RavenBlue
Blue Crack Addict
I don't know what to say, but it's very odd...
Wow. If Halloween = creepy, then what was Zoo TV? What is Bono in Machphisto make up?
However, all that said, notice the picture of an actual rally, from a story already posted where the band apparently got the idea. No rubber bands, no eyeholes. Just peops holding up pics. In fact, someone on here suggested that we hold up pictures instead. Lovely suggestion.
So, instead of panning the whole idea because all y'all are far too mature to wear a silly mask (unlike old geezers like Bono and me who find costumes and guyliner just fine), why not just hold up pictures instead?
I remember the "Shut Up and Sing" thing from Dixie Chicks fans (I do live in TN), but I suppose I really am surprised if I am in a minority among U2 fans who actually like the singer of the band. Lots of amazing bands out there with cheaper tickets and singers who do not preach or pull stadium sized political stunts. I like a lot of them, too.
Speaking of costumes, a few years ago, an entertainer friend of mine worked the Brooks & Dunn tour. He had to wear Red, White, & Blue sequined bell-bottoms over stilts while he juggled fire during the Star Spangled Banner. So it could be worse, right?
What would U2 be without Bono and his preachin' anyway?
Wow. If Halloween = creepy, then what was Zoo TV? What is Bono in Machphisto make up?
However, all that said, notice the picture of an actual rally, from a story already posted where the band apparently got the idea. No rubber bands, no eyeholes. Just peops holding up pics. In fact, someone on here suggested that we hold up pictures instead. Lovely suggestion.
So, instead of panning the whole idea because all y'all are far too mature to wear a silly mask (unlike old geezers like Bono and me who find costumes and guyliner just fine), why not just hold up pictures instead?
I remember the "Shut Up and Sing" thing from Dixie Chicks fans (I do live in TN), but I suppose I really am surprised if I am in a minority among U2 fans who actually like the singer of the band. Lots of amazing bands out there with cheaper tickets and singers who do not preach or pull stadium sized political stunts. I like a lot of them, too.
Speaking of costumes, a few years ago, an entertainer friend of mine worked the Brooks & Dunn tour. He had to wear Red, White, & Blue sequined bell-bottoms over stilts while he juggled fire during the Star Spangled Banner. So it could be worse, right?
What would U2 be without Bono and his preachin' anyway?
While i agree its for a good cause, i think the band preaching to us and telling us to wear a mask is a bit much, even by their standards. Wear it to the pub, wear it on the train, etc... several people thought that was a joke because who in their right mind would wear that mask out in town like that?
Okay, I need to be honest. Holding the signs is a great compromise. But I think the mask idea in itself is fine. And creative.
I am sorry but I really, really don't get the "I support this cause, but I would never wear a mask at a U2 show." If you are unwilling to engage in a creative stunt for the duration of one song to support a cause that you believe in, what would you do? It seems a lot of people here support the cause of creative stunts to bash Bono and mock people who risk their lives for human rights.
Sure, it's cute to post silly photoshopped pictures or to gasp at whether or not the mask will match our hot outfits and of course people like me all should lighten up. I get that. But I don't quite get the sheer tenacity and veracity of the anti-mask posts.
Do any of us really even "get" what others have done for defending their rights in this country and the rest of the world? Why is protesting in the streets of Tehran courageous but raising consciousness at a U2 concert undignified, dumb, and dorky? Do you think that if you are too cool to wear a mask at a U2 concert, you would have been willing to risk the embarrassment of say, integrating a lunch counter in the segregated south?
I am going to the second of the Chicago shows with my Mom and Dad who are 68 and 69 years old respectively and have been seeing the band with me since 1985. My dad marched with MLK at Selma and my mom has been arrested to protest torture. Please do not call them "undignified" when they put on their masks.
My wife does makeup, and I think we might just have to wear our masks. I promise to post pictures on here if that is what we end up doing. See you at the shows!
Oh I get it now. We'll I'd really like to *see* the show, but I'd be OK with putting it on the back of my head..
I don't believe for a second it's because people are callous. People tend to get activism/social cause fatigue, and can only adopt and care about a finite number of causes. If they took on every cause that came up, they'd drive themselves insane. And of those who do care, how many are actually going to hear about this, and wear the mask? I'm guessing it's going to be a really small, insignificant number. But supposing it wasn't, supposing everyone in the stadium wore it, what then? Would politicians even notice? Would the Myanmar government suddenly think "oh no, U2 fans wore a mask for 5 minutes, so we'd better release her"? Hardly.
Points well taken Vintage Punk, especially regarding activism fatigue, effectiveness of letter writing and other approaches versus the venue & visibility concerns for this particular action. No, of course, I don't think this or any unitary event would change her situation single-handedly; that's not how history works.
Gee, sorry if I sounded like I thought I was socially evolved or in any way morally supperior! I'm definitely not! I'm just another small man with big ideas. Just because one is an activist, that doesn't make one evolved, and there are great arguments for/against all kinds of various strategies and tactics if one chooses to be an activist.
Moreover, I am not saying anything about any of y'all personally or your choices to be activists or not or participate in this or not, just responding to the overwhelming tone of the thread that this idea by its very nature is harmful to the band, or the shows, or the cause it purports to support (all that and more have been suggested). I admit that I probably got a little defensive in light of some of the posts I read.
Forgive me though, I still don't think the idea itself is inherently stupid or that some of the posts on this thread (or its title) are not just a little bit disrespectful of the spirit of the song, the activist in question, or the style of tactics suggested on u2.com.
The mask wearing idea does not come from a vacuum or an uninformed perspective but from a vast and healthy tradition of political creativity.
I am sorry but I really, really don't get the "I support this cause, but I would never wear a mask at a U2 show."
Okay, I need to be honest. Holding the signs is a great compromise. But I think the mask idea in itself is fine. And creative.
I am sorry but I really, really don't get the "I support this cause, but I would never wear a mask at a U2 show." If you are unwilling to engage in a creative stunt for the duration of one song to support a cause that you believe in, what would you do? It seems a lot of people here support the cause of creative stunts to bash Bono and mock people who risk their lives for human rights.
Sure, it's cute to post silly photoshopped pictures or to gasp at whether or not the mask will match our hot outfits and of course people like me all should lighten up. I get that. But I don't quite get the sheer tenacity and veracity of the anti-mask posts.
Do any of us really even "get" what others have done for defending their rights in this country and the rest of the world? Why is protesting in the streets of Tehran courageous but raising consciousness at a U2 concert undignified, dumb, and dorky? Do you think that if you are too cool to wear a mask at a U2 concert, you would have been willing to risk the embarrassment of say, integrating a lunch counter in the segregated south?
I am going to the second of the Chicago shows with my Mom and Dad who are 68 and 69 years old respectively and have been seeing the band with me since 1985. My dad marched with MLK at Selma and my mom has been arrested to protest torture. Please do not call them "undignified" when they put on their masks.
My wife does makeup, and I think we might just have to wear our masks. I promise to post pictures on here if that is what we end up doing. See you at the shows!
BVS, I was in Denny's late Friday night and I was thinking about the masks!
Sure, it's cute to post silly photoshopped pictures or to gasp at whether or not the mask will match our hot outfits and of course people like me all should lighten up. I get that. But I don't quite get the sheer tenacity and veracity of the anti-mask posts.
however, after attending vertigo shows, i started to get just a little bit miffed that the show was becoming too politicized and for me this can have a detrimental effect to the concert experience.
T
I think another factor in all of this is that over the years, Bono had built up a great deal of goodwill from fans and the public. He had political and activism capital, and quite frankly, I think in recent years, he's used a lot of it up, and there is now (rightly or wrongly, I'm not judging here, just calling it as I see it) a fairly significant "Bono-backlash." People are tired of hearing about him and his political views in the general public, and to a lesser but still noticeable extent, within the U2 fandom. Granted, there will still be a segment of fans who support anything he does from an activism standpoint, and that's fine, but I do understand the viewpoints of people who think "enough is enough, give it a rest for a while." So, i suppose my other objection is that he is putting himself (and by extension, the band) out there again, and for something that I don't think will be effective. If it was something that could have a positive and tangible impact, an argument could be made that doing this is worth risking negative perception from the public in general and fans in particular, but I just don't see the payoff of this being worth the risk, I think it's going to end up being an empty gesture, despite their good intentions. I guess you could also say that his tenacity is to be admired for doing this despite what people may think, but that's a subjective thing for each individual to decide.
Curious, did you ever attend any of the 80's shows? Did you find Vertigo to be more politicized than those?
We want to see photos of you wearing it... in strange and interesting places! The Edge will select the best to feature in a gallery on U2.com.
Saw this on u2.com
I did.
And Yes.
Yes Bono had his mini-speeches during SBS and BTBS, but nothing like the Buzzkill of the Human Rights video, the long-winded pre-one speeches, the pre-streets thng, etc which were all in addition to, not instead of the political nature of BTBS, SBS, etc.