Modern-Day Parallels to Wall-E’s Dystopian Future

Written by George Parsons Turcotte

There is very little that isn’t up for debate when scholars talk about the blues; some can’t even decide if the blues are or the blues is; is it singular or plural (Gussow, 2020)? I am saying now, only for the purpose of this article, it is singular. Mississippi, Memphis, New Orleans, Texas, Chicago, Detroit, and New York all played different styles of the blues. Jazz, swing, bebop, soul, rhythm and blues, ragtime, delta, jump, boogie woogie, rap, rock and roll, among others all find their root in the blues. Indeed, the blues takes many forms. So, what is “the blues”? The answer is much more complicated than I originally thought. Indeed, the definition goes beyond the most basic musical definition: a style or genre of music that uses a 12-bar chord progression consisting of three chords I IV, and V (Wald, 2010 p.2), but don’t take it from me, how do the experts define “the blues”?

On a tight stage cluttered with instruments and fully grown men the legendary Howlin’ Wolf ponders the thought: what is the blues?

“A lot of peoples wonderin’ what is the blues. I hear a lotta people sayin’ the Blues, the blues, but I’m gonna tell you what the blues is…When you ain’t got no money and cant pay your house rent and cant buy you no food you damn sure got the blues” (Wolf, 2015).

The Wolf suggests that the blues is a condition relating to economic hardship. Interestingly, he doesn’t address the musical genre at all. Muddy Water’s says this in response to the same question:

“You’re going way back down in slavery times. I wasn’t no slave, but my blues is based on hard times that I’ve had . . . my family was poor, and I had a lot of trouble with women” (Waters, 2018).

Water’s makes a very subtle reference to the music when he says “based,” but does not refer to the music itself; that is, the conventions of blues music (12 bar, pentatonic scale, slide, guitar, etc). Yet, both quotations reflect a similar idea, that the blues is in someway conditional to their experience. Water’s references slavery, I think, as a possible origin for the blues. Hard times are no doubt a common theme.

Hard times is here and everywhere you go Times are harder than ever been before

Skip James, “Hard Time Killing Floor Blues” (1931)

Skip’s lyrics not only express hard times, but also a sense of wandering. After emancipation, unemployed African American men were forced to travel to find work wherever they could, no doubt they spread the blues as well (Keil, 1969).

Gussow suggests that the blues are “a way of self-presencing, self-annunciating. They are a way of asserting your identity” (Gussow, 2020, p.47). Muddy’s lyric below is assertive, and possibly threatening, yet there can be no doubt he is announcing his presence.

I’m ready, ready as anybody can be I’m ready for you, I hope your ready for me

Muddy Waters, “I’m Ready” (1954)

Chris Thomas King takes his definition a step further with an etymology of the word ‘blues.’ He argues in “The Blues” that the music itself originates in New Orleans and the term ‘blues’ was a Creolized abbreviation from the French profanity sacre dieu, meaning holy god (King, 2021, p. xv). In New Orleans, blues music “challenged the authority of the church by refusing to conform to its draconian “blue laws” intended to punish non- Christian behaviour,” and was, thus, labelled the devil’s music, or sacre bleu, which is a derivation of sacre dieu (King, 2021, xv). King suggests the demonization of the blues stemmed from

Written by Shawn Funk

the fear of miscegenation as its popularity grew among the white youth. The music “[c]elebrated subversion, discordance, and freedom of expression among Louisiana Blacks whose preordained underclass status, constitutionally, liberated them socially and musically. Blues mocked Victorian prudishness” (King, 2021, xv). The blues, according to King, reacted against oppressive government laws and Christian cultural norms, finding a reference for value in the streets among the underclass rather than from the church. The blues is political.

I never will go back to Alabama, that is not the place for me

You know they killed my sister and my brother And the whole world let them peoples go down there free

J.B. Lenoir “Alabama blues” (1965)

Amiri Baraka, formerly known as LeRoi Jones, is a poet, political activist, and writer. He suggests in “Blues People” that the blues are a revitalizing current that emerges from contemporary folk roots. Indeed, he suggests that African American culture is the spring from which American culture is continually made new. Baraka uses the blues as an ideological hammer to reassert the value that African American culture has brought to the unified culture of America. Indeed, the blues are political. “Blues People, as King states, “was an attempt by Jones to reaffirm that America’s most lucrative and influential art form was Black” (King, 2021, p. 117). Baraka implies that mainstream blues is a dilution of the folk music that originated in the American south and persists to this day across America (in different forms of course), just as it began as a folk phenomenon peculiar to the experience of Blacks in America (Jones, 1963). He suggests that the,

“Blues as an autonomous music had been in a sense inviolable. There was no clear way into it, i.e., its production, not its appreciation, except as concomitant with what seems to me to be the peculiar social, cultural, economic, and emotional experience of a black man in America. The idea of a white blues singer seems an even more violent contradiction of terms than the idea of a middle-class blues singer. The materials of blues were not available to the white American, even though some strange circumstance might prompt him to look for them. It was as if these materials were secret and obscure, and blues a kind of ethno-historic rite as basic as blood” (Jones, 1963, p.148).

The blues is, thus, more than just music. Jones is quite distinctly outlining that the blues is conditional upon the “materials” available, not unlike Muddy and Howlin’ Wolf above. These materials, unavailable to the privileged class, are the way into the blues. The blues is, as Baraka notes, inviolable in the sense that it is a purely African American folk phenomenon rooted in their “personal involvement in America” (Jones, 1963, p.94). Baraka is, thus, asserting the presence of a cultural form that is unique, valuable, and African American. The strange circumstances he mentions seem to me the quest for the “authentic” blues undertaken by record producers and historians of the blues,

John Lomax, Dorothy Scarborough, James McKune, to name a few mentioned by Chris Thomas King in his book The Blues, who attempt to unlock the “mysteries” behind the music, and in doing so relentlessly mythologize it, transforming it into a cultural artifact of a time far gone (King, 2021; Jones, 1963). Yet, as Baraka suggests above, there is no mystery. The blues haven’t gone anywhere; the people who create it are still here, and the “materials” of the blues are ubiquitous.

Baraka, and to some extent King, Wolf, and Waters, are suggesting that the blues is an unadulterated form that comes from the poor country, the city ghettos, and the mean streets; that is, the places where people suffer hard times; the places where the mainstream doesn’t go. These were the places that facilitated the materials of the blues. Baraka states that “blues . . . remains in its most moving manifestations, obscure to the mainstream of American culture” (Jones, 1963, p. 148). In a sense, I think he is suggesting that we might catch a whiff or two about the blues through the mainstream appropriations of it, but in its most “moving” form, the mainstream will never find.

It is generally accepted that the “field shout” was one of the earliest forms of the blues, a proto-blues if you will. Its purpose was practical, mainly to let others in the field know you are present (Keil, 1969; Jones, 1963; Wald, 2010). Perhaps then, in its simplest and most honest form, the blues is a way to let others know that you exist, to communicate your pain, and to keep from feeling invisible.

References

Baraka, A. (1970). Blues people: negro music in white America. Morrow. Gussow, A. (2020). Whose blues?: Facing up to race and the future of the music. The University of North Carolina Press.

Keil, C. (1969). Urban blues. The University of Chicago Press.

King, C. T. (2021). The blues: The authentic narrative of my music and culture. Chicago Review Press.

Wald, E. (2010). The blues: a very short introduction. Oxford University Press.

Waters, M. (2018, December 18). Muddy waters- interview 1979 [Rity Archives]. YouTube. Retrieved March 17, 2023, from https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=qTDfhWTA29I

Wolf, H. (2015, April 17). Howlin’ Wolf talks about the blues 1966. YouTube. Retrieved March 17, 2023, from https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=-yX7PkalhZE

In February, the Canadian University Press hosted the eighty-fifth NASH conference at McMaster University. The focus of the conference was student journalism. Alongside some of my peers from The Meliorist, I met with the writers and editors of several other Canadian university publications. The conference was host to panels led by experts and veterans in the various journalistic niches. During one panel, a particularly ambitious editor expressed his intention to move their publication to an entirely digital format. The room erupted into debate as representatives of the other Canadian student publications objected to his decision. The consensus was that physical print, whether as a broadsheet or a magazine, was an integral part of being a publication. Many of the student publications being represented had been in print since their universities inception and attributed much of their readership to students who prefer to pickup a copy at a news stand than to read it digitally. Regardless of how time marches on and new advancements in media emerge, aspects of the tradition remain firmly rooted in our practice, such as print copies. The digital age has revolutionized the world of journalism. Today, an expectation is for news organizations to deliver up-to-date information around the clock to a global audience. With the proliferation of social media and smartphones, it is no longer enough for journalists to simply report the news or to reflect on it. They must also engage with their audience, create shareable and relatable content, and navigate the ethical dilemmas that arise in the fastpaced, hyper-digital landscape.

In the spring of 1972, the University of Lethbridge got its first taste of the computer. As new technology arrived on campus, it was met by excitement and skepticism from students and faculty. InMarch of 1972, The Meliorist published an article titled “The Computerization of Canadian Universities,”which read, “In a very short time, most of the basic parts of the traditional educational institute – the library, the classroom, the professor and the administrator – will disappear from our universities – or at best play a supplementary role in computer-assisted learning” (Wiseman, 1972). Certainly, the class of ‘72 felt that the impending loss of their typewriters in favour of early computers marked the end of everything they knew. Eventually The Meliorist transitioned from printing press broadsheets to amagazine format and eventually adopted online publications to compliment monthly prints.

References Wiseman, I. (1972, March). The computerization of Canadian universities. The Meliorist.

Fifty-one years after the publication of “The Computerization of Canadian Universities,” the field of journalism remains essential, and the computer has not fully eclipsed the library, classroom, and professor. In a hyper-digital age where misinformation runs rampant and many publications turn to the use of AI, the need for quality journalism is more urgent than ever before. Journalists play a crucial role in holding those in power accountable, uncovering stories that might otherwise go unnoticed, and giving voice to those who might otherwise be silenced.

As we look to the future, it is clear that the role of journalism will continue to evolve. Just as the typewriter was forgotten in favour of the computer word processor, journalism and print media will need to keep up with the inevitable implementation of AI, digital formats, and other new developments or be left behind by the unstoppable progress of technological advancement. News organizations must adapt to the changing digital landscape while upholding the core principles of journalism: accuracy, impartiality, and integrity. This means not only embracing new technologies and platforms but also recommitting to the recommitting to the profession’s traditional values. By doing so, journalists can continue to play a vital role in shaping the world we live in, and in helping us make sense of the complex issues and events that shape our lives.

By Benjamin Wiebe

This month, Netflix unveiled its new Password Sharing Policy. The streaming giant, which once tweeted, “Love is sharing a password” has changed their mind and has made it clear that accounts should be localized to households. This new policy heralded the change to Netflix’s login systems in Canada, Spain, Portugal, and New Zealand. Users must set a primary login location where all devices on their account return to once a month to log in. This limitation, of course, can be circumvented by a $7.99 password-sharing fee per profile that is in a different location. Netflix has come under mass scrutiny for this course of action, especially in Canada, for this course of action. This is not helped by the rising subscription cost, the cutting of beloved Netflix original series, and the ever-shifting catalogue of available films on the site.

These changes continue to show just how little Netflix val-ues it is Canadian customers, but more importantly, how little students are valued in Netflix’s ecosystem. Many students move out of their homes to attend post-secondary, and this change adds yet another cost to a population that has many external costs placed on them. Even the ad-supported tier, which should be illegal in my humble art-centric opinion, still charges $5 monthly. And unless a user is willing to pay $17 a month, they are locked into 720p streaming. These subscription services are beginning to resemble cable television, with excessive fees, restrictive channels, and even midroll advertisements.

Students have some options at their disposal. Firstly, as mentioned above, Netflix does allow for password-sharing profiles at a charge of $8 a month per profile. It is yet another price increase for the service, but it allows individuals to keep access to Netflix’s vast library of cinema and television.

The next option, of course, is to pull your business from Netflix. These policy changes have not been rolled out worldwide. They are only tested in select countries. There still is hope that if enough subscribers pull their subscriptions because of this change, Netflix will revert its stance on Password sharing entirely. Other streaming sites are much more user-friendly in that way. Disney+, Apple TV +, Crave, and Shudder do not have such restrictive policies regarding password sharing. In the case of Apple, they actively support Family Sharing (which can extend to members outside of your family) and Apple TV+ has no extra charges for family sharing (as of March 2023). It is worth noting that if Netflix views its password-sharing policy as successful, other streaming services may begin to implement similar systems, as Netflix has frequently been a sign of what is to come.

That said, Netflix is no longer the streaming giant it was in 2013. The arrival of Disney+ and Crave has placed tremendous pressure on Netflix, limiting its library. Additionally, Disney’s day and date release method ensures that Disney+ subscribers have access to the latest film and television from the Mouse as soon as it is released. By comparison, Netflix’s rotating library has always been losing access to films over the past 20 years. It takes a long time to secure newly released films that are not originals created by Netflix. And when it comes to originals, Disney and Apple TV dominate the competition. In 2 years, Disney+ has made hundreds of hours of original television, with new and old characters, with a constant stream of quality and ongoing narratives.

Unlike Netflix, Disney+ series have not been canceled - even the critical failure, The Book of Boba Fett, seems to have a second season in the works. And Apple TV+ has been putting out a constant stream of original films and television, with the critical darling Severance as one of them.

These have nothing on Crave, comprising HBO, HBO Max, Showtime, and other Crave originals. With shows like Game of Thrones, The Sopranos, Succession, and The Last of Us, it is impossible for any other platform to live up to Crave’s incredible catalogue. Its price point is equal to that of Netflix’s premium package, but it also supports multiple accounts without any extra fees. Better yet, it does not have a million different payment plans that lock features away for no reason. It has 2 plans, one for those who prefer to watch television on a TV and one for those who prefer to use mobile devices. It is simple to set up, with hundreds of hours of high-quality television and film available to subscribers.

Prime TV is another streaming service available to students. Prime TV is another benefit of an Amazon Prime subscription, with no extra fees. However, it has a limited selection, though the library can be expanded by renting digitally or by subscribing to other tv channels. This is to say nothing of the various films which continue to have theatrical releases or the role that YouTube is playing in the streaming era.