Brian Trat
Sec A01
Blog #10

In Response to "The Dream is Over: Lenono the Death of the Asian American Movement"

      Hamamoto offers a view of the 1960s counter-culture and its social unrest through the lens of John Lennon and Yoko Ono. I was surprised to learn about the efforts that the CIA and FBI put into suppressing public dissent. These intelligence agencies were especially fearful of the sway that music icons had on America's youth. With the Edward Snowden revelation that the NSA has been collecting digital information on American citizens, it's not too farfetched that the same surveillance and tab-keeping is still happening but on a larger and more invasive scale. Tupac and Jimi Hendrix along with other artistic revolutionaries are said to be the targets of government agents to stop their influence amongst the population's youth.
     Seeing multiple examples of coopted movements and political assassinations throughout the 20th century and the resulting conservative pushback in the 80s, really paints a dark picture on the glamorized "hippie movement". However it's important to keep in mind that the sociopolitical struggles of Asian-Americans and other oppressed groups, even with aggressive government tactics, aren't entirely futile. It's important to keep the spirit of the 60's counter culture and resist the hegemony of the country's elites. Asian-Americans have been a powerful yet often ignored voice (like Yoko Ono) in the civil rights movement. As long as we do not grow complacent and continue to be wary of our government's dark history, the fight will continue on.

Question: Who are some contemporary artists that might be surveilled by the United States government?