Reading Respons #5: System of a Down: BYOB

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUzd9KyIDrM

During my high school years, I learned of a band called System of a Down. System of a Down is a band who provides a no care attitude with the messages they choose to convey with their music. The lyrics to their songs are edgy, and their songs tackle many of the political/ social issues that surround America today such as America’s involvement in the Iraq war, government influences on society (propaganda) , and Hollywood’s social effect on society. Their music videos help them convey their messages into rich video texts, and System of a Down do not disappoint their fans as their music videos help fans to try to see the real truths of America. The song “BYOB” or Bring “Your Own Bomb” is a great song to help listeners take into consideration the American military and the governments actions/roles in the military. This song helps paint a picture of a different America and this song presents the issues which are aimed towards Americas involvement in the Iraq war.
Being able to read video texts such as music videos will help oneself really see the message that the artist wishes to convey to their listeners. In the article “On Reading a Video Text” by Robert Scholes, Scholes explains the effects of video texts and how video texts should be analyzed carefully, especially in a society that is full of them. Scholes goes on to explain that Video texts help provide society with a format of viewing to help entertain society. Video texts help engage the viewers mind by providing visual images to make a viewer’s brain comprehend and assume the purposes of the video texts. Scholes explains the concept of culture reinforcement, and Scholes uses the idea of cultural reinforcement to convey the idea set that America loves to push the ideas of the American dreams to be true. Basically America loves to sell America. Scholes explains the concept of cultural reinforcement by stating, “By cultural reinforcement, I mean the process through which video texts confirm viewers in their ideological positions and reassure them as to their membership in a collective cultural body”. Scholes basically states that American video texts,(especially commercials) like to push the concept of the American dream and these video texts can push the ideological views that the government wishes to convey to the people. The ideological views that America is a great country and America is a place where you can start from nothing and get somewhere. These views of America are challenged in the video “BYOB”.
“BYOB” or “Bring Your Own Bomb” was made during the time when America was fighting in the Iraq War, and the music video sets the stage for controversy behind the Iraq war and the government involvement (or non involvement) in the war. The video starts out with these military like individuals marching, and these individuals are wearing paintball masks. On these paintball masks there are words displayed on them such as Die, Obey, and Buy. This could symbolize how the military is ran by the government as these soldier like individual are conveying messages perhaps a government would want to instill on its people through propaganda. As the band is marching through the streets, System of a Down is playing the song. But as the chorus starts, the video moves to a party where everyone is dancing and having a good time (as the lyrics suggest). Then eventually the military like people break into the party and start subduing the people. Which could demonstrate the idea of the government imposing its will on the people and essentially limiting our rights (or the people having a good time). Then towards the end of the video, the party people (and the band) are also wearing these masks with the same messages conveyed on them as the soldier like individuals do. This is where the assumption can be made that the government uses tactics such as propaganda to help brainwash and subdue the people in this country. The government wants people to think the way the governments wants them to think. By this I mean the governments wants the people to follow its rules and follow their system of tasks without the people interfering with their personal lives. In the main chorus of the song its states, “Why do they always send the poor? Barbarism by Barbaras, With pointed heels, victorious victories kneel,
For brand new spanking' deals., Marching forward hypocritic and hypnotic computers, you depending on our protection, yet you feed us lies from the tabletop.” These lyrics help convey the message that the System of a Down wants the view to consider. To break it down, “why do they always send the poor?” is a reference to the lack of higher class individuals in the military. “barbarism by Barbaras” and “with pointed heels” basically references Barbara Bush. “Victorious victories kneel, for brand new spankin’ deals” references the mass consumerism in this country and role is has on the people. “Marching forward hypocritic and hypnotic computer” references to issues with technology and the abuse of technology in our country. The hypocritic probably references to the politicians or the government itself. Finally “you depend on our protection, yet you feed us lies from the tabletop”, basically references to how it is the people of the country who are fighting these wars that the government engages in. In return the government chooses to
“feed us lies from the tabletop”, which states how the government chooses not to disclose information to its people or lie to them about scandals and other issues in this country.
Basically this song wants the viewer to look at this alternate version of America, and System wants the viewer to think twice about the governments role in our daily. The idea is to think as an individual, especially when it comes to media presented in the form of video texts.