As the crowd "Hey-hoed" their way into a frenzy--hands in the air because they just don't care--I thought about the energy that an artist seeks and thrives upon. This was a loving, engagable and participatory crowd that was hanging on every word Q-tip dribbled. That helps us attract new acts, in a way; while the organizers deserve mad props, we all get to take credit for being a huge, amazing throng that appreciates great music, no matter the genre. To see many of the same faces bouncing to hip-hop this week that slammed to Sonic Youth last week is truly cool.
But let's use that power not just in the cultural sphere, but the political one as well. Set aside that tired old bitterness about living in Zion: it's our time now. Let's take some ownership. We do that with politics.
[...]
I want to see our cultural energy translate into politics. Register to vote. Call your city council person and express your opinions about the future of the city. Call your representative and your state senator and tell them about your vision for the future of Utah. Take that energy from Twilight and translate it into social change.
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I'm tired folks, and not of the seeming conservative hegemony. Mostly I'm tired by other folks' defeated attitude toward that hegemony, which isn't even real. If we all "get up, stand up," the hegemony falls to its knees. Many Mormons are even seeing the light and questioning the hegemony as well. Invite them in. Our unifying quality is challenging traditional authority in this state. If the power of Twlight can be harnassed by politicians, we will make true change. The next time someone asks you to do something unsexy like register to vote, imagine yourself at the amazingly sexy Q-tip show; emobody that energy created by a powerful crowd of kindred spirits. You have to do the boring things. Please do them.
This is our town now and our state also. Believe it.
Remember, only 52% of eligible Utahns turned out to vote last year. You want change, fight for it!
-Bob
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