Bono at the Labour Party Conference

[demon]

Dressed in his trademark shades, the middle aged rock star proclaimed Blair and Brown to be "great men", and "the Lennon/Mccartney of politics".

Oh, how they lapped that one up and how I nearly had to lap up my vomit off my laminate floor.

MTV and the rest of the entertainment industry are an integral part of the doctrinal system. Like it or not, the presence of Bono at a NuLab Rally does more to secure NuLab's ratings than any number of nauseatingly obsequious Guardian editorials or Party Political Broadcasts.
While over here some might still view Bono as a working class Dubliner turned Rock Legend, worldwide he is a just a tool of Anglo-American cultural hegemony. Bono is to hypocrisy what Tony Blair is to lying. The fact he is described as a "radical" rock star says a lot about the media, and the music industry for that matter.

The Lennon/Mccartney of politics?
The Chas 'n' Dave of politics, more like!

Next we'll have an interview with Bliar in NME.

[Tony]

:cry:

[Mycroft]

If I'm ever caught uttering phrases like, "Anglo-American cultural hegemony" just shoot me. Please. Don't feel bad about it, I'll already be dead inside.

[HarryKeogh]

I like Bono (his music, work with Amnesty International, debt relief for developing countries and his participation in AIDS awareness programs among other things.)

New U2 in November, woo hoo!!!!!!

He's my Oprah!

[Patrick]

"Developing countries" is another one of those double-think words from the PC lexicon of semantic gymnastics. Bono wants the west to dump more money into the toilet bowl of africa. I can never remember a week when there wasn't some famine, some aids crisis, some coup of one thug against another, some genocide, in that continent. I don't know what the answer is for that country, but the attempt to graft western civilization there just hasn't worked.

[demon]

Mycroft:
"If I'm ever caught uttering phrases like, "Anglo-American cultural hegemony" just shoot me. Please. Don't feel bad about it, I'll already be dead inside."

Shoot me too if I ever utter phrases like:

"OMG! Muslims evolving into two-headed monsters!!!
Evolution in action!"

[jay gw]

While over here some might still view Bono as a working class Dubliner turned Rock Legend

Just because Bono airs his opinions (liberally) doesn't mean he's working for the conspirac

Never mind.

You never read this.

[Charlie Monoxide]

The UK seems ripe for a regime change.

When I first read the title I somehow thought Sonny Bono had something to do with it. I'd like to find the tree nearby (in South Lake Tahoe) with his impression (or bodily fluids) on it.

Charlie (feeling somewhat morbid) Monoxide

[Dorian Gray]

You had me at "worldwide he is just a tool"

[Shane Costello]

I wonder what part "Jackass" plays in the doctrinal system? I can see how "Newlyweds" is a means inculcating social conservatism in today's impressionable youth, but I just don't get the subliminal social message of a bee bikini, for instance.

[Agammamon]

I thought Sonny was dead?

[Mycroft]

Originally posted by demon
Mycroft:
"If I'm ever caught uttering phrases like, "Anglo-American cultural hegemony" just shoot me. Please. Don't feel bad about it, I'll already be dead inside."

Shoot me too if I ever utter phrases like:

"OMG! Muslims evolving into two-headed monsters!!!
Evolution in action!"

It seems I was shot quite soundly for that. It's too bad not everyone responds to such reality-checks.

So tell me about Anglo-American cultural hegemony. Should we feel guilty that the products of our entertainment industry are enjoyed worldwide? Are entertainers only hypocrites when they spout views different from your own?

[Jon_in_london]

If Boner cares so fecking much about poor brown-people he could do a lot about it by donating some of his not-insignificant fortune to them.

Well Boner? How about it?

[Mycroft]

Originally posted by Jon_in_london
If Boner cares so fecking much about poor brown-people he could do a lot about it by donating some of his not-insignificant fortune to them.

Well Boner? How about it?

Do you have evidence that he doesn't?

[jay gw]

Do you have evidence that he does?

[HarryKeogh]

Originally posted by jay gw
Do you have evidence that he does?

Jon in London made the claim, he should back it up.

This reminds me of the situation we have here with billionaire Mayor Bloomberg. He increased taxes to balance the NYC budget and get the city out of debt. It worked. Of course many people (mostly idiots) screamed "he's rich, why doesn't he use his own money!"

or when people say we should stop exploring space, it's too much money.

In both examples they have no idea of the economic scope of the individual problems.(how one rich guy should pay off a city's burden or how cancelling a 500 million dollar mission would only be a tax savings of about 5 bucks for the average American) Bono could donate his entire fortune, it wouldnt come close to solving any one country's problems. It requires a global effort in which he is trying to help.

So Bono uses his celebrity status to try and draw attention to the problem.

yeah...what a scumbag.

[CapelDodger]

If Bono slipped up, he redeemed himself on Bremner, Bird and Fortune tonight.

[Mycroft]

Originally posted by jay gw
Do you have evidence that he does?

I'm not leveling any criticizm at Bono, so I fail to see why I should need any evidence one way or another. Jon_in_london, on the other hand, has made a claim that he has not donated any money to help "brown people." Since wealthy people often contribute to causes they care about, and Bono has demonstrated his concern by showing up at this event, it seems grossly unfair to assume he has not made any such contributions without evidence.

[Jim Bowen]

Originally posted by CapelDodger
If Bono slipped up, he redeemed himself on Bremner, Bird and Fortune tonight.


Yippee!!:D I knew that I wasn't the only person here who watched that show!!! The bit at the end where Blair spilled his drink on Bono was simply great:D :D

Jim Bowen

[demon]

"Yippee!! I knew that I wasn't the only person here who watched that show!!! The bit at the end where Blair spilled his drink on Bono was simply great

Jim Bowen"

No, you are not alone.
Hey, where else are you gonna go these days for a bit of political honesty on UK TV? ;)

Welcome to the forum.

[demon]

Jim Kerr on Bono and Tony Blair

'How can Bono having graced concert stages for over two decades, draped in the white flag of peace and screaming "No More War" at the top of his lungs, contemplate praising and back slapping current UK prime minister cum warmonger Tony Blair, as he did last week. Maybe it is just me, and forgive me all U2 fans if it is so, but I cannot believe that anyone, least the little Irish genius, cannot identify that no matter what gesture Mr Blair may make towards African debt relief, his slippery hands are currently dripping in the fresh warm blood of Iraqi men, women and children and no one will convince me and millions like me that this murder of countless innocents is in any way forgivable.'
(From Jim Kerr's online journal at the Simple Minds website, 31 January 2005, ‘What Gives!’;
http://simpleminds.com/mod_1/pages/mod_1.14/pages/index.php?page=2)

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It`s so sad, but I couldn't agree more.
This is the guy who wrote:
"naked flame, she stands with a naked flame,
I stand with the Sons of Cain,
Burned by the fire of love"

The Bono who sings on "The Joshua Tree", is the guy I prefer to remember. Now he just comes across as pretentious and someone who legitimises state crimes through his endorsement of Blair.
On the other hand, kudos to Kerr, sanity does prevail sometimes. Almost anyone promoted by MTV sells out in the end. Glad to know there are some exceptions.
African debt relief is myth. They know full well that no African will ever be able to pay, so they might as well write off part of their debt in exchange for UN votes, arms deals and lucrative mining contracts.
Plus, they cannot risk one of them defaulting as did Argentina and maybe showing the way. (Let's call it the 3rd. Way out from under) and let`s not forget, Banks are not writing this off, but letting our governments/us take over the debt (even though it was initially created out of thin air).

Anyway, back to Bono.
I lost all respect and faith in him when he campaigned for Paul Martin. What a wanker.
Rock Is Dead! It is a grotesque ego circus out there. And many of these people I`ve met involved in it are "leftie", but they just don't get it.
They are against war, but they know not what causes them.
They are for debt relief and all that but are mostly ignorant (and uncurious) about the causes of that situation.
They are trained to "suck up" to whomever will further their careers.
They think politicians are stupid, not deluded and self serving.
So when they see their hero Bono rubbing elbows with Blair, and Martin, and Gates, they think, "Oh, this is wonderful, Bono is showing them the way!"

There are, of course exceptions, like with anything, but generally, DO NOT trust rock stars as political activists. They are among the most selfish and pretentious people Ive come across.

But some of them write a darn good tune, I'll give 'em that.