The Killers are The Smiths of our generation

FIRST DRAFT



Mr. Brandon Flowers of influential band, The Killers, the man who once informed us that our boyfriend looked like a girlfriend that he had had in a previous February, has posed a question to the nation's youth. It is one that probes at the very essence of what it is to be alive, and what it is to be a modern American. These are trying and strange times --war rages over seas, Barack Obama is about to begin his historic position as President, and the economy plunges ever downward. It is to this frenzied culture that Flowers addresses his simple, but profound, query. He asks us, "Are we human, or are we dancer?"



My paper will attempt to address this issue.



Flowers, in the style of anarchists, protesters, and Derrida, questions but offers nothing in the way of possible answers. It is, therefore, up to the individual to determine the answer as he is want.



I believe that I am human, as I have never been a strong dancer (see earlier post. still sad guyz.) When auditioning for musical theater it was always the dance audition which I blundered and suffered through. It was always the dance audition which kept me from my dream role (Thelma, in Kander and Ebb's salacious musical, Chicago.) I had Broadway Dreams once, as did almost every Jewish boy and girl from Westchester, but they were dashed at the hands of the choreographer. So, Flowers' words ringing in my head as I write, I realize that I am inherently and irrevocably human. I never was and never can be dancer. And because I am so most definitively human, dancer has become my other. Thusly, it is despised.


I believe that Flowers is creating a dichotomy between what it is to be essentially "human" and what it is to be essentially "dancer." Human is all that is goodness and excellence of taste. Dancer, however, represents the demise of personal and moral values. It is the girl who dresses as the French maid for Halloween. It is the boy who wears the Sublime t-shirt. Yes, these are the dancers of our generation. They dance because everyone else dances. And everyone else dances because that is what they are instructed to do. Our media, our government, our culture, have carefully, meticulously choreographed the dance. And it is not the slow and peacful waltz of our forefathers, but rather a grim, grotesque shuffle and hustle. Dancer is all among us--In Jazzman's, in our classes, in the cafeteria. Dancing always, without thinking.


Mr. Flower's question is a thought-provoking one, and one which begs to be answered. There will come a time when all will have to make the distinction for themselves, and the time will come far sooner than anyone thinks. I implore all who can to stay human. There are less and less of us each day, as the masses rise up in senseless, robotic dance (clarification: they are not dancing the robot.)



As Benjamin Franklin (human) once said, " Be civil to all; sociable to many; familiar with few; friend to one; enemy to none...except dancer."




ADDENDUM: I have made a list of my friends from home, determing who falls under which category. It is important to do this as AIM blockages and facebook friendships (consequently, friendships en general) must be altered accordingly. It reads:

Susannah-dancer
Julia-dancer
Dan-humancer (mixed. tough call.)
Ben-human
Bridgid-human
Allie-DANCER
Nicole-human, but h8 her anyway
the list goes on....







Works Cited







Killers, The. Human. London: Island Def Jam Music Group, 2008