"If there is a modern audio component to what we can loosely call the Resistance, it exists in the form of podcasts and the vertical-video clips they generate: a million short-form videos of people talking into USB microphones have replaced not only rousing political speeches but also music as the main vehicle for rabble-rousing."
"What this transformation means is that we are producing a flood of effective, enervating, and disposable media about political dissent. It is a theatre for pundits and satirists but not for poets and artists."
Contemporary political dissent has shifted from traditional forms like speeches and protest music to podcasts and vertical video clips featuring people speaking into USB microphones. This transformation produces abundant but ephemeral media content that effectively energizes audiences yet lacks artistic depth. The change represents a fundamental departure from earlier protest traditions, where music and poetry played central roles in mobilizing resistance. While this new format serves commentators and satirists well, it excludes genuine artistic expression. The author reflects on Country Joe McDonald's iconic Woodstock performance and earlier folk protest songs, questioning whether this modern media evolution represents progress or decline for political expression.
Read at The New Yorker
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