South African segment after BD

[Ryan H. Turner]

More suffering .. you have no clue.. Boy I wish I had a magic wand and zap you people and put you in their shoes. Griping about $18 bucks isn't it nice that you had that to spend.

It made me sad but also then I thought of how lucky I am to have what I have. Also made me go to the website to check it out..

I bet you all are the same people that honk the horn the second the light turns green and the car in front of you has not moved quite fast enough for you.. Selfish

Oh now Mr. Fun, don't spend what precious gray cells you may have on trying to figure me and my driving habits out simply because I clearly stated why I thought the message was lost on me. And don't make any massive leaps of deduction based on what you THINK you're reading to judge me on my level of--or lack thereof--compassion that I have for my fellow man, OR my history in helping said fellow man out.

The message in and of itself--fine. The timing...STUNK. My views are mutually EXCLUSIVE. I care.

But I didn't care to be reminded that I am to care right then. Thanks.

[alto92]

I got as much sympathy for kids as the next guy but I don't appectiate them throwing that stuff in my face after paying $18 bucks for a ticket.Its one thing if they would have showed it during intermission but they showed it while we were waiting for scores.I would have much preferred to hear more of the commentary.

Boo hiss DCI.

FAIL

[BigSnareline]

"I've got as much sympathy for kids as the next guy"... um, apparently NOT.

I'll have you know that I was fortunate to personally march with some of the kids who are a part of that South African field band organization when I was with Pioneer (and BIG props to them for the involvement they have with that organization).

If I find their contact information, I'll be sure to pass it along to you so you can tell them yourself how insignificant you think they are.

OK - I'm an old guy here but I think I finally figured out what the word PWND means. Thank you Galen for your post! Well said!

Edited August 8, 2008 by BigSnareline

[randomnoise]

The problem with the piece is that it was too much depresso and not enough uplifting moments. They needed to ramp it up at the end to end it on a more positive note. And if this was to appeal to drum corps fans, they really needed to show the kids playing music, not just holding a trumpet walking down a dusty street. The graphics and the look were fantastic, just that the story telling was too flat. There really could've been more done in the editing room.

This opinion coming from an actual editor.

Talk to Zap. He created the piece.

[taters]

You know this became a big political battle on the BD Forums and I have to admit I am continually amazed the amount of arrogance and dismissivness surrounding this topic. Is Drum Corps going to solve the problems of Genocide, Aids and Poverty in South Africa? The answer is no...and hell no! Can it start to change the lives of human beings one juvenile at a time? To that I say absolutely yes! It changed mine and relatively speaking I am fairly affluent, so get over it...learn to embrace your inner sappiness...and I am glad to see DCI using its influence to do some work of real significance.

[Whoa_Mellophone_2012]

I thought it was a very well done video.

I feel like the drum corps fan base is pretty much absorbed in drum corps, which is definitely cool, however, it is nice to see DCI trying to open our eyes to non drum corps issues.

[josephmb]

I got as much sympathy for kids as the next guy but I don't appectiate them throwing that stuff in my face after paying $18 bucks for a ticket.Its one thing if they would have showed it during intermission but they showed it while we were waiting for scores.I would have much preferred to hear more of the commentary.

Boo hiss DCI.

how incensitive are you that you can't watch a story about how music is changing peoples live for 5 min. what kind of world are we coming to.

[scottgordon]

This is supposed to be Drumcorps INTERNATIONAL. There is a significant drumcorps activity in South Africa doing wonderful things, highly entertaining, and directly connected with at least one DCI corps. It deserves more exposure for DCI fans. From what I've heard, the shows are highly entertaining and the crowds are large and wildly enthusiastic.

Now having said that, I was looking forward to seeing some of the corps perform. I think the segment would have been considerably more effective if we got to see the corps, the crowds dancing in the stands along with them, rather than the men's choral music in the background. Seeing the real thing would probably have won the hearts of everyone watching. As it was, the group I was with didn't have the reaction that the producers obviously had strived for. Just a consideration for the future.

[Backstrom]

What kind of a selfish ######## thinks that the whole point of field band is so we can sit back, feel good about ourselves, and say, "Hey look! Drum corps in South Africa?" Do you think field band was created for us? And what kind of a more bastardish person thinks they can sit in an air-conditioned theater with reclining seats and gripe about waiting for the scores while a simple 2 minute message is delivered about the atrocities going on outside YOUR #### LITTLE COMFORT ZONE? THIS IS WHY THE WORLD HATES AMERICA.

[Jared_mello]

i saw the feature in the atlanta show, and was genuinely intrigued by it. people clapped in the audience after it was finished, and i did as well. i didnt realize that people were coming to america from south africa to march, and was really glad to learn that it's currently happening. dci is short for drum corps INTERNATIONAL, which has been a borderline lie for years now (sort of like baseball's "world series"....where are the TEAMS from other countries as opposed to just the players?). i'm glad emphasis is being re-shifted in that direction, even if just temporarily. i'm a generally stoic person but honestly found it inspiring and moving, hearing them talk about the opportunity that drum corps offered them. i hope this movement continues.

it's refreshing that drum corps is a medium for social progressiveness; specifically along the lines of tolerance. many people who march come from small towns and have limited, if any, experience with homosexuals. hell, when i marched memphis sound in 2003, a bunch of people told me that i was the first jewish person they had ever met (and i'm not religious at all.....was SLIGHTLY back then, but still, i didn't think it was a big deal at all). kids mature extensively and usually come out of a summer of drum corps with at least some cultural enlightenment. i'm disappointed in america and americans on almost a daily basis, but would say that drum corps has almost utopian ideals that i'm proud to be associated with.

unfortunately, apparently some posters on dcp (some who've marched, some who haven't) like only seeing things from their perspective of supreme entitlement and privilege. while sitting in a safe, air conditioned theatre watching drum corps on a 25 foot screen with surround sound, i'm sure some people immediately tuned out the message that dci was trying to get across. while some complain about being "confronted by reality," its absolutely worth noting that MANY people who were in theatres last night WILL NEVER USE THEIR RESOURCES TO SEEK OUT KNOWLEDGE OR INFORMATION LIKE THAT ON THEIR OWN. some 17 year old drummer (no offense to drummers), who fidgeted in his seat last night, doesn't have and will not have intentions of learning what life is like in other places across the world. thank you to dci for bringing cultural information to the viewers who think that what goes on in paris hilton, don imus, or brett favre's life is actually the most important thing going on in the world at any given moment.

that being said, why wouldn't they show it during one of the intermissions? they have to assume that there's going to be viewers who don't want to hear about something that brings down their emotional high while the scores are being tabulated. maybe dci really did feel like it was THAT important. maybe they know that they just satisfied their customers by broadcasting a bunch of great drum corps, so they can get away with making a serious point before the night ended. i do understand where many are you are coming from, both in regards to the timing and the seemingly negative overall message (not enough of a positive spin to conclude it, or perhaps the extent of how morbid that moments in the segment were), but for those of you who aren't definite in your judgements on it, i really recommend you think of the value that a segment like that will have on some of members of the audience with a more limited worldview. i'm all for awareness because i think it's what truly makes for a great society, but i'm pretty appalled that people here are criticizing much more than the timing.

"south african segment after bd - what a crock of crap." i hope you get deported and join south africa's rapidly increasing population of homeless white people, living in towns with no electricity or running water. then when you're projected in front of me in a movie theatre, after you talk about how you're eternally grateful for the opportunity that drum corps provided you with, i'm going to cover my ears and "LALALALALALA" while you're "whining" to me about how bad your life sucks back at home.