Ladies and gentlemen, let’s talk about the enemy for a moment.
The enemy is ignorance and it surrounds us.
Now, there are plenty of people to blame for the ignorance around us (the media, politicians, a poorly funded education system), but I would like to submit to you, my wonderful readers, that the key weapon in the enemy’s arsenal is not Fox News or Fast Food or commercials on daytime TV. I submit that the enemy is far more sinister than all of these things. The enemy is the Insane Clown Posse and consider this to be the call to arms.
Now, I’m not normally someone who trashes on pop culture and I don’t like to judge others for their taste in pop culture (at least, not publicly), but ICP isn’t pop “culture” because that would imply that there would be something of worth to cultivate. No, the Juggalos are pop terrorism.
I’ve never been a fan of ICP, but it was never more apparent to me that they were useless than in “Magic and Miracles.” I’m sure you know about the song, but watch the video if you’ve never have. It’s truly a sight to behold.
The song pontificates on the idea that there are things in the world that are amazing and people should take a few moments to relax and notice these things. It seems like a beautiful message until Shaggy 2Dope wonders how magnets work and he says, ” I don’t want to talk to a scientist, you all *bleep* are lying and getting me pissed.”
It’s this promotion of ignorance that bothers me. This idea that scientists have something to gain from lying about how magnets work is a baffling concept. And furthermore . . . you know . . . wait . . . here is a youtube video of a hermaphrodite that explains things pretty clearly.
. . .
Did you watch that last video? Did it kill this conversation as much as I think it did?
. . .
Well, I think I can go one step further.
What if it is all an act that was cleverly orchestrated by an evil, higher power? What if ICP really serve a much more sinister and evil purpose that is far more intelligent than we could ever hope to imagine? Follow me down the rabbit hole, if you will.
William Shakespeare used protective irony in order to get his point across in his plays. Often times, the part of the fool was the truth that Shakespeare wanted his audience to take away from the play, and these messages were often controversial, but because the fool spoke the truths, then Shakespeare could fall back on the excuse that no one would believe a fool, so it was all a joke.
What if the Juggalos are spreading the “Magic and Miracles” message in order to get people to think science is a myth? What if the ignorance that they rap about is something they truly wish for people to believe in?
If ignorance were to spread, then whoever is behind it all can rise to power and no one would be able to stop him. He would ascend to the top with no one to challenge his authority. Yes, the dragon of the West would be able to rise to power and no one could stop him.
“Him?”
“Dragon of the West?” – you ask.
Oh yes. There is a mastermind behind it all and he has orchestrated a grand conspiracy in a quest for power. Who is “he” ?
Stay tuned . . . I’ll have the answer next week.
Perhaps the thesis of their song is that by scientifically categorizing everything we run the risk of making everything mundane. Thus, ICP’s intention is to point out how amazing everything can truly be. If this is the case, then ICP’s music doesn’t so much promote ignorance as it does a complete breakdown in public discourse and the ability to communicate a coherent thought.
They’re Insane Clown Posse, not Walt Whitman.
All I know is that when insane, cracked up juggalos come to my house and pause to decide whether they should rape, eat, or kill me first (all in the lyrics), I now plan to throw my refrigerator magnets at them and flee as they stare mesmerized. Thank you, Popgun Chaos. You have saved the lives of many today.
That shit is RICH (and I don’t mean Valerius)!
Not that I’ve been following their careers, but I never thought I’d see ICP pushing what is essentially a pop-new-age-Christian agenda. Hell, I don’t even know if that mash-up covers it all… they have a crazy mixed message in the video by the time they ascend to the heavens on an observatory/space capsule.
I like what Steven said. ICP clearly hasn’t even a slippery grip on coherence or consistency, but I do think you are right in fearing their aggressive ignorance. Despite their total reliance on CGI artistry (which they should be banned from using, since they don’t trust scientists who have given them EVERY MODERN ADVANCE AND CONVENIENCE, from toilets to cell phones to the very computers they record and distribute music on) they seem to be campaigning for some sort of return to the Dark Ages. I’ve been thinking a lot about “Dark Sun” since you (Cody) and Ross mentioned it at G.A.M.E. Even though I don’t know shit about it other than your jokes, I think I get the vibe, and I think ICP fits right in… until they start talking about their gross little children, and then I think their rhetoric is right on the verge of implosion—total paradoxical horseshit hokum.
What’s funny is, ICP are nearly syncing up with such trumpeting anuses of fundamentalist televangelism as John Hagee. I sometimes watch his sermons in horror, and he potentially has a bigger—or at least more socially influential—audience. One of his running themes is how education is bad, especially higher education/academia, which is of course equated with anti-faith, anti-family, etc… A Secular Satan, if you will. I could go on for days about this guy. Suffice to say, he’s an aggressive champion of ignorance, just like ICP. He also sells lots of shit to dumb people, uses baroque imagery in his visual aids (beginning of his show is a commercial for his book/video on the Apocalypse, and there’s always a big flow-chart with key terms and lots of pictures of the “Dark Sun” parts of Revelation: Four Horsemen, multi-headed dragon, lava lakes, you name it–all rendered like its straight outta Monster Manual… who knows, there might be a Beholder and some Grippli on there) but also uses all the amenities of modern technology in his life and sales pitch. Big fat toad of a hypocrite—just like ICP!
I’m in. We made fun of ICP and their “Miracles” song for more than a few laughs over Thanksgiving weekend.
Honestly, the thing I blame ICP the most for is duping their fans into thinking that it’s about being together and being “homies”, while blinding them to a secret retail empire. Juggalo cologne? really???
…how do we know they were not attempting an epic troll of all and sundry?
Seriously. What if ICP is screwing with us because people are going bonkers over this, and they are laughing themselves sick over our reactions off-screen?