This post may be disturbing, especially if you have been involved with a traumatic situation in your life.
This is the story of a song, a song a schoolmate is using in a set of dramatic monologues... in fact, I should be memorizing my monologue at this very moment.
But back to him... he liked the song "American Life", and how it asked "This type of modern life, is it for me?"
Madonna's music video of this is pretty brutal and gruesome.
But this American Life includes both what we see at the mall AND what we are doing with our government's policies and what modern life does to people, so why not show them all?
(You need Flash to see videos on YouTube. Click to open up another window)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R55xDxaX
Here is a bizarrely different version, cleaned up, with a somewhat different effect. What is shown, what is now hidden? How is the focus changed from society to be personal?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HN_vQIYu
Did you notice how all non-fantasy images of soldiers and blood are removed from the second one.
And, it seems Warner released a third version... if you just want to hear the song, look at this one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3Z_Z899
