Mellencamp song about Jena, La. gets mayor upset; calls song's video inflammatory
Click on the above to read an article from the Associated Press.
And an article on a "spate of noose incidents."
posted by Jan Yourist at 5:53 PM
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
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31 Comments:
I think that the web sites are very interesting and all the things that were in the song were kind of right. I still want ot know the futer for mychale bell
The nooses are usually put placed by men under 22 who are bored or drunk and looking for attention, they are usually not members of hate groups. It shouldn't seem as dangerous because of this fact. they shouldn't worry as much its not like they're getting hurt.
Although the Jena incident isn't quite in the same league as the KKK and lynching, I don't agree that the song's video is "inflammatory." It makes sense to put these incidents together with the Jena Six trial, because the trial shows that racism is still alive and well in some areas, and I think that's what the song is about.
i think that the whole under the age of 22, drunk bored and looking for attention, is very interesting. Also the fact theat they are not usualy members of hate groups. It doesn't make since. if you were looking for atention you wouldn't hang a noose you would most likly do something else. I mean a noose is such a racial image that it just seems to big of a thing to do when youa re "looking for atention"
Another thing is the comment by the govoner of jena. the video is not really inflamatory at all. It just shows racism. not the idea that this is in the same leauge
Benny, I'm going to have to disagree with you. You can't say that just because the nooses are hung by men under 22 who are bored or drunk, they are not dangerious. Any sort of hate crim such as this can grow to something much much more. Where do we draw the line? Nooses are okay, but burning crosses are not? Allowing and validating any such behavior only furthers racism and discrimination.
-Isaac
I think the video was very good and meant a lot. I don't think that it was "inflammatory", I just think that Mallencamp was making a statement on the whole Jena incident and on racism. The whole nooses are usually placed by men under 22 who are bored or drunk and looking for attention thing is kind of interesting. How did they come up with that idea or figure that out? In the article they say a lot of things in the wrong way. When they mention that one of the kids was charged for assault with a deadly weapon, they don't say the the weapon was a shoe. They take a lot of things out of context and twist them around. Overall I thought the video was pretty cool and that the articles were very interesting.
Aasha H.
Humanities
Periods 6-7
October 11, 2007
The song was good, but claiming that the video was inflammatory is kind of silly, because it's the same thing that gets shown on television on the news, except with a tune. John Mellencamp is trying to make a point through music, and I feel that noone should be able to stop him from doing so.
I think that if something in this whole situation is inflammatory, it's the outbreak of hanging nooses around the country, as close as Elgin. The part about most of the nooses being hung by men under 22 without a way to kill time, is intruiging. But I feel that there are more civil ways of getting attention than hanging nooses.
I feel that the video is in no way offensive, and the statement about how it is inflammatory is just because the people of jena want people to blame for the negative image that the town now has. I think that the noose threat is actually pretty scary, because once people are making nooses, they might try to use them
The fact that so many incedents with nooses occur all over the country is appauling. I am also going to have to disagree with Benny, because even though the nooses are hung by men under the age of 22, who are bored or drunnk and looking for attention does not really change the fact that what they are doing is hurtful and an awful. Even if the people who are hanging the nooses don't mean for them to be offensive, and if they can get away with it, then people who actually mean it might think that it is ok to hang nooses wherever they feel like it. Also if you were you just looking for attention why would you ahng a noose? Nooses are basically a racist symbol. The whole thing jsut does not make sense. If people keep hanging nooses then other people will start to think that it is ok to do so, and that is definitely not ok.
Katherine G.
When watching this case, I'd like to point out, we need to be able to moderate ourselves strictly - when it boils down, how many here have actually had any experience with the people of Jena? My point is that we must be wary about making premature judgments on the people of the town. The words or actions of a mere handful of people can't be judged as the majority opinion for 3000 others.
That being said, purely based on the facts of the case I'd have to agree that the song is being just a wee bit inflammatory. You must admit, the song does group the entire town as racist, and as such seems to be trying too hard for the mere shock value of the statement - the images of Klansmen and lynchings take this a step too far. Yes, the situation in Jena is horrid, and it's preposterous that people still resort to such offensive threats as hanging nooses, but the mayor makes a fantastic point in that comparing this to the horrors and atrocities of the pre-Civil Rights South cheapens the courageous sacrifices of those who suffered for their cause.
The "spate of noose incidents" article stood out to me more, probably because in class we had read an article not dissimilar to the article about the Mayor of Jena getting upset about John Mellencamp's song.
In the article about nooses, it said that about five cases a year are reported, and that they most likely come from men under 22 years of agea, who are bored and drunk or looking for attention. The fact that this happens annually, and the fact that this year, noose incidents are spiking high in number, worries me. Are the noose incidents coming from women now? how old are they? Are they bored and drunk or do they want attention?
There were about a dozen noose hangings that have happened this year, plus the regular five. That adds up to about four times the average amount. I wonder if more and more nooses will be hung because of this, or if it will just grab the attention of the media, or maybe both will happen.
Shannon V
Although the Jena Six case appears to be not as bad as lynching, but who knows what could happen if the media didn't eventually pick up on the story, and nobody heard anything at all. If we don't keep an attentive eye at all times, we could go backwards in time.
About the article concerning nooses, even if most of these were hung by men under 22 who wanted attention and were not in any hate group, their must have been some degree of race hate either in themselves or that they picked up elsewhere, thought was "cool" and decided to act upon. You cannot just disregard these incidents as simply "drunks acting up to get attention" the idea must have come from somewhere and this is important and frightening to note.
Grace B.
It is interesting that people would take this video as so "inflammatory." It doesn't personally attack the people of Jena; it only states the facts that you could get from a news story. However, some of the images made the situation seem worse than it actually was, which could be confusing to someone who didn't know the full story.
Also, I thought that the article was very thought-provoking. One figure that really stuck out to me was the one about how there have been about a dozen incidents involving nooses when there are usually only five a year. I wonder if the incidents are related to the Jena 6 and if they would have all occured if the media hadn't spread the story.
You make a very good point Gene. It is essential to understand the difference between a handful of school officals and students and the whole town of Jena. We can't thrown around statements that condemn the whole town of Jena when we are only talking about a select few.
It's completely ridiculous and a joke. The notion that men under 22 who are drunk,bored,and looking for attention would hang nooses aren't racist. Generally when people are teens, bored, drunk, and looking for attention would break something, light something on fire, or do something that requires the fire department, police, or hospital to help them out of an embarrassing situation.
The song is slightly inflammatory because a simple threat and a racist town is a far cry from actually killing blacks and torturing them. And Gene, even though we don't know the Jena people, looking at videos and interviews like that woman who "didn't know" how hanging a noose was racist and the fact that noose hangings still happen on an annual basis, shows that there is still a problem with racism in this country.
P.S Isaac, The first Benny simply wanted to get attention by using MY NAME as his email account. That was not my account or my opinion.
Benny, are you serious? Ok, thanks for telling me. You should tell Ms. Yourist.
Anyway, although many of the people in Jena may or may not be racist, we still can not make blanket statements about them. Although I see your point about the poeple who are hanging these nooses, it still doesn't change the meaning of them. If these people are only hanging nooses as a form of entertainment, then why did they choose the specific people that they did. Why African Americans? Why nooses?
The fact that the people of Jena keep repeating that their town is in no way racist baffles me. What I wonder is are they really serious? Are they really that ignorant of the racism that has been clearly shown the past few months? Or, are they just refusing to see it and are just saying that there town isn't racist to cover up the truth that it is. However, I have to agree with Gene. We can't really accurately judge ALL of the people of Jena based on what we've heard.
Leslie S.
Period 6-7
With the 22 year old, bored, drunk, and looking for attention part of the nooses story, makes sence. But, in my opinion, there has to be something more to add to their actions. They must have something against african americans to feul this kind of action.
The video i feel is a very good way of projecting a message, that can be interpreted in many different ways. I think that the way that the pictures and video clips is put into it while the lyrics are being shown as well, really adds another kick to it. It really gets across the fact that there is still racism in the world today, and that it needs to be crushed all the way, finaly.
I thought John Mellencamp was supposed to be an ally of white Conservative ultimate-patriots such as the governor of Louisiana. I guess he had a change of heart. There is absolutely no way in this country that this song is inflammatory.
The other guys who are putting nooses in other places should realize that the three boys in Jena got lucky, because they're in a small town in Louisiana and nobody really cares about a small town in Louisiana. If this happens in New York or Washington D.C., people will care more because those are cities where popular news stories come from.
I think that the song was sort of weird. Some people do like this genre of music but it doesn't appeal to me. I do think the song was an artful way to express his views and as he says in the srticle to report on th Jena 6. Benny I am going to have to disagree about it not being dangerous. The people who see the noose don't know who did it and for what reasons so it could escalate. I do think the song could be called inflammatory but that depends on where you are
Joe
This comment has been removed by the author.
I agree with Mayor McMillan's opinion about Mellancamp's video. It is not right for the media to put out news and songs about Jena that show a biased opinion. The quote "'To put the incident in Jena in the same league as those who were murdered in the 1960s cheapens their sacrifice and insults their memory'" is valid, and a good reason for opposing Mellancamp's video. This statement also implies that Jena wasn't serious. And while the events themselves may not have been, the level of racism almost matches that of the civil rights movement, though not as violent. McMillan speaks against not only Mellancamp, but against the nation's media as a whole when he declared the video inflammatory.
Jena seems to be causing a chain reaction, ilustrated by the outbreak of more noose hangings all over the country, and not only in the South. The analysis of 22 year old drunks hanging the nooses may be true, which means that this outbreak is not hate, but just an explosion of prejudice and racial animosity, triggered by Jena. If not, these are acts of hate conducted in response to Jena. Whatever the reasons, these events send a clear message: it's not over yet.
Charlie J.
The Jena incident is not really near the same degree as the killings in the 60's, but I don't think that it's wrong for John Mellancamp to voice his opinion. The media is saying pretty much the same thing as Mellancamp and nobody is coming down hard on them. Also all Mellancamp is doing is stating the facts of what is going on in Jena, if the facts aren't "inflammatory" then why is the song considered to be "inflammatory."
It's really weird how the noose incidents have increased over this year. It seems that maybe the Jena issue being nationally broadcasted may be making some people more outspoken about their feelings toward race. Also I just don't believe that being drunk and looking for attention is an excuse for hanging nooses. If that is not an excuse for killing someone how is it an excuse for hanging a noose?
Elizabeth M.
I don't know if you people know this, but Mychal Bell was put back in jail yesterday. Kind of weird. It seems "they" think they're winning. Why else would they dare to do that with the media prowling around?
Just a quick update--
I was just watching the news and I heard and saw that Mychael Bell is being sent back to jail. I will follow up on this sometime later. Maybe it will be in the paper tomorrow.
I posted a link on today's blog to an update on Mychall Bell who is back in jail. It seems as if part of his 18 month conviction has to do with previous charges?....Has anyone else found more information on this?
Ms. Yourist
Ms yourist--
I think he was sent back to jail for violating the terms of probation.
I found a site that has some information-- http://www.wbir.com/news/national/story.aspx?storyid=50073
I agree with Alice. I thought that the song was great and the mayor had to admit it was at least partially true. Maybe everyone in Jena isn't a racist, but some of them clearly are.
Thanks, Isaac. I'm going to check your link out now.
Ms. Yourist
This comment has been removed by the author.
i like the idea about the drunk kids but how realistic is it
p.s. bennywah1 (nico pico) is nicholas
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