pity” (“Cancer”). Here, he presents us with the evils that have grown out of control. The canyons are losing their beauty, the cities are overcrowded and dirty, and prisons are packed to the brim with convicts and criminals. This is the price we pay for the age in which we live in. There is a distinct trade-off. For technology we trade natural resources, for keeping things sanitary, we trade our health, as microorganisms evolve to overcome antibiotics. For overpopulation, we trade our aesthetic landmarks.
Patrick exposes the materialistic and capitalist ways of our society with his view, “When it comes to you, when it comes to me, it’s just money, that’ll set you free” (“Cancer”). This is a reference to a plethora of situations. Buying what one desires, posting bail to get out of jail. This only scratches the skin of the demon. In our society, if you have money, you have power. Politicians could purchase laws that they want to incorporate into a country they want molded to their own image and we would never know as long as the law had subtle effects. These laws could have effects on the environment and have to do with the oil shortage, which is a huge and endangered industry right now. The profit gained in monetary value from these laws is just too much to be overlooked, even if it costs a forest or two. This corruption, if it is found, needs to be exiled from our government as a first step.
The rich and famous are thrust upon us daily on television, where they are seen buying more than one mansion, top of the line cars, and any other thing that the social classes underneath their feet usually don’t have, but want. With these images, money replaces truth. People are shown that money will truly bring happiness. How many people buy lottery tickets each week to reflect this? As a consumer society, we are devouring our world into a hollow shell that will not support us - “never to see the light, till the end of time” (“Cancer”). We need to band together toward a common goal to stop this way of thinking. Unity must be a priority!
When the chorus is first heard, it is a foreshadowing of what is to come in the song. “Hey my children, what seems important, won’t last forever” (x2) (“Cancer”). Teenagers and younger adults are the majority of the “children” being addressed here. The ones who are concerned with fads and who care mainly of popularity and their social appearance. Things like the real world are far away from them. Yes, children should have a childhood and people shouldn’t be crushed at an early age by the weight of the world, but they should have some education about reality. We are taught to recycle in elementary school because it is a good idea, and it’s environmentally friendly. Some children go as far as to get their parents to start recycling. As we grow older lessons such as this one should be supplemented so that we are quite aware of the state of the world by the time we are graduating from high school.
In considering the chorus, you can see the true dark world, where most people don’t care what happens to the planet, as is reflected by the enduring pollution, global warming, destruction of the rainforest, and intensifying weather. It is here that we are reminded that when it’s gone, it’s gone forever. When will enough be enough? Our resources are already very scarce. We need to teach the younger generations to respect the planet and themselves, and not to take things they have for granted.
The verse between the two choruses is probably one of the more important parts of the song. “Take a look at the Earth, from a plane, you’ll see the Earth, cut up and in pain, take a look at L.A., from the sky, what you see should make you cry” (“Cancer”). This is a reiteration of the earlier segments of the song, “the cities…that take such pity” (“Cancer”) is a reference to L.A. (Los Angeles), which is infamous for its smog covered streets and plastic surgeons. There are a number of surgeons there because of the demand for them. With all of the obsession about one’s exterior, the personalities of these people are that of the surgery they undergo – plastic. Appearance is a major desire in this society and usually, when there’s obsession with appearance, there’s hollow, ugly people. “What you see should make you cry” (“Cancer”), won’t even affect these types of people. They are too consumed with themselves to give a care of the state of their world. The irony of it all is that no matter how hard you try there is no way to stop aging. Is appearance what we really want our children to be concerned with? If no major overhaul is done, the Earth and its people will grow weary and old regardless of the small exterior fix up done today. If the people of the Earth are ugly, then the Earth is ugly. If those same people are beautiful, so is the Earth. It’s not only the planet that needs to change, it’s the people themselves.
“The Earth, cut up and in pain,” (“Cancer”) is a view from a plane, where one would see small patches of forest competing for land with the suburban sprawl and the towering skyscrapers of our massive cities. The concrete look to the landscape from above is enough to send a chill down anyone’s spine. The Earth is crying for mercy and again, the need for awareness and education is obvious.
As Richard gets closer and closer to revealing the cancer, the anticipation is almost too much to bear. “I’m the scum of the Earth…(repeated many times) [after 4x] I am a cancer… (repeated many times) [after 4x] I am humanity (x3)” (“Cancer”). When listening to this part of the song, you can actually feel humanity sweep over the earth like a dense black fog resembling Richard’s voice. In our ever-growing population, where everyday, children raise themselves while their parents are off consuming all of the drugs they can muster to withstand the weight of the world (the children aren’t far away from the same fate), it’s easy to see where this point of view comes from. Considering the ideas already presented, the human race is a cancer, a mass of cells reproducing out of control that eventually kill its host, the Earth. Examine a graph of the human population from its beginning to where it is now. It is exponential! The synonymy of this growth and that of a cancer is not uncanny. And just as in science now, there is no cure. We have pharmaceutics to help slow the advance, but the cancer’s defense mechanisms are too advanced, helping it find new ways to evade its demise and continue its methods of destruction. The difficulty in stopping this epidemic is enormous, and the answer isn’t in large populations dying off. However, there should be education of the people (e.g. the children from the song) and more efforts, just as there is education of the ways to help prevent cancer, otherwise, as the song says, “[we won’t] see the light, till the end of time” (“Cancer”). For every preventative measure for cancer, there is a preventative measure to save our dying earth; drink orange juice – don’t have so many children, eat healthier – stop using cows and pigs as major food livestock (in the U.S., for example [due to the amount of waste they produce and money invested in controlling their pathogens]), exercise – make new laws to protect the planet.
Alas, revelation is a third eye. Richard wrote a very dark, heavy, industrial song. As it drudges along, the song itself resembles a cancer, eating you piece by piece, until the end, where his insight “kills” you. Not many people care enough to stop these problems. “What you see, should make you cry” (“Cancer”), is an understatement. Our lives have become so consumed with ourselves that there is little chance to stop the onslaught. Hopefully Richard’s third eye of insight will awaken yours, but until then, the world will keep spinning, the population will keep growing, and we wait in the shadows of the next turn of the planet.
References
“Cancer.” Filter. Title of Record. Track 9.
Filter. Title of Record. CD. Warner Brothers, 1999.
Works Consulted
Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. 2005. Merriam-Webster, Inc. April, 2005. http://www.m-w.com.
Title of Page. 6/3/2000. April, 2005. http://filterpage.tripod.com/lyrics.html#CANCER
H.L.W. Personal Interview. 4 May 2005.
©2005, D. P. Wegener all rights reserved, you may not use this without my personal consent and permission!!
May 5, 2005
Revelation is a Third Eye
In the midst of the hype that was the new millennium, Filter’s “Cancer” is a dose of reality. More so, it shattered the transparent glassy fear of the Y2K bug with an eye opening revelation – we should be wary of ourselves. Ignoring any and all societal criticism, “Cancer” is bold, daring, and surprisingly scary. Filter’s insight on the human race leaves the listener queasy, as the band regurgitates that the human race’s negligence and ignorance will inflict a heavy toll on the planet.
The song starts with Richard Patrick, the lead singer, hoarsely whispering, “I cross the oceans, I cross the seas, I cross the mountains, like a new disease” (“Cancer”). At this point in the song, he could be describing anything. Manifest destiny is the allusion. The song continues, “I cross the borders, I cross the line, never to see the light, till the end of time” (“Cancer”). These lyrics don’t specifically spell it out, but any listener could probably hypothesize as to where the song is headed. This last portion of the verse points to the fated future; it will be too late by the time we notice the error of our ways.
The singer then sings of the experiences he’s encountered, “I’ve seen the canyons, I’ve seen the cities, I’ve seen the prisons, that take such pity” (“Cancer”). Here, he presents us with the evils that have grown out of control. The canyons are losing their beauty, the cities are overcrowded and dirty, and prisons are packed to the brim with convicts and criminals. This is the price we pay for the age in which we live in. There is a distinct trade-off. For technology we trade natural resources, for keeping things sanitary, we trade our health, as microorganisms evolve to overcome antibiotics. For overpopulation, we trade our aesthetic landmarks.
Patrick exposes the materialistic and capitalist ways of our society with his view, “When it comes to you, when it comes to me, it’s just money, that’ll set you free” (“Cancer”). This is a reference to a plethora of situations. Buying what one desires, posting bail to get out of jail. This only scratches the skin of the demon. In our society, if you have money, you have power. Politicians could purchase laws that they want to incorporate into a country they want molded to their own image and we would never know as long as the law had subtle effects. These laws could have effects on the environment and have to do with the oil shortage, which is a huge and endangered industry right now. The profit gained in monetary value from these laws is just too much to be overlooked, even if it costs a forest or two. This corruption, if it is found, needs to be exiled from our government as a first step.
The rich and famous are thrust upon us daily on television, where they are seen buying more than one mansion, top of the line cars, and any other thing that the social classes underneath their feet usually don’t have, but want. With these images, money replaces truth. People are shown that money will truly bring happiness. How many people buy lottery tickets each week to reflect this? As a consumer society, we are devouring our world into a hollow shell that will not support us - “never to see the light, till the end of time” (“Cancer”). We need to band together toward a common goal to stop this way of thinking. Unity must be a priority!
When the chorus is first heard, it is a foreshadowing of what is to come in the song. “Hey my children, what seems important, won’t last forever” (x2) (“Cancer”). Teenagers and younger adults are the majority of the “children” being addressed here. The ones who are concerned with fads and who care mainly of popularity and their social appearance. Things like the real world are far away from them. Yes, children should have a childhood and people shouldn’t be crushed at an early age by the weight of the world, but they should have some education about reality. We are taught to recycle in elementary school because it is a good idea, and it’s environmentally friendly. Some children go as far as to get their parents to start recycling. As we grow older lessons such as this one should be supplemented so that we are quite aware of the state of the world by the time we are graduating from high school.
In considering the chorus, you can see the true dark world, where most people don’t care what happens to the planet, as is reflected by the enduring pollution, global warming, destruction of the rainforest, and intensifying weather. It is here that we are reminded that when it’s gone, it’s gone forever. When will enough be enough? Our resources are already very scarce. We need to teach the younger generations to respect the planet and themselves, and not to take things they have for granted.
The verse between the two choruses is probably one of the more important parts of the song. “Take a look at the Earth, from a plane, you’ll see the Earth, cut up and in pain, take a look at L.A., from the sky, what you see should make you cry” (“Cancer”). This is a reiteration of the earlier segments of the song, “the cities…that take such pity” (“Cancer”) is a reference to L.A. (Los Angeles), which is infamous for its smog covered streets and plastic surgeons. There are a number of surgeons there because of the demand for them. With all of the obsession about one’s exterior, the personalities of these people are that of the surgery they undergo – plastic. Appearance is a major desire in this society and usually, when there’s obsession with appearance, there’s hollow, ugly people. “What you see should make you cry” (“Cancer”), won’t even affect these types of people. They are too consumed with themselves to give a care of the state of their world. The irony of it all is that no matter how hard you try there is no way to stop aging. Is appearance what we really want our children to be concerned with? If no major overhaul is done, the Earth and its people will grow weary and old regardless of the small exterior fix up done today. If the people of the Earth are ugly, then the Earth is ugly. If those same people are beautiful, so is the Earth. It’s not only the planet that needs to change, it’s the people themselves.
“The Earth, cut up and in pain,” (“Cancer”) is a view from a plane, where one would see small patches of forest competing for land with the suburban sprawl and the towering skyscrapers of our massive cities. The concrete look to the landscape from above is enough to send a chill down anyone’s spine. The Earth is crying for mercy and again, the need for awareness and education is obvious.
As Richard gets closer and closer to revealing the cancer, the anticipation is almost too much to bear. “I’m the scum of the Earth…(repeated many times) [after 4x] I am a cancer… (repeated many times) [after 4x] I am humanity (x3)” (“Cancer”). When listening to this part of the song, you can actually feel humanity sweep over the earth like a dense black fog resembling Richard’s voice. In our ever-growing population, where everyday, children raise themselves while their parents are off consuming all of the drugs they can muster to withstand the weight of the world (the children aren’t far away from the same fate), it’s easy to see where this point of view comes from. Considering the ideas already presented, the human race is a cancer, a mass of cells reproducing out of control that eventually kill its host, the Earth. Examine a graph of the human population from its beginning to where it is now. It is exponential! The synonymy of this growth and that of a cancer is not uncanny. And just as in science now, there is no cure. We have pharmaceutics to help slow the advance, but the cancer’s defense mechanisms are too advanced, helping it find new ways to evade its demise and continue its methods of destruction. The difficulty in stopping this epidemic is enormous, and the answer isn’t in large populations dying off. However, there should be education of the people (e.g. the children from the song) and more efforts, just as there is education of the ways to help prevent cancer, otherwise, as the song says, “[we won’t] see the light, till the end of time” (“Cancer”). For every preventative measure for cancer, there is a preventative measure to save our dying earth; drink orange juice – don’t have so many children, eat healthier – stop using cows and pigs as major food livestock (in the U.S., for example [due to the amount of waste they produce and money invested in controlling their pathogens]), exercise – make new laws to protect the planet.
Alas, revelation is a third eye. Richard wrote a very dark, heavy, industrial song. As it drudges along, the song itself resembles a cancer, eating you piece by piece, until the end, where his insight “kills” you. Not many people care enough to stop these problems. “What you see, should make you cry” (“Cancer”), is an understatement. Our lives have become so consumed with ourselves that there is little chance to stop the onslaught. Hopefully Richard’s third eye of insight will awaken yours, but until then, the world will keep spinning, the population will keep growing, and we wait in the shadows of the next turn of the planet.
References
“Cancer.” Filter. Title of Record. Track 9.
Filter. Title of Record. CD. Warner Brothers, 1999.
Works Consulted
Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. 2005. Merriam-Webster, Inc. April, 2005. http://www.m-w.com.
Title of Page. 6/3/2000. April, 2005. http://filterpage.tripod.com/lyrics.html#CANCER
H.L.W. Personal Interview. 4 May 2005.
©2005, D. P. Wegener all rights reserved, you may not use this without my personal consent and permission!!
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