Peyton Wade 113669903 humans can use the process human agency. they can shape social life by changing social structure. In the video the guy used his power to start a business.
In addition, the interactions that the male has throughout the video with the individuals largely impact his life. While the subject acknowledges that there are numerous paths he can take in life, the one that he ultimately chooses leads him to interact with a particular group of people. While there are many individuals throughout the video, they are all apart of one whole community.
Trang Le Our actions will affect our society. Each one of us cannot define society. But as we come together, with all the complex connections under various forms of occupations or entertainment, we create an enormous, well-connected group.
In general, each person contributes little to the flow of society as a whole. It is our collective decisions that form our culture. However, a few key figures in our world can sway public opinion and garner power, and can influence society in that sense a vast amount.
it's interesting to see how in this video, Flobots seems to be saying that one person, "leading the nation with a microphone" can decide the fate of the entire society.
The video also brings up the point that the man who invents (or has control over) the vaccine has the right to give it out and save millions of lives, or just let them die. That single decision certainly will affect how people live.
Many people are afraid of to stand up to their oppressor. However if they are united under a fearless leader people will forget their fears and stand up for what is right
For good reason. Those in power want to stay in power, and have the means to do so. An oppressed population cannot rise up against the oppressor without suffering a tremendous cost, whether it be in the form of lives, livelihoods, or respect.
The fearless leader is usually the one punished the hardest, so few people want to step up and take the reigns in an uprising. In this video, it seems that the leader was shot and killed along with the others in the vanguard of the movement.
As time has progressed, so has our technology. Whether it is a leader of a nation addressing his entire country through a microphone, or advanced technology transforming warfare, technology has helped us to connect or interact with people around the world. This song portrays a negative aspect of the globalization of technology.
Whatever decisions in life we make will impact our future. These decision are influenced by what we surround ourselves with; whether if it's occupation, politics, or environment/home background. We are easily influenced by what we surround ourselves with if we are not careful.
I agree with this comment. The people who are around us everyday change our mindsets and how we look at certain things. We have to be out own person and act as the guy in the video.
This person in the beginning is talking about his skills that seem kind of extraordinary, like how he can ride a bike without using the handlebars. The first verse is also bragging about some small skills that he has, like being able to talk about Lief Ericsson and how he can tie a knot into a cherry stem. He is bragging about his skills and as he progresses through the song, his skills get more and more significant. By the last verse he is telling us about how much power he has, how his "reach is global," and how he can send people to prison without oversight. By the end of the song he is in power and is able to do anything that he wants, which by the mood of the music video, seems evil. He comes into a position of great power firstly, because of his small, but extraordinary skills. These skills allow him to do more and more extraordinary things, until the end of the song, he can do anything. This ties into sociology because it shows that people with inherent and extraordinary skills, though small, can use those skills and evolve them to a sometimes scary level. These extraordinary skills separate him from everyone else, so he is able to gain power, but this song also shows that too much power can go to your head and lead to some bad decisions. This is shown in the song when he says that he can "guide a missile by satellite" and can "split the atoms of a molecule." This song is showing two things, that having extraordinary skills that separate you from everybody else can emerge to a position of power, and when this happens, it can get to your head and lead you to potentially do unspeakable things, like his mentioning of ending a planet in a holocaust.
The song portrays many different types of human interaction, from one as innocent as little girls playing together to one as intense as a rebellious mob. By showing such discrepancies in interaction, we can compare and contrast how connections and communication with different people can lead to different directions in life.
Our nation nowadays seems to be so centralized and normalized, that we tend to forget the “behind the scenes”, or the type of things people do in their everyday lives. Often, people want their voices to be heard, and as we see today, war can break out at any point in time. Those voices that aren’t heard may retaliate, as we see in the video clip of the warlike scene. We tend to group ourselves with people who share common interests. Different groups and parties among countries around the world often come together as a result because they share the same interests. As we surround ourselves with certain people, the paths in which our future lies is all in the hands of the atmosphere, people, belief, and ideas of those we surround ourselves with.
In my interpretation, the video clearly captures the ideas of network analysis and emergence. In the video, the two friends start out in the same place but then choose to go in very different directions due to their connections with others. This portrays the idea of network analysis; each friend is connected to different people who impacted them and the path they chose in life. This reminds me of the concept nature vs nurture: if heredity or the environment is the leading factor in development. This video symbolizes nurture because both friends started out in the exact same position, but their environment sparked their interests in what they wanted to pursue in life. In addition, the video demonstrates the sociological idea of emergence, "I can lead a nation with a microphone." - As individuals, the brunette boy viewed them as weak and almost meaningless. He looks at the poor man on the street and puts his hand on his shoulder to start bringing him together in a pact. Then with the use of the microphone, he leads everyone together which builds a strong and powerful army. This shows the idea of emergence because when things are brought together, something unique and new is created that can't be explained. This is what the brunette boy did; he saw the poor man as weak and then used the power of the microphone and dictatorship to emerge a powerful strong group. This group could not be explained alone as individuals which is why it portrays emergence.
He examines his surroundings, which are constantly changing. He explores the deviance in the society and the new changes for the better. He really visualized the lives of the people around him and looks at how a society is from the viewpoint of a bystandard.
Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. Our leaders need to have someone or some group to be accountable for, or else those at the top of the sociological hierarchy can do some real damage to society.
I agree with this. People need to realize they make a difference, especially together and they need to fight injustices. They need to see thee corruption too much power can have and realize that they can make a difference. -Moose
Though the two individuals began at the same point of origin, emphasizing their equality, they took different paths, literally and metaphorically. The individual with aspirations in the world of the great and powerful was influenced in such a way that made him fear the uncontrolled, poorer classes of society, and relish the success of the powerful and affluent. The individual with aspirations to live a more mundane, earthly life looked to become a simple facet of the lower classes of society. Ultimately, these individuals confront one another as the powerful constrict the poor and lowly, and in response these more destitute and desperate people rebel, leading to violence and destruction.
I agree with your interpretation of this music video. One's surroundings has significant impact on their actions. Often times those exposed to power abuse it. Society has immense influence over an individual acts. In a sense of nature vs. nurture, this can be seen when individuals that are exposed to poor nurture and fail to have positive experiences tend to resort to delinquency.
The idea that one's socioeconomic status is not a main factor in one's ability to ultimately reach their goals seems to be emphasized as the two friends begin their journey as boys from similar backgrounds that embark on two different paths. One of them is able to succeed in his endeavors while the other seems to have become rebellious against the government . The friend that eventually becomes president protests, "I can do anything with no assistance cause I can lead a nation with a microphone." As the video plays out, the friend that becomes president becomes engrossed by power so much so that he believes he doesn't need the society to help him in anyway. On the contrary, his rebellious friend finds a group to rebel with against the government which includes his now powerful friend. The friend that has gained power seems to represent capitalism and individualism as he says, "I can make money open up a thrift store, I can make a living off a magazine, I can design an engine sixty four," whereas his rebellious friend represents collectivism and socialism as his voice diminishes and the powerful friend continues to express how much power he has. Ultimately, the rebellious friend and the group he affiliated with ended up rebelling against the government. In my interpretation, the moral is that one cannot stand alone if he has many against him. Additionally, it shows the significance of network analysis and how without interdependence one cannot succeed.
This video clearly shows how a person's environment can impact them and how people, in turn, impact their environment. The two friends started out as similar characters, riding their bikes in the same way, until they reached the fork in the road. Each friend chose a different path and from there their lives took drastically different turns. The first friend entered into a neighborhood environment full of playing kids, waving neighbors, and pride in the country. The second friend entered a big city where all he saw was billboards, power, and money. These two different environments shaped the friends in different ways. While the second friend gained power, and became a harsh dictator, the first friend banded together with his community to fight against the unjust system. This demonstrates how two seemingly similar people can be changed drastically by the environment that they live in.
I interpreted this music video as a depiction of two former friends who motivated and challenged each other. However, their competition escalated until there was resentment and jealousy between them. Though they both start off with good intentions,they eventually they end up being leaders of opposing sides of a war that causes death and destruction. This has sociological implications because it is a piece of social commentary about the relationships among people and how they can evolve from mutually beneficial to detrimental if you don't stop to re-evaluate the choices you are making as an individual. This in turn also hints at the concept of emergence: large-scale events like civil wars are the culmination of the effects of individual interpersonal relationships.
I just noticed that both kind of wanted the same thing: a peaceful society. The character on the right walked through a society that seemed rather friendly- waving to each other, children playing in the streets.
The character that went to the left wanted to attain the world the other already saw. Lefty (as I am going to call the character) saw the evil in the world.
Righty protested because he felt that Lefty's methods were wrong. In the end, they both wanted the same thing. They simply saw different things, and acted differently because of what they saw.
Righty acted with kindness because that was what he see. Lefty acted with power and evil because that was what he saw.
This video supports the notion that sociology is the study of social groups. In the video, the protagonist makes various life choices and is then categorized in different social groups based on the social factors correlated with each choice he made. This further supports the idea that stereotypes make categorizing and judging people easier than getting to know each person within a specific social group.
Colleen Snitzer This music video is talking about how powerful each individual person is but that there is so much more that could be done for society if people came together and really worked on improving society rather than having a 'ruler' that starts wars and causes problems for society.
I feel that this clip portrays the effect of the environment in human social interactions. It seem that the two characters start out as friends, however once they separate and go into their own separate areas, things change. The men go into two settings, one being more capitalistic then the other. Unfortunately, the environment in which they each find themselves in seems to make their views more radical to the point that they cannot agree and ultimately lose their bond. Although we have similar ascribed characteristics, it our achieved characters truly divide us.
The video shows two friends choosing different environments of which to live in and how where they live with all its social implications influences their lives and how they grow and change as individuals. It contrasts a more free spirited life against a business and social climbing lifestyle. In the end, it shows how drastic the lengths of each lifestyle can take a person and how powerful ones environment is to change them and forget their beginning roots.
The video illustrates how each member of society brings different unique and individual skills but only some individuals hold skills that can affect society as a whole. The narrator being able to ride his bike with no handlebars is less influential than inventing a vaccine and in turn, holding the power over someone living or dying.
Tasha Powers The lyrics, as well as the video, change from simple to complex. It is clear that as events become more prevalent and exciting in the social world, people adapt and get caught up in those surroundings. In the beginning, we seen only two people riding a bike, but later many are shown in war, corruption, holocaust etc. People follow other people.
Andrew Cheng In addition to the change from lyrical simplicity to complexity, the song's music video also mirror the change, creating a parallel between lyric and music video. The two separate verses convey the story of the two friends both of whom chose different paths from the beginning. Whereas one friend chose the carefree path, the other chose the corporate path. In addition to illustrating the changes that societal pressures exert on individuals, the song also hi-lights the divide in modern America between the two different lifestyles. Materialism is a direct correspondence with wealth, social class, and ultimately happiness. In the corporate lifestyle, several materialistic aspects are especially emphasized: magazines, nice cars, etc. At the conclusion of the video, the two friends are seen riding their bicycles toward a white horizon, depicting the outcome of an environment completely devoid of societal pressures.
The man uses human agency. He slowly starts out by only riding his bike with his handle bars then eventually talks about running the world and working with atoms. He is evolving, and adapting to his social environment. His social structure changes as he begins to feel more confident from the adaptions.
This video shows the dyadic relationship between human behavior and the environment. This thought of an interplay between behavior and environment is made prevalent through the two friends choosing different paths, left and right, and in that decision radically changing their environments. The rising and falling nature of the lyrics is representative of the snowball effect inevitable within the behavioral tendency-environment dyad. The video works with the lyrics to illustrate the nature of how actions and tendencies of groups shape the environment around them and in doing so isolate them from other out-groups who may at their core have many similar notions core characteristics.
Singi Weerasuriya 0601 I think that this music video displays interesting examples of both men empowering themselves. For both the “C” suit man, and the dove dude, their initial measures of control and in a sense “power” were being able to ride their bikes without holding onto the handlebars. This quickly escalates as both men progress, each man absorbing the beliefs and ideals surrounding them. For the dove dude, it’s the peacefulness, freedom, and healthiness of the society that he perceives around him and therefore believes is most important. For suit man, the extravagance and the luxuries of society (gained by money and influence) are what he is exposed to, and therefore believes is most important to attain. Both men strive to empower themselves and further/protect their ideals using tools that differ based on their environmental factors. Dove dude and suit man are not different as human beings if you consider that they both just wanted to empower themselves to achieve what they believed as important. The thought-provoking thing is that both men experienced the exact same first taste of liberty- being able to ride with no handlebars, making us wonder about the true power of the things we see in our environments, and experience all around us- how much they will change how we act and what we believe is important in life (sociology).
I think this video show those the two men walking in to different, one man who wants peace and one man wants the power. As humans, we have the power to do great things whether it's good or bad. But the man is against what the man in the suit is trying to pursuit, so he's fighting for it.
James Boone This song essentially says as an individual I can do anything from riding a bike with no handlebars to ruling a nation however I see fit. As an individual my actions inevitability generate consequences which either cause ripples or waves within my community. Whatever I choose to do with my life is certainly up to me. One must understand that the choices intended for the benefit of the few could also lead to the detriment of the many. The power I wield as the head of a country/corporation will either benefit my shareholders/constituents or benefit my labor force/citizenry. The goal in the game of power is to stay in power. Smart politics is cutthroat politics weather in the political realm or the corporate realm. The smart politician will make sure his constituents are happy which more than likely is at the expense of his/her subordinates or general populace. Unfortunately when power is wielded in such a manner as in the video your ability to ride a bike with no handle bars truly pales in comparison to your ability massacre those within your own community.
Kiana Smith SEC: 0801 The overall message is to display the relationship between one's enviornment and one's actions. From the beginning, the two men take different paths in life, and these paths lead to different outcomes in their lives. The first character is seen going into a political standpoint and makes speeches to express his thoughts while the second character goes into a more aggressive approach to oppose what the first character is saying. The second character persuasively unites a people to help convey his opposing views. The second character has created a violent and hostile enviornment which leads into a protest and death. The social interactions that the group of people united by the second main character lead to death. Collectively, all of the individuals lives in the same society but the standpoints separated them into very different environments leading to differennt outcomes.
Jeroen Meefout - 113805387 In the beginning of the video the rapper seems to be positive, but after a while I observed a change in his message. He criticizes how individualistic and problematic society is with telling a story from his perspective. The rapper does not make clear these problems are problems in his opinion, but is just gives the watcher insight on what society has become.
The song represents the growth of an individual with free will. It starts out with simple things ("I can ride my bike with no handlebars") and moves onto different ways to make a living ("I can make new antibiotics"). The song then changes to show how a person with a position of power can make decisions that affect the whole world ("I can hand out a million vaccinations, or let 'em all die in exasperation"). The change in each of the activities described in each verse of this song shows that if a person is given too much power, the power could lead to corruption.
In the start of the video, the environment seemed simple. however as the song went on, the environment changed based on the decisions and choices the man in the song made. Also, the lyrics of the song grew more and more serious as the song went on. It started with "I can ride my bike with no handlebars", and finished with "I can guide a missile by satellite". Based on the choices we make, our environments and the people around us are impacted.
Christina Asare The video is showing how two people with the same beginning and opportunities take different paths and where it leads them to in the end. It shows how the environment a person is exposed to can impact the choices they make and their ideas. It doesn't really tell you if one path better than the other.
This video demonstrates two different types of power and influence from the point of view of two different people. One character resembles more of a collected power, when he gathers up a large following through his speeches and actions. The other man represents one of the few individuals in society that can gather power and influence by himself and use it as he or she sees fit. The message that this video was trying to get across is that something as simple as riding a bike with no handlebars can turn into something as serious as ending the planet in a holocaust, based on the decisions and actions we make according to the power-hungry environment that surrounds us.
Throughout the video, the underlying meaning becomes more and more complex. In the beginning of the video, it seems that the environment affects us tremendously. By the end, it becomes cyclic and suggests our impact on the environment is just as great. Every action and choice we make affects everyone and everything around us.
Very interesting song! My interpretation is that it shows the progression of age and power. The song begins by describing our innocence as children. The introduction is “I can ride my bike with no handlebars.” This seems like such a childish accomplishment and depicts innocence during our childhood. As we age and gain more power and a better sense of the world, our goals shift and they become less innocent. “I can show you how to dosey doe. I can show you how to scratch a record. I can take apart the remote control.” This depicts your typical young American. We further age and again have more power/have a better realization. Again, there is a complete shift in innocence, although the ambitious deeds still remain somewhat positive. Now we aim to do things like make new antibiotics or make a computer that can survive antibiotics. The last part of the song delineates “pure (global) power.” At this stage, we have progressed and we have complete power with almost no regard for other human life. Yearning for too much power can certainly have dire negative consequences.
This song can be interpreted in many different ways. My personal favorite is a young boy, who experiences the feeling of power, of having something he can do that nobody else can. This progresses, as he gains more power and begins to get more advanced and more unstable as the song progresses, do riding a bike with no handlebars, to deciding on who to let live (I can hand out a million vaccinations. Or let 'em all die in exasperation. Have 'em all healed from their lacerations. Have 'em all killed by assassination), just because he can. This theory shows that too much power gained can, and probably will, cause corruption. I really like how this song makes you think, guess, and wonder as to its meaning, and the evolution from a simple show off attitude, to a dangerous, power-mad person.
I like how he talks about how our society is almost run by pop culture and the things that contribute to the expansion of pop culture like music, computers, and the internet.
The video gets more and more complex as time goes by in the video. In the beginning of the video it was easy to understand but as the tie in the video went on it was harder for the audience to understand what was truly going on in the video.
This song shows the reader that as time goes on, we get more and more technologically advanced. This video also criticizes a lot of the problems we face in society today.
This song highlights the significance of human potential. We make choices in life that are themselves good and bad decisions, and that lead us to opportunities to do good or to do bad in this world. These decisions, however, both influence and are influenced by societal paradigms. There is sometimes a clear path to immediate success and power, but it is, perhaps, at the expense of moral value and social justice. On the other hand, there are paths that lead to opposite socioeconomic settings and realities. What we do, though, no matter which path we chose to take, it is important to evaluate the effects that our action will have on others. Whether it is a political, economic, environmental or health issue, we are greatly empowered to effect our surroundings. Leaders, in particular socialize the society, as displayed by the two contrasting examples of leadership expressed in the Flobots song.
The song definitely highlights the affects that technology has on our lives, and what we are able to do with it. As technology has become more and more advanced, it becomes extremely more easy to accomplish things. The singer even talk about how he can get a "guide a missile by a satellite" which is just showing how much power and control he can have over something because of the technology advancing. The video starts of slow, just like how technology started out, and then progressively becomes faster and louder and harder to follow. Even today some of the technology is so advanced that it is incredibly difficult to follow. The song and video also reaches a point when it is very difficult to understand and follow, and then it just slows down and the man falls to the ground. I think this is the artist's way of showing how the technology will get so fast and advanced that it will destroy us and then slow back down again.
I think this song and the video both highlight many aspects of society, in regards to sociology. The one thing that stood out to me the most is the amount of power one person or small group can have over a large majority. The speaker begins with saying he can ride a bike with no handlebars. This shows that he can make decisions and lead his own path without any assistance. He continues to say what he can do, each time getting more and more power hungry. By the end of the song, he reached a point where he has the power to heal all lacerations or have all killed by assassins. I find it interesting that power took a complete 180 turn from the beginning to the end. As time went by and technology advanced, the existence of the world was controlled by one person. -Brandon Chambers
This song and the music video is about how individual’s choices and goals can have dynamic effects on the rest of the world. This is relevant to sociology because it shows that humans are forced to interact with each other whether they want to or not. -Matthew Glazer
I think that the music video above shows us a lot about the potential humans have as a result of interaction. Today, we are forced to interact with others in our daily lives whether we like it or not because that is the only way that society is functioning. While I do hear the saying that everyone's voice make a difference, it is interesting to see how much power one person's voice can have on a group of people. I think it is also evident in society today when we see leaders who create positive, inspiring change around the world and others who create harm and chaos. Everyone has a voice, the decision is which way an individual will steer it or be steered. -Lakshmi Subramanian
In this video we can know that different environments can create different lifestyles. And when they became the leaders of both groups we can know that individual's words can change others' idea. --Qiao Mi
This music video is the Flobots way of showing how we, as humans, have the power to be productive and progressive or progressive and destructive. Two people who seem to be best friends become leaders of their respective groups. While one seems to preach certain ways like democracy (or some other form of government not ruled by militaristic views): the other looks to be not obsessed with power, but with the want for control. I think it is interesting to see how in the video the friend whose mind is led by business and personal gain does not notice what he's done until it is too late. That to me can relate to Sociology in that even though certain traits in people are taught and stick to people as they age, some lessons are somewhat timeless. Kenny P
I have seen the video for the whole semester, but I got an idea of what that means after we learnt about inequality, minority and stuff. It is true that both of them are white male, but one of them choose to live in a divine way while the other live in a standard way of white male. So in the end they had a war (as I see, fight for right), and without a doubt, the one representing minority lost. I don’t think that’s how most of people see it, but that’s my interpretation on the video. Li
I think this song brilliantly reflects how the freedom and ability to do things, which we take for granted, also in some twisted way form the very foundation for some of the most horrible and scary things like the power of being in control of other people's lives. Its a vastly overlooked dilemma, as many people blindly fight for freedom in complete ignorance of its frequent bad consequences. In the song he mentions being able to take apart a RCU and (almost) put it back together. Such technological curiosity may seem harmless at first, but is arguably somewhat correlated with technology exponentially evolving, which historically has lead to both good and evil events. I also think that's why they both start and end the song with the line "I can ride a bike with no handlebars" in the beginning it seems like an innocent and frankly irrelevant thing to do, yet in the end, after realizing the thematics of this song, that particular line suddenly seems to have nothing to do with means of transportation, but rather the notion of navigating a moving system without actually being in control. This leaves the audience with the lesson that great power comes with great responsibility.
This song shows us how if we want we can try and stand up for what we believe in. The problem is that if we want to go against the mainstream society and the people in power we will have a much harder up hill fight. The people in rich upper classes who are also in charge have the means and resources that can suppress the needs and desires of the many. But even with the odds against us, we must still stand strong and fight for what we believe in.
this video portrays the socio factors of inequality through the last half of the video. it shows a rise to power of one man while there are still people who live in poverty on the streets. our country has the highest economic inequality in the world and its because once the powerful obtain their power its used in a selfish, unproductive way instead of helping the less fortunate they isolate themselves and treat the others as outsiders. Bryce Young
This is a very intriguing piece. To summarize how I perceived this story, it starts out with two men riding on their bikes like it’s a normal day. At a fork in the road, they split up. One goes down a path that leads to a neighborhood. People are nice to each other and seem happy. There are the chalk drawings made by kids and people dancing. The other boy ends up going down a path leading into the corporate/bureaucratic side of town. Everything here seems dark and deceptive. You can see the two sides clashing as the government starts building into the community. The two sides go to war and both men die. I think what this is saying is that when we are kids and we don’t know of any boundaries such as money, status, or race, we are united and we see no differences. As we grow, more and more boundaries are placed on us and we become separated by all of these differences. We see and act in different ways and fight for what we believe in. In the end, none of it matters because we all bleed red blood and we all die.
I really enjoyed this video. It portrays the socioeconomic inequality in this country. The video starts out with two normal men riding their bikes. Then, they split and it leads them to two completely different neighborhoods. One of the men rises to become powerful, while the other is stuck in poverty. It shows that the top 1% have the resources to maintain their lives but the other end of the spectrum does not. In the end, it shows that we can stand up for what we believe in and that these "boundaries" such as class, and money should no separate us.
This video is a representation of emergency for individual relationships. The video is of two friends who started off loving each other but allowed silly competitions between them to escalate into war. One of the individuals developed a fear of the poorer socioeconomic clases and a desire to be rich and powerful. The other desired to live a more modest and earthy lifestyle as part of the lower socioeconomic classes of society. The best friends ended up being opposing leaders. This video has sociological implications as a response to civil wars and fights that arise between individuals initially of the same team.
I really enjoyed watching this video and had to watch it several times in order to fully understand the message behind it. It is intriguing to me because I have heard this song probably hundreds of times before but now I think and listen to it in a completely different way. It really makes you think about how we all start out the same, just simply as human beings. Then, our social, cultural, and economic situation in life shapes how we live and the people we later become.
I, personally, really enjoyed the music video because it illustrated the true meaning of sociology – how activities in one’s life and social interaction affect an individual. As individuals part of a collective society, we have so much potential to excel, progress, and advance. I believe this video is an example of emergence – the idea that independent parts can be become one whole. In short, individual behavior depends on the relation of the whole object. For example, the behavior of a citizen of a country depends on how the country treats that citizen, what that citizen’s purpose is, etc.
The Flobots music video is an example of the control that each individual has on their life choices and our roles as catalysts in society. Both of the friends split ways and chose different paths of life, one favoring a simpler living that was more people oriented while the other chose the path of political dominance in government and national control. The video also shows how the development of technology has transformed society and improved surveillance among its citizens and the uproar from the nationals that results. We are so easily influenced by our surroundings and can be totally consumed by it if we are not in control.
this video illustrates the reality today - that a person is evaluated and treated accordingly to his status - which is composed of education, occupation, income, and wealth. we can see in the video that two friends chose two different paths - one of excellence, progression, education, intelligence and dominance in institutions, while the other chose to continue his life without major changes. we can clearly see, that the people who choose the path of education and institutional dominance, have the power in society and are treated more respectfully than others, who are of lower class and subordinated to those in power. The black dove represents those with ambitions, those who has goals in life and want to achieve them no matter what, and these black doves devour the white ones. Even though the two friends started from the same place, in the end they end up in different statuses, and they are no more friends. The person is treated accordingly to who he is and what he achieved.
This song is all about how people can change once they are given power. It is also talking about how in this day and age, a massive amount of power can come from very little effort- for example, the lyrics describe how he could guide a missile by a satellite, which essentially requires the person to only press a button and a missile can be launched. This relates to the ideas of hard and soft power we talked about in class- a person can become very powerful when they have their hands on destructive devices such as a missile, and could lead to things such as a holocaust as the song discusses at the end of the song. It is also note worthy to mention that the elements of power start very small with things such as reading a book, and grow until the end when he discusses things such as going to prison- this exhibits the snowball effect power can have on people and how people crave more of it. -Sarah Wigmore
I believe that this music video is an accurate depiction of Marx's Conflict Theory. The people behind all of the groups are the same sociobiologically - portrayed by the portions of the clips where the two individuals are seen playing together happily. However, as the socioeconomic barriers widen, some people ascend to power in the majority group (those with power) and others are forced into the minority. Eventually, the minority will attempt to usurp the majority of their power to distribute power and resources more evenly. The socialization that we are constantly exposed to can change us no matter what group we belong to. As issues increase however, extreme solutions look more and more viable.
I know I already posted something here, but after all these weeks I still have the ''I can ride my bike with no handlebars'' in my head when I ride my bike on campus. -Jeroen Meefout
This music video is so simple yet understatedly powerful. I first didn’t really think of this song as anything as intense as the artist intended it to be. This past summer, I baby sat for a family where I helped a three year old girl and five year old boy learn how to bike. Something I find so simple was so difficult for such young children. By the end of the summer, the boy was planning on getting his training wheels removed and he felt so incredibly proud of himself. In hindsight, it must have been so empowering for this young boy to move a step up in his ability levels. The artist takes that whole idea to the next level, where something as simple as riding your bike, could take you as far as something as complicated as ruling a powerful movement in society.
I have always loved this song but never seen the video. It is great to see the characters go their separate ways. It really does a good job illustrating the meaning of the song.
I'm not sure if nature vs nurture is the correct term to describe this video. Mainly what I got from it is that we are all products of or shaped by our environments in some way.
This song really portrays a strong message because there are two friends just riding their bikes and they both end up in different neighborhoods. One ends up being rich and the other one ends up somewhere in poverty. It shows how in life, people's paths changes and they are not always good or bad and it is just something that they have to accept or control their fate.
To me, the video is about inspiring social change, and the way to do that is to depart from social norms. There is also a sense that it doesn't matter where you come from, your path through life can take you anywhere regardless of where you started, as seen with the two friends: one becomes successful, powerful and the leader of a movement and the other is impoverished and appears to be fighting against this movement.
Peyton Wade 113669903
ReplyDeletehumans can use the process human agency. they can shape social life by changing social structure. In the video the guy used his power to start a business.
In addition, the interactions that the male has throughout the video with the individuals largely impact his life. While the subject acknowledges that there are numerous paths he can take in life, the one that he ultimately chooses leads him to interact with a particular group of people. While there are many individuals throughout the video, they are all apart of one whole community.
DeleteNiloofar Baghai-Vaji
Trang Le
ReplyDeleteOur actions will affect our society. Each one of us cannot define society. But as we come together, with all the complex connections under various forms of occupations or entertainment, we create an enormous, well-connected group.
In general, each person contributes little to the flow of society as a whole. It is our collective decisions that form our culture. However, a few key figures in our world can sway public opinion and garner power, and can influence society in that sense a vast amount.
Deleteit's interesting to see how in this video, Flobots seems to be saying that one person, "leading the nation with a microphone" can decide the fate of the entire society.
The video also brings up the point that the man who invents (or has control over) the vaccine has the right to give it out and save millions of lives, or just let them die. That single decision certainly will affect how people live.
Kevin Qinyi Fan
Aakash Patel
ReplyDeleteMany people are afraid of to stand up to their oppressor. However if they are united under a fearless leader people will forget their fears and stand up for what is right
For good reason. Those in power want to stay in power, and have the means to do so. An oppressed population cannot rise up against the oppressor without suffering a tremendous cost, whether it be in the form of lives, livelihoods, or respect.
DeleteThe fearless leader is usually the one punished the hardest, so few people want to step up and take the reigns in an uprising. In this video, it seems that the leader was shot and killed along with the others in the vanguard of the movement.
Kevin Qinyi Fan
Nicola Konigkramer
ReplyDeleteAs time has progressed, so has our technology. Whether it is a leader of a nation addressing his entire country through a microphone, or advanced technology transforming warfare, technology has helped us to connect or interact with people around the world. This song portrays a negative aspect of the globalization of technology.
Whatever decisions in life we make will impact our future. These decision are influenced by what we surround ourselves with; whether if it's occupation, politics, or environment/home background. We are easily influenced by what we surround ourselves with if we are not careful.
ReplyDeleteI agree with this comment. The people who are around us everyday change our mindsets and how we look at certain things. We have to be out own person and act as the guy in the video.
DeleteReece Epley Section 0601
ReplyDeleteThis person in the beginning is talking about his skills that seem kind of extraordinary, like how he can ride a bike without using the handlebars. The first verse is also bragging about some small skills that he has, like being able to talk about Lief Ericsson and how he can tie a knot into a cherry stem. He is bragging about his skills and as he progresses through the song, his skills get more and more significant. By the last verse he is telling us about how much power he has, how his "reach is global," and how he can send people to prison without oversight. By the end of the song he is in power and is able to do anything that he wants, which by the mood of the music video, seems evil. He comes into a position of great power firstly, because of his small, but extraordinary skills. These skills allow him to do more and more extraordinary things, until the end of the song, he can do anything. This ties into sociology because it shows that people with inherent and extraordinary skills, though small, can use those skills and evolve them to a sometimes scary level. These extraordinary skills separate him from everyone else, so he is able to gain power, but this song also shows that too much power can go to your head and lead to some bad decisions. This is shown in the song when he says that he can "guide a missile by satellite" and can "split the atoms of a molecule." This song is showing two things, that having extraordinary skills that separate you from everybody else can emerge to a position of power, and when this happens, it can get to your head and lead you to potentially do unspeakable things, like his mentioning of ending a planet in a holocaust.
Kiet Zhou
ReplyDeleteThe song portrays many different types of human interaction, from one as innocent as little girls playing together to one as intense as a rebellious mob. By showing such discrepancies in interaction, we can compare and contrast how connections and communication with different people can lead to different directions in life.
Our nation nowadays seems to be so centralized and normalized, that we tend to forget the “behind the scenes”, or the type of things people do in their everyday lives. Often, people want their voices to be heard, and as we see today, war can break out at any point in time. Those voices that aren’t heard may retaliate, as we see in the video clip of the warlike scene. We tend to group ourselves with people who share common interests. Different groups and parties among countries around the world often come together as a result because they share the same interests. As we surround ourselves with certain people, the paths in which our future lies is all in the hands of the atmosphere, people, belief, and ideas of those we surround ourselves with.
ReplyDeleteLauren Ball
Alanna Rothman (Section 0601) Response:
ReplyDeleteIn my interpretation, the video clearly captures the ideas of network analysis and emergence. In the video, the two friends start out in the same place but then choose to go in very different directions due to their connections with others. This portrays the idea of network analysis; each friend is connected to different people who impacted them and the path they chose in life. This reminds me of the concept nature vs nurture: if heredity or the environment is the leading factor in development. This video symbolizes nurture because both friends started out in the exact same position, but their environment sparked their interests in what they wanted to pursue in life. In addition, the video demonstrates the sociological idea of emergence, "I can lead a nation with a microphone." - As individuals, the brunette boy viewed them as weak and almost meaningless. He looks at the poor man on the street and puts his hand on his shoulder to start bringing him together in a pact. Then with the use of the microphone, he leads everyone together which builds a strong and powerful army. This shows the idea of emergence because when things are brought together, something unique and new is created that can't be explained. This is what the brunette boy did; he saw the poor man as weak and then used the power of the microphone and dictatorship to emerge a powerful strong group. This group could not be explained alone as individuals which is why it portrays emergence.
Sarah Sakhi
ReplyDeleteHe examines his surroundings, which are constantly changing. He explores the deviance in the society and the new changes for the better. He really visualized the lives of the people around him and looks at how a society is from the viewpoint of a bystandard.
Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. Our leaders need to have someone or some group to be accountable for, or else those at the top of the sociological hierarchy can do some real damage to society.
ReplyDeleteI agree with this. People need to realize they make a difference, especially together and they need to fight injustices. They need to see thee corruption too much power can have and realize that they can make a difference.
Delete-Moose
Though the two individuals began at the same point of origin, emphasizing their equality, they took different paths, literally and metaphorically. The individual with aspirations in the world of the great and powerful was influenced in such a way that made him fear the uncontrolled, poorer classes of society, and relish the success of the powerful and affluent. The individual with aspirations to live a more mundane, earthly life looked to become a simple facet of the lower classes of society. Ultimately, these individuals confront one another as the powerful constrict the poor and lowly, and in response these more destitute and desperate people rebel, leading to violence and destruction.
ReplyDeleteArashdeep Gill
DeleteI agree with your interpretation of this music video. One's surroundings has significant impact on their actions. Often times those exposed to power abuse it. Society has immense influence over an individual acts. In a sense of nature vs. nurture, this can be seen when individuals that are exposed to poor nurture and fail to have positive experiences tend to resort to delinquency.
Saron Bizuayehu
ReplyDeleteSection: 0801
Response:
The idea that one's socioeconomic status is not a main factor in one's ability to ultimately reach their goals seems to be emphasized as the two friends begin their journey as boys from similar backgrounds that embark on two different paths. One of them is able to succeed in his endeavors while the other seems to have become rebellious against the government . The friend that eventually becomes president protests, "I can do anything with no assistance cause I can lead a nation with a microphone." As the video plays out, the friend that becomes president becomes engrossed by power so much so that he believes he doesn't need the society to help him in anyway. On the contrary, his rebellious friend finds a group to rebel with against the government which includes his now powerful friend. The friend that has gained power seems to represent capitalism and individualism as he says, "I can make money open up a thrift store, I can make a living off a magazine, I can design an engine sixty four," whereas his rebellious friend represents collectivism and socialism as his voice diminishes and the powerful friend continues to express how much power he has. Ultimately, the rebellious friend and the group he affiliated with ended up rebelling against the government. In my interpretation, the moral is that one cannot stand alone if he has many against him. Additionally, it shows the significance of network analysis and how without interdependence one cannot succeed.
This video clearly shows how a person's environment can impact them and how people, in turn, impact their environment. The two friends started out as similar characters, riding their bikes in the same way, until they reached the fork in the road. Each friend chose a different path and from there their lives took drastically different turns. The first friend entered into a neighborhood environment full of playing kids, waving neighbors, and pride in the country. The second friend entered a big city where all he saw was billboards, power, and money. These two different environments shaped the friends in different ways. While the second friend gained power, and became a harsh dictator, the first friend banded together with his community to fight against the unjust system. This demonstrates how two seemingly similar people can be changed drastically by the environment that they live in.
ReplyDeleteNicole Mair
ReplyDeleteI interpreted this music video as a depiction of two former friends who motivated and challenged each other. However, their competition escalated until there was resentment and jealousy between them. Though they both start off with good intentions,they eventually they end up being leaders of opposing sides of a war that causes death and destruction. This has sociological implications because it is a piece of social commentary about the relationships among people and how they can evolve from mutually beneficial to detrimental if you don't stop to re-evaluate the choices you are making as an individual. This in turn also hints at the concept of emergence: large-scale events like civil wars are the culmination of the effects of individual interpersonal relationships.
Sofia Eliseeva
ReplyDeleteI just noticed that both kind of wanted the same thing: a peaceful society. The character on the right walked through a society that seemed rather friendly- waving to each other, children playing in the streets.
The character that went to the left wanted to attain the world the other already saw. Lefty (as I am going to call the character) saw the evil in the world.
Righty protested because he felt that Lefty's methods were wrong. In the end, they both wanted the same thing. They simply saw different things, and acted differently because of what they saw.
Righty acted with kindness because that was what he see. Lefty acted with power and evil because that was what he saw.
This video supports the notion that sociology is the study of social groups. In the video, the protagonist makes various life choices and is then categorized in different social groups based on the social factors correlated with each choice he made. This further supports the idea that stereotypes make categorizing and judging people easier than getting to know each person within a specific social group.
ReplyDeleteColleen Snitzer
ReplyDeleteThis music video is talking about how powerful each individual person is but that there is so much more that could be done for society if people came together and really worked on improving society rather than having a 'ruler' that starts wars and causes problems for society.
Karen Tchuindjo, 0601
ReplyDeleteI feel that this clip portrays the effect of the environment in human social interactions. It seem that the two characters start out as friends, however once they separate and go into their own separate areas, things change. The men go into two settings, one being more capitalistic then the other. Unfortunately, the environment in which they each find themselves in seems to make their views more radical to the point that they cannot agree and ultimately lose their bond. Although we have similar ascribed characteristics, it our achieved characters truly divide us.
The video shows two friends choosing different environments of which to live in and how where they live with all its social implications influences their lives and how they grow and change as individuals. It contrasts a more free spirited life against a business and social climbing lifestyle. In the end, it shows how drastic the lengths of each lifestyle can take a person and how powerful ones environment is to change them and forget their beginning roots.
ReplyDeleteThe video illustrates how each member of society brings different unique and individual skills but only some individuals hold skills that can affect society as a whole. The narrator being able to ride his bike with no handlebars is less influential than inventing a vaccine and in turn, holding the power over someone living or dying.
ReplyDeleteTasha Powers
ReplyDeleteThe lyrics, as well as the video, change from simple to complex. It is clear that as events become more prevalent and exciting in the social world, people adapt and get caught up in those surroundings. In the beginning, we seen only two people riding a bike, but later many are shown in war, corruption, holocaust etc. People follow other people.
Andrew Cheng
DeleteIn addition to the change from lyrical simplicity to complexity, the song's music video also mirror the change, creating a parallel between lyric and music video. The two separate verses convey the story of the two friends both of whom chose different paths from the beginning. Whereas one friend chose the carefree path, the other chose the corporate path. In addition to illustrating the changes that societal pressures exert on individuals, the song also hi-lights the divide in modern America between the two different lifestyles. Materialism is a direct correspondence with wealth, social class, and ultimately happiness. In the corporate lifestyle, several materialistic aspects are especially emphasized: magazines, nice cars, etc. At the conclusion of the video, the two friends are seen riding their bicycles toward a white horizon, depicting the outcome of an environment completely devoid of societal pressures.
The man uses human agency. He slowly starts out by only riding his bike with his handle bars then eventually talks about running the world and working with atoms. He is evolving, and adapting to his social environment. His social structure changes as he begins to feel more confident from the adaptions.
ReplyDeleteThis video shows the dyadic relationship between human behavior and the environment. This thought of an interplay between behavior and environment is made prevalent through the two friends choosing different paths, left and right, and in that decision radically changing their environments. The rising and falling nature of the lyrics is representative of the snowball effect inevitable within the behavioral tendency-environment dyad. The video works with the lyrics to illustrate the nature of how actions and tendencies of groups shape the environment around them and in doing so isolate them from other out-groups who may at their core have many similar notions core characteristics.
ReplyDeleteSingi Weerasuriya 0601
ReplyDeleteI think that this music video displays interesting examples of both men empowering themselves. For both the “C” suit man, and the dove dude, their initial measures of control and in a sense “power” were being able to ride their bikes without holding onto the handlebars. This quickly escalates as both men progress, each man absorbing the beliefs and ideals surrounding them. For the dove dude, it’s the peacefulness, freedom, and healthiness of the society that he perceives around him and therefore believes is most important. For suit man, the extravagance and the luxuries of society (gained by money and influence) are what he is exposed to, and therefore believes is most important to attain. Both men strive to empower themselves and further/protect their ideals using tools that differ based on their environmental factors. Dove dude and suit man are not different as human beings if you consider that they both just wanted to empower themselves to achieve what they believed as important. The thought-provoking thing is that both men experienced the exact same first taste of liberty- being able to ride with no handlebars, making us wonder about the true power of the things we see in our environments, and experience all around us- how much they will change how we act and what we believe is important in life (sociology).
Ameerat olatunde
ReplyDeleteI think this video show those the two men walking in to different, one man who wants peace and one man wants the power. As humans, we have the power to do great things whether it's good or bad. But the man is against what the man in the suit is trying to pursuit, so he's fighting for it.
James Boone
ReplyDeleteThis song essentially says as an individual I can do anything from riding a bike with no handlebars to ruling a nation however I see fit. As an individual my actions inevitability generate consequences which either cause ripples or waves within my community. Whatever I choose to do with my life is certainly up to me. One must understand that the choices intended for the benefit of the few could also lead to the detriment of the many. The power I wield as the head of a country/corporation will either benefit my shareholders/constituents or benefit my labor force/citizenry. The goal in the game of power is to stay in power. Smart politics is cutthroat politics weather in the political realm or the corporate realm. The smart politician will make sure his constituents are happy which more than likely is at the expense of his/her subordinates or general populace. Unfortunately when power is wielded in such a manner as in the video your ability to ride a bike with no handle bars truly pales in comparison to your ability massacre those within your own community.
Kiana Smith
ReplyDeleteSEC: 0801
The overall message is to display the relationship between one's enviornment and one's actions. From the beginning, the two men take different paths in life, and these paths lead to different outcomes in their lives. The first character is seen going into a political standpoint and makes speeches to express his thoughts while the second character goes into a more aggressive approach to oppose what the first character is saying. The second character persuasively unites a people to help convey his opposing views. The second character has created a violent and hostile enviornment which leads into a protest and death. The social interactions that the group of people united by the second main character lead to death. Collectively, all of the individuals lives in the same society but the standpoints separated them into very different environments leading to differennt outcomes.
Jeroen Meefout - 113805387
ReplyDeleteIn the beginning of the video the rapper seems to be positive, but after a while I observed a change in his message. He criticizes how individualistic and problematic society is with telling a story from his perspective. The rapper does not make clear these problems are problems in his opinion, but is just gives the watcher insight on what society has become.
The song represents the growth of an individual with free will. It starts out with simple things ("I can ride my bike with no handlebars") and moves onto different ways to make a living ("I can make new antibiotics"). The song then changes to show how a person with a position of power can make decisions that affect the whole world ("I can hand out a million vaccinations, or let 'em all die in exasperation"). The change in each of the activities described in each verse of this song shows that if a person is given too much power, the power could lead to corruption.
ReplyDeleteIn the start of the video, the environment seemed simple. however as the song went on, the environment changed based on the decisions and choices the man in the song made. Also, the lyrics of the song grew more and more serious as the song went on. It started with "I can ride my bike with no handlebars", and finished with "I can guide a missile by satellite". Based on the choices we make, our environments and the people around us are impacted.
ReplyDeleteChristina Asare
ReplyDeleteThe video is showing how two people with the same beginning and opportunities take different paths and where it leads them to in the end. It shows how the environment a person is exposed to can impact the choices they make and their ideas. It doesn't really tell you if one path better than the other.
Justin Lucas
ReplyDeleteThis video demonstrates two different types of power and influence from the point of view of two different people. One character resembles more of a collected power, when he gathers up a large following through his speeches and actions. The other man represents one of the few individuals in society that can gather power and influence by himself and use it as he or she sees fit. The message that this video was trying to get across is that something as simple as riding a bike with no handlebars can turn into something as serious as ending the planet in a holocaust, based on the decisions and actions we make according to the power-hungry environment that surrounds us.
Jillian Griminger
ReplyDeleteThroughout the video, the underlying meaning becomes more and more complex. In the beginning of the video, it seems that the environment affects us tremendously. By the end, it becomes cyclic and suggests our impact on the environment is just as great. Every action and choice we make affects everyone and everything around us.
Oyin Adedipe, 0601
ReplyDeleteVery interesting song! My interpretation is that it shows the progression of age and power. The song begins by describing our innocence as children. The introduction is “I can ride my bike with no handlebars.” This seems like such a childish accomplishment and depicts innocence during our childhood. As we age and gain more power and a better sense of the world, our goals shift and they become less innocent. “I can show you how to dosey doe. I can show you how to scratch a record. I can take apart the remote control.” This depicts your typical young American. We further age and again have more power/have a better realization. Again, there is a complete shift in innocence, although the ambitious deeds still remain somewhat positive. Now we aim to do things like make new antibiotics or make a computer that can survive antibiotics. The last part of the song delineates “pure (global) power.” At this stage, we have progressed and we have complete power with almost no regard for other human life. Yearning for too much power can certainly have dire negative consequences.
This song can be interpreted in many different ways. My personal favorite is a young boy, who experiences the feeling of power, of having something he can do that nobody else can. This progresses, as he gains more power and begins to get more advanced and more unstable as the song progresses, do riding a bike with no handlebars, to deciding on who to let live (I can hand out a million vaccinations. Or let 'em all die in exasperation. Have 'em all healed from their lacerations. Have 'em all killed by assassination), just because he can. This theory shows that too much power gained can, and probably will, cause corruption. I really like how this song makes you think, guess, and wonder as to its meaning, and the evolution from a simple show off attitude, to a dangerous, power-mad person.
ReplyDeleteI like how he talks about how our society is almost run by pop culture and the things that contribute to the expansion of pop culture like music, computers, and the internet.
DeleteThe video gets more and more complex as time goes by in the video. In the beginning of the video it was easy to understand but as the tie in the video went on it was harder for the audience to understand what was truly going on in the video.
ReplyDeleteThis song shows the reader that as time goes on, we get more and more technologically advanced. This video also criticizes a lot of the problems we face in society today.
ReplyDeleteThis song highlights the significance of human potential. We make choices in life that are themselves good and bad decisions, and that lead us to opportunities to do good or to do bad in this world. These decisions, however, both influence and are influenced by societal paradigms. There is sometimes a clear path to immediate success and power, but it is, perhaps, at the expense of moral value and social justice. On the other hand, there are paths that lead to opposite socioeconomic settings and realities. What we do, though, no matter which path we chose to take, it is important to evaluate the effects that our action will have on others. Whether it is a political, economic, environmental or health issue, we are greatly empowered to effect our surroundings. Leaders, in particular socialize the society, as displayed by the two contrasting examples of leadership expressed in the Flobots song.
ReplyDeleteThe song definitely highlights the affects that technology has on our lives, and what we are able to do with it. As technology has become more and more advanced, it becomes extremely more easy to accomplish things. The singer even talk about how he can get a "guide a missile by a satellite" which is just showing how much power and control he can have over something because of the technology advancing. The video starts of slow, just like how technology started out, and then progressively becomes faster and louder and harder to follow. Even today some of the technology is so advanced that it is incredibly difficult to follow. The song and video also reaches a point when it is very difficult to understand and follow, and then it just slows down and the man falls to the ground. I think this is the artist's way of showing how the technology will get so fast and advanced that it will destroy us and then slow back down again.
ReplyDeleteI think this song and the video both highlight many aspects of society, in regards to sociology. The one thing that stood out to me the most is the amount of power one person or small group can have over a large majority. The speaker begins with saying he can ride a bike with no handlebars. This shows that he can make decisions and lead his own path without any assistance. He continues to say what he can do, each time getting more and more power hungry. By the end of the song, he reached a point where he has the power to heal all lacerations or have all killed by assassins. I find it interesting that power took a complete 180 turn from the beginning to the end. As time went by and technology advanced, the existence of the world was controlled by one person.
ReplyDelete-Brandon Chambers
This song and the music video is about how individual’s choices and goals can have dynamic effects on the rest of the world. This is relevant to sociology because it shows that humans are forced to interact with each other whether they want to or not.
ReplyDelete-Matthew Glazer
I think that the music video above shows us a lot about the potential humans have as a result of interaction. Today, we are forced to interact with others in our daily lives whether we like it or not because that is the only way that society is functioning. While I do hear the saying that everyone's voice make a difference, it is interesting to see how much power one person's voice can have on a group of people. I think it is also evident in society today when we see leaders who create positive, inspiring change around the world and others who create harm and chaos. Everyone has a voice, the decision is which way an individual will steer it or be steered.
ReplyDelete-Lakshmi Subramanian
In this video we can know that different environments can create different lifestyles. And when they became the leaders of both groups we can know that individual's words can change others' idea. --Qiao Mi
ReplyDeleteThis music video is the Flobots way of showing how we, as humans, have the power to be productive and progressive or progressive and destructive. Two people who seem to be best friends become leaders of their respective groups. While one seems to preach certain ways like democracy (or some other form of government not ruled by militaristic views): the other looks to be not obsessed with power, but with the want for control. I think it is interesting to see how in the video the friend whose mind is led by business and personal gain does not notice what he's done until it is too late. That to me can relate to Sociology in that even though certain traits in people are taught and stick to people as they age, some lessons are somewhat timeless.
ReplyDeleteKenny P
I have seen the video for the whole semester, but I got an idea of what that means after we learnt about inequality, minority and stuff. It is true that both of them are white male, but one of them choose to live in a divine way while the other live in a standard way of white male. So in the end they had a war (as I see, fight for right), and without a doubt, the one representing minority lost. I don’t think that’s how most of people see it, but that’s my interpretation on the video.
ReplyDeleteLi
I think this song brilliantly reflects how the freedom and ability to do things, which we take for granted, also in some twisted way form the very foundation for some of the most horrible and scary things like the power of being in control of other people's lives. Its a vastly overlooked dilemma, as many people blindly fight for freedom in complete ignorance of its frequent bad consequences. In the song he mentions being able to take apart a RCU and (almost) put it back together. Such technological curiosity may seem harmless at first, but is arguably somewhat correlated with technology exponentially evolving, which historically has lead to both good and evil events. I also think that's why they both start and end the song with the line "I can ride a bike with no handlebars" in the beginning it seems like an innocent and frankly irrelevant thing to do, yet in the end, after realizing the thematics of this song, that particular line suddenly seems to have nothing to do with means of transportation, but rather the notion of navigating a moving system without actually being in control. This leaves the audience with the lesson that great power comes with great responsibility.
ReplyDeleteThis song shows us how if we want we can try and stand up for what we believe in. The problem is that if we want to go against the mainstream society and the people in power we will have a much harder up hill fight. The people in rich upper classes who are also in charge have the means and resources that can suppress the needs and desires of the many. But even with the odds against us, we must still stand strong and fight for what we believe in.
ReplyDeletethis video portrays the socio factors of inequality through the last half of the video. it shows a rise to power of one man while there are still people who live in poverty on the streets. our country has the highest economic inequality in the world and its because once the powerful obtain their power its used in a selfish, unproductive
ReplyDeleteway instead of helping the less fortunate they isolate themselves and treat the others as outsiders.
Bryce Young
This is a very intriguing piece. To summarize how I perceived this story, it starts out with two men riding on their bikes like it’s a normal day. At a fork in the road, they split up. One goes down a path that leads to a neighborhood. People are nice to each other and seem happy. There are the chalk drawings made by kids and people dancing. The other boy ends up going down a path leading into the corporate/bureaucratic side of town. Everything here seems dark and deceptive. You can see the two sides clashing as the government starts building into the community. The two sides go to war and both men die. I think what this is saying is that when we are kids and we don’t know of any boundaries such as money, status, or race, we are united and we see no differences. As we grow, more and more boundaries are placed on us and we become separated by all of these differences. We see and act in different ways and fight for what we believe in. In the end, none of it matters because we all bleed red blood and we all die.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this video. It portrays the socioeconomic inequality in this country. The video starts out with two normal men riding their bikes. Then, they split and it leads them to two completely different neighborhoods. One of the men rises to become powerful, while the other is stuck in poverty. It shows that the top 1% have the resources to maintain their lives but the other end of the spectrum does not. In the end, it shows that we can stand up for what we believe in and that these "boundaries" such as class, and money should no separate us.
ReplyDeleteThis video is a representation of emergency for individual relationships. The video is of two friends who started off loving each other but allowed silly competitions between them to escalate into war. One of the individuals developed a fear of the poorer socioeconomic clases and a desire to be rich and powerful. The other desired to live a more modest and earthy lifestyle as part of the lower socioeconomic classes of society. The best friends ended up being opposing leaders. This video has sociological implications as a response to civil wars and fights that arise between individuals initially of the same team.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed watching this video and had to watch it several times in order to fully understand the message behind it. It is intriguing to me because I have heard this song probably hundreds of times before but now I think and listen to it in a completely different way. It really makes you think about how we all start out the same, just simply as human beings. Then, our social, cultural, and economic situation in life shapes how we live and the people we later become.
ReplyDeleteI, personally, really enjoyed the music video because it illustrated the true meaning of sociology – how activities in one’s life and social interaction affect an individual. As individuals part of a collective society, we have so much potential to excel, progress, and advance. I believe this video is an example of emergence – the idea that independent parts can be become one whole. In short, individual behavior depends on the relation of the whole object. For example, the behavior of a citizen of a country depends on how the country treats that citizen, what that citizen’s purpose is, etc.
ReplyDeleteThe Flobots music video is an example of the control that each individual has on their life choices and our roles as catalysts in society. Both of the friends split ways and chose different paths of life, one favoring a simpler living that was more people oriented while the other chose the path of political dominance in government and national control. The video also shows how the development of technology has transformed society and improved surveillance among its citizens and the uproar from the nationals that results. We are so easily influenced by our surroundings and can be totally consumed by it if we are not in control.
ReplyDelete- Cameron J. Goins/ 12/10/14
this video illustrates the reality today - that a person is evaluated and treated accordingly to his status - which is composed of education, occupation, income, and wealth. we can see in the video that two friends chose two different paths - one of excellence, progression, education, intelligence and dominance in institutions, while the other chose to continue his life without major changes. we can clearly see, that the people who choose the path of education and institutional dominance, have the power in society and are treated more respectfully than others, who are of lower class and subordinated to those in power. The black dove represents those with ambitions, those who has goals in life and want to achieve them no matter what, and these black doves devour the white ones.
ReplyDeleteEven though the two friends started from the same place, in the end they end up in different statuses, and they are no more friends. The person is treated accordingly to who he is and what he achieved.
This song is all about how people can change once they are given power. It is also talking about how in this day and age, a massive amount of power can come from very little effort- for example, the lyrics describe how he could guide a missile by a satellite, which essentially requires the person to only press a button and a missile can be launched. This relates to the ideas of hard and soft power we talked about in class- a person can become very powerful when they have their hands on destructive devices such as a missile, and could lead to things such as a holocaust as the song discusses at the end of the song. It is also note worthy to mention that the elements of power start very small with things such as reading a book, and grow until the end when he discusses things such as going to prison- this exhibits the snowball effect power can have on people and how people crave more of it.
ReplyDelete-Sarah Wigmore
I believe that this music video is an accurate depiction of Marx's Conflict Theory. The people behind all of the groups are the same sociobiologically - portrayed by the portions of the clips where the two individuals are seen playing together happily. However, as the socioeconomic barriers widen, some people ascend to power in the majority group (those with power) and others are forced into the minority. Eventually, the minority will attempt to usurp the majority of their power to distribute power and resources more evenly. The socialization that we are constantly exposed to can change us no matter what group we belong to. As issues increase however, extreme solutions look more and more viable.
ReplyDeleteSong Yun
I know I already posted something here, but after all these weeks I still have the ''I can ride my bike with no handlebars'' in my head when I ride my bike on campus.
ReplyDelete-Jeroen Meefout
This music video is so simple yet understatedly powerful. I first didn’t really think of this song as anything as intense as the artist intended it to be. This past summer, I baby sat for a family where I helped a three year old girl and five year old boy learn how to bike. Something I find so simple was so difficult for such young children. By the end of the summer, the boy was planning on getting his training wheels removed and he felt so incredibly proud of himself. In hindsight, it must have been so empowering for this young boy to move a step up in his ability levels. The artist takes that whole idea to the next level, where something as simple as riding your bike, could take you as far as something as complicated as ruling a powerful movement in society.
ReplyDeleteI have always loved this song but never seen the video. It is great to see the characters go their separate ways. It really does a good job illustrating the meaning of the song.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if nature vs nurture is the correct term to describe this video. Mainly what I got from it is that we are all products of or shaped by our environments in some way.
ReplyDelete- Malcolm Lawanson
This song really portrays a strong message because there are two friends just riding their bikes and they both end up in different neighborhoods. One ends up being rich and the other one ends up somewhere in poverty. It shows how in life, people's paths changes and they are not always good or bad and it is just something that they have to accept or control their fate.
ReplyDeleteTo me, the video is about inspiring social change, and the way to do that is to depart from social norms. There is also a sense that it doesn't matter where you come from, your path through life can take you anywhere regardless of where you started, as seen with the two friends: one becomes successful, powerful and the leader of a movement and the other is impoverished and appears to be fighting against this movement.
ReplyDelete