Welcome! I am Jason Nguyen, a graduate student in ethnomusicology at Indiana University, Bloomington, and this blog is where I make observations about music, culture, and academic life.

MLK on the purpose of demonstration

Again I contend that we are not doing more harm than good in demonstration because I think demonstration serves the purpose of bringing the issues out in the open. I have never felt that demonstrations could actually solve the problem. They call attention to the problem. They dramatize the existence of certain social ills [...]

October 17th, 2011 | Tags: , , , , , , , | Category: Academic Musings, Politics | Leave a comment

Brothers West and Smiley miss (or are ignoring) an important point

I much respect the strong positions Tavis Smiley and Cornel West take with respect to the poor and the disenfranchised, of all color and creed. Their voices are important ones that force us all to refocus our lenses vis-a-vis the status quo. That said, I find their continued criticism of President Obama somewhat myopic–not [...]

August 8th, 2011 | Tags: , , | Category: Politics | Leave a comment