Culture Of Fear
2011 | Hip-Hop
“Let me just back up slowly with critical analysis of those who control me. -- It used to be just had a screen in the crib on the TV, but now we carry screens when we leave. -- See laptops, smart phones, now we're never alone, a little affliction I call a media dome.”
Trivia
- Thievery Corporation are an american electronic duo. Culture of fear is the title track on their sixth studio album.
- This particular track features an appearance by rapper Mr. Lif.
- Who remembers when we had threat levels measured in color?
THE HOT TAKES
Luke Tatum
So much is done right in this track. Simple, jammin' bass groove. Sick brass samples. Great lyrics. "Culture of fear; It's up in your ear; They're telling us terrorists about to strike; May be tonight; Right..." It's funny, really. We're always moving from one imminent threat to another. Iraq, global cooling, pollution, swine flu, global warming, Al-Qaeda, bird flu, the zika virus, ISIS, climate change, Iran. It's a continuous line, always expanding into the future. What makes a population easy to control? Fear. And it works, year in and year out.
Sherry Voluntary
As someone who loves rap, can I just say how nice it is to hear this sort of old school style that is far to underrepresented in the gangsta rap dominated scene. That said, there is so much to love in this song, but the overarching theme is not to let manufactured fear control you. The State is masterful at getting people to play that game because people who are afraid are easier to control. Whether it's the threat of terrorism, or economic concerns, fear shuts down the higher cognitive abilities and puts humans into a fight or flight mindset that is ripe for taking advantage of. My favorite quote “fear is the mind killer” comes to mind. We must think critically and look to see the “man behind the curtain” that is pulling the levers and switches to make everything seem big and scary, and realize it's all a show, Political theater for the masses. Safety is not now, and will never be a synonym for freedom. Once you accept that you can stop being lead by fear.
Nicky P
Not to be confused with Culture of Peace, hosted by Luke Tatum. I love so much about this song. It gets real at the root of how we're all being controlled by the media. It tells us what to think about and be afraid of and even what to love. I think it makes a mistake that actually makes more sense now than it did when the song was penned. In the age of unpersoning and cryptocurrency, Mastercard & VISA are holding serious power. We have watched as large conservativ-ish personalities in the US have been effectively sut off from their wealth by groups lobbying MC & Visa to decline processing transactions by these individuals. Have you ever tried to process without these groups or paypal? Easy to find an alternative? It's why i get a chill everytime I see laws implememnted to dissuade and illegalize the use of cash on a large scale. Seriously. Try moving $10K in cash without getting a knock at the door from the FBI with accusations of Drug Trafficking and money laundering. You're accunts will be seized and maybe after years of court battles they might aggree to settle with you for a portion of you own money that you obtained lawfully and was stolen illegally. I wish this scenario wasn't plucked straight out of history.