"Music has carried political weight for years, since the 60’s, and it’s been somewhat vital to the progression of the U.S. specifically. One of my favorite examples that comments on a number of conflicts and beliefs is the album Toxicity, by System of a Down. The first two songs in the album can be well interpreted to fit the U.S., and those are titled Prison Song and Needles. Track 1 (Prison Song) calls out the American Prison Systems, with the lyrics, “All research and successful drug policy shows that treatment should be increased, and law enforcement decreased while abolishing mandatory minimum sentences.” The purpose of these lyrics is initially obvious. Serj Tankian (the singer/songwriter of System of a Down) is commenting on how the prison system is ineffective compared to successful drug policies like the one in Portugal, due to the fact that their attempts to eradicate a drug epidemic have consisted of imprisoning addicts and filling their prison systems with minor drug offenders, even through practically all research has backed treatment and that idea that it should be increased."
Strength (Piece 2, Digital Arts)
Area of Growth (Piece 1, Math // Piece 2, Physics)