I wasn't paying much attention to the whole X-Factor v Rage Against The Machine stunt until i saw how the machine is fighting back.

If you support the anti x-factor movement you are apparently "weird".


When I heard this I suddenly realized that the issue of choice and media control is in fact a serious issue.

The only reason that people are interested in Joe McElderry (or whatever his name is) is that he has had months and months of pre release publicity and advertising.

I am at a university doing a jazz degree where I am surrounded by 18 - 25 year olds who are fantastic musicians and singers with a full and comprehensive understanding of music, a deep and abiding love and commitment to their art, who play and sing like angels and who have worked hard for years to develop their excellence.

They sing with more heart and sensitivity to their songs than the Jedward twins could ever hope to dream about, yet the Jedward twins are embarking on a career as multi millionaire "musicians".

This is because of hype and media attention that makes who wins a talent show front page news.

Why does it get on the front page? Media cronyism is the answer ... all busy scratching each others backs.

The media make no attempt to seek out and promote anything truly creative or original but follow cowell around kissing his arse and in return for his ability to sell papers, they promote culture according to a man with no musical background or knowledge, flanked by a group of similar ignoramuses.

A member of the public decides to protest against this and starts up a facebook page encouraging people to buy a copy of the song "killing in the name of"

You might like this song, many f you probably don't.

But lets find out why ...

... he chooses this song because it expresses his frustration with the industry behemoth and he wants to see if others feel as strongly about Simon 'Smug' Cowell.

It turns out that there are hundreds of thousands of people who agree and feel strongly enough to back that song choice and find that it expresses their distaste with pperfet eloquence.

So many people back it that the RATM song is ahead of the X-factor song in the polls.

Simon Cowell calls all those people "stupid"

Alexandra Burke calls them "weird"


As I said, when this campaign first started I paid it very little attention, but when Cowell and Burke start telling people what is and isn't normal, and categorize those who are different to them as "weird" social misfits ... when the people they are slagging are in the majority, they are displaying arrogance that I cannot stomach.


Who the hell do they think they are.

Something to remember about this campaign, care or not, agree or disagree, is that it happened spontaneously. It had no advertising and it was not choreographed.

People did not have it forced ito their living room every saturday night and people did not have to read about it on the front page every morning and evening going to and from work.

So while the x-factor represents the only choice most people have day to day, and while it represents a choice they were "given" and which they are constantly pressured to make, the RATM campaign represents something that people did spontaneously and is therefore more genuinely reflective of the will of the people.


I bought the RATM mp3 today for a few pence online. I'll probably never listen to it, but I believe in the point being made.


Whats more, to add credibility to RATM, their share of the profits will go to "shelter".

They didn't have to do that, they could have just laughed all the way to the bank.



The alternative is to bow down to cowells new cultural order and to pump the bank account and ego of an average entertainer.


No - sorry folks but F&%$ that!!

Rage Against The Machine.