in top stories...

i'm pretty much the worst social justice student ever, or at least on this program (wait... the jury may still be out on that one, but whatever. who can judge?). while everyone else gasps and gets enraged over whatever is the current bbc headline, i spew obscenities regarding the latest episodes of whatever television programs i'm missing back home (wtf? sean's come back for emma? a drag race? oh, degrassi...). i'm also researching avril lavigne lyrics. this one's almost legit though -- we saw this dude at a concert (a hiphop concert, but whatev) wearing an avril lavigne shirt. the shirt had lyrics to an avril song called broken. i don't listen to avril lavigne (not since the sordid summer of sk8r boi), so i have no idea if this song really exists, as performed by our lady of punk rawk. the lyrics on this guy's shirt though are incredibly ironic and read as such (in english, mind you, NOT portuguese, which is not uncommon to find on clothing here):

"m broken, but no one knows
im just a poser, but ive brainwashed the world
no one will ever know how much of a poser i really am

CUZ IM PUNK! i really am, watch me strum my guitar
IM PUNK hear me roar! im gonna break my guitar
now watch me as i sing my song

i sit hear singing my wannabe punk songs
they are really popish songs but soon they will be punk
cuz im cool like that
cuz im such a punk rawker!

CUZ IM SEW PUNK! i really am watch me strum my guitar
IM PUNK HEAR ME ROAR im gonna break my guitar
now watch me as i sing my song

I used to be a country singer
a cheerleader popular gurl
i never really liked all this punk rawk stuff
but i wanted to break free and be cool and start trends

but its all good, cuz im just so punkie!"

interesting, no? did avril just go hella sarcastic on us, or did this poor brasilian dude get played? (alternatively, does he also dislike the faux-punk stylings of ms. lavigne? but i hear sarcasm doesn't really exist here, not as the youth of the US have embraced it.)

so i do a little googling, and i believe that "broken" is probably how lot of people refer the avril song "nobody's home" (which is nowhere near the self-mockery of the lyrics of the t-shirt i saw). but since most brazilians don't recognize the actual lyrics (not knowing english and all), they may purhcase this knock-off t-shirt with lyrics to a song that doesn't exist (but they think does, only it has a different name).

basically, this is all yet another episode of many of when globalization goes horribly wrong. avril lavigne = a product of the american powerhouse music idustry, sold to and appropriated by other less-moneyed countries, constituents of which then are unknowingly exploited (and some of whom also exploit other constituents) by knock-off products of the product to further participate in the harmful, unjust game of capitalism.

i still earn my social justice stripes after all. at least for being critical, i guess. in terms of practice, we're still all fucked and fucking within the system.

so, what else is new?
a new season of lost, is what. i miss jouissance for its own sake. jouissance in a language i entirely understand, that is, although any media-related pleasure i experience in portuguese ain't too bad either.

i should be working now, huh?