IC & Britney Spears

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"Don't sleep through a revolution. Don't do it. Don't. Do. It." - Jason Russell

Alright now! I posted a link to this video on facebook and it spiked up an interesting conversation that I posted on the What Do You Believe section of the Switchfoot messageboards my first online home. :) Check it out here and here is what I posted. Don't be afraid to join in and discuss too!

So I came across this video and the first reaction that I had was, "This is funny and it confirms everything I think about this and Im going to share it with people." So I went on facebook and posted it on a link. Little did a I know that a pretty interesting conversation would arise from the subject.

Here are excerpts:

Job Ang at 11:33am June 4
HAHAH! I'm dying from laughter... sorry. lol! ^^

Brittney Yasmin Rich at 12:25pm June 4
WWWOOOWWWW is that real?! there was a beyonce one a while ago that was fake. if its real its....absolutely awful. and i have that dvd haha. wowzers.

Job Ang at 12:26pm June 4
it's real. Someone checked and confirmed it. pretty crazy. hahaah

Sarah Schoenlaub at 12:56pm June 4
Just goes to show that all someone needs to make popular music these days is a good sound producer. This is why I avoid most popular music. It's not any good.

I contrast this with the furor over Susan Boyle... people didn't expect a beautiful voice from someone who doesn't have "the look" of a pop star. People expect Britney to sing well because of how she looks. It's really sad.

Addy Brickweg at 1:28pm June 4
Now, this isn't all fair. Most of the time, she sounds crappy because she's out of breath. Anyone running around like that and dancing so much would have a hard time singing. Granted, she can't really sing anyways, but most of this video, she was obviously out of breath. The sad thing is, she used to be able to sing very well.

Sarah Schoenlaub at 1:59pm June 4
Um... Broadway singers are expected to do this all the time. Even off-Broadway. Even high school and college musicals involve singing and dancing. I was just a chorus member in a college musical and I was expected to sing and dance. It can be done, it just takes effort and practice to do it.

Addy Brickweg at 2:14pm June 4
Oh I have no doubt that people can do it. I just know that I wouldn't be able to, so maybe Britney can't either. She's paid as a performer, not a singer, so this should be no real surprise to anyone.

Guimel Sibingo at 12:27am June 5
I was shocked Job. lol. I'm not surprised you got a laugh from it!

Sarah - I am guilty of listening to popular music but because I like it. However, I do not agree with the methods or morals of how they do things. In other words its not music I base my opinions off of or that I listen intently to get some sort of moral lesson from. I do have ... Read Moresome of her music but the way she does things and the way the industry does things, is pretty bad.

Addy - Thanks for commenting. But you've got be kidding. Anyone who has a record deal should be able to sing, dance, and make good music. They have to be authentic and have authentic talent. There is no excuse. If she is an a-list "performer" then she needs to know how to do it. She NEEDS to. If she cant sing and dance then she shouldnt be a singer at all. Beyonce busts her ass onstage all the while singing her best. She worked hard to do it. All her life. She suffered for it and got to where she got. If Britney can't take a little...

Guimel Sibingo at 12:28am June 5
hard work in that department and chooses to hide behind playback because she can't do it. I'm sorry. Not in this industry. There is no excuse. She can dance, that's for sure. Maybe she should stick to that. She doesnt even write her own music, not even a little bit.

I hope you dont take this the wrong way. It's just a discussion right? Sorry if it sounded harsh. Im pretty passionate about this.

Addy Brickweg at 12:33am June 5
Lol, I'm not kidding actually. I think that it is so much more respectable to be a singer, dancer, performer when they have worked their asses off to get there the right way. It's one of the main reasons I love Lady Gaga. She did it the way it's "supposed" to be done. But, I'm not going to laugh at someone like Britney who did it the way MOST ... Read Morepeople in Hollywood do it. If we left our respect to those who do it the "hard work" way in Hollywood, we'd be without a whole lot of popular culture.

Oh, don't worry, I wouldn't take it the wrong way One of my favorite things is debate. Like we didn't argue civilly all the time in the WDYB

Guimel Sibingo at 12:37am June 5
Well, thank you! Im glad you're not offended. I'm always afraid I'll offend someone with my big sermons. haha.

I actually disagree. Pop culture could do without people like Britney Spears. I don't mean that pop culture could do without her person, I don't reject her person. But I reject her actions and the way she puts herself out. Not exactly ... Read Morethe content of her music but just how she emulates herself. Ill use Beyonce again, she has sort of the same content in her music but you can tell she carries herself with respect and is out to positively change the world. I understand Britney Spears is lost and lacking a bit ofunderstanding and is trying to understand herself a bit more, but she can do that without putting herself out. Outside the limelight. It just sends a negative vibe to society. I believe that pop culture is something that is more of a luxury. We can do without it. What matters is what people like Oprah or Obama are doing. Or artists who are out to change things and who..

Guimel Sibingo at 12:39am June 5
send a positive message. That is real change. The other stuff is all entertainment and we can do without. So I believe that those who work hard and are actually DOING something real for the world are worth praising. Those who dont work hard, like most hollywood people, and make it. Those arent worthy of my praise for what they are trying to be. She... Read More's trying to be something she is not. She's a great dancer, has great producers. But what she is trying to do is not who she is, no matter how much she believes it is.

I dont know, her music is very transparent. You can tell she has a million issues and is acting out with her music. You can tell shes not authentic and doesnt know who she really is.

Addy Brickweg at 1:04am June 5
I'm not saying pop culture COULDn't do without it, I'm saying it WOULDn't. I honestly don't feel any better about Beyonce. She may be able to sing, which is always cool, however, I don't feel like I have the right to judge whether she carries herself better than Britney. She may seem that way on the red carpet, but we don't know what she does in ... Read Moreher personal life. It could all be a big sham. The only reason we have this thing against Britney is because of the poparazzi and how they portrayed her for so long as this horrible mother and bad person all around.

We can do without pop culture, obviously, but one of the things that makes us human is culture. The Western world's culture is synonymous with pop culture. It's such a HUGE part of our culture that if it were gone, we would lose a lot of what our society IS. Our self-image, for instance, is completely centered on Hollywood's version of beauty. I agree that Hollywood people are not creating good change like Obama is, but...

Addy Brickweg at 1:06am June 5
unfortunately, our society is OBSESSED with people who are not good role models. I don't know many second graders that would choose to write a paper about Oprah or Obama over writing about Britney or any Hollywood person.

My next question is this....Who really knows who they are? And how many really authentic people are there in the world these days? Everyone wears a mask.

Ok, Here is my response and I would encourage you all to join in the discussion.
You do have a good point there that surely I cannot judge either of their lives as being one thing or another. No one really knows and its true that everyone wears a mask. But I also believe that your public image is very important when you are a role model to many people. The message that you convey says something about you. The way you put yourself out there. I'm not advocating that Britney Spears should become all goodie-too-shoes, I'm asking her to be authentic. Let's take Lady Gaga for example, she knows who she is (at least that seems to come off that way) by the way that she portrays herself. She never once denies or goes over her lyrics or acts out. She attracts the people that she attracts. What I don't respect in Britney is she often denies it, or doesn't talk about it. As if its not a shame when she's singing it, but she gets defensive when people interview her about her behavior or her music. This shows to me, that she's not being real. She's putting stuff out there that she doesn't acknowledge. I'm all for growing and finding yourself. In the beginning she probably didnt know what she wanted to do with her music and you can argue that now she does. But if now she's really found her gist in the choice of music and lyrics and videos, then she should admit to it and own up to it. Not run and hide or act out because she feels she's being personally attacked. I don't think she would act that way if she didn't have some sort of feeling that perhaps she was being attacked for being "who she is."

It's painful to see because you can see how she would do that. She's never managed herself, she's been at the shadow of her mother, and is going through a hard time making her decisions. She's like me, a teenager and most others, who identifies "being herself" as doing the opposite of what we were taught. She can't see both sides, she just sees one.

I'm sorry if Im making assertions that might not be true, lol. It's just the way I'm writing. And I'm probably wrong and can be wrong I am aware of that.

Now for the pop culture thing, I dont think it should define our culture. I understand that it does but its not something that I accept as deamable. Just because something that is twisted is publicly accepted does not mean I cannot get up and do something to change it. It's a lame excuse. What you say its true, unfortunately people are obsessed with celebrities and dramas but that just shows how weak we are as a society. We don't value whats true, noble, and beautiful. We are so bored with our lives that we make up stories about other people's lives or imagine for ourselves some sort of utopia. We live vicariously. We live through other people's lives. I'm guilty of that sometimes, for sure. And I hate that about myself and I hate that about society. It's banal, its meaningless it will all go away. And anything that I can do to bring true value to things, to bring authenticity to things. I will. That's why I admire the people that I mentioned. That's why admire things that have purpose. And even if it is just for entertainment, I admire those who are real concerning that. Who are not just acting out or doing it for themselves. But see it as a step towards good. The good of someone else, whatever that good may be.

If this thread is misplaced. I'm sorry.