City under the Lake
CityUnderTheLake.com
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City under the Lake™
An Online News and Views Source
City under the Lake (CutL) started as a physical newsletter to
cover the arts, music, and cultural scene in Cleveland. It was
produced on an irregular basis as events and coverage
warranted. It continues in this fashion as an online news
source, but it is now expanded to include editorial material,
blogs, and ongoing investigations.
If you are interested in working for
City under the Lake as a writer,
photographer, or production or
distribution staff member, contact
the editor-in-chief, Will Napoli, at
Contact Us.
City under the Lake
Aimwill Blog: Ethical Pluralism
Ethical pluralism is an attempt to reconcile social relativism with the rule of law. It is a philosophy that recognizes the right of minority
cultures to exist and thrive independently self-determined within a larger national and/or global culture. It is a recognition that diversity is
essential to a healthy exchange of ideas. It is also an attempt to prepare the United States of America for its continuing experiment in
the leadership of individual and social freedom and the conglomeration of cultures. While the USA continues to deal with the
complexities of a multi-racial, multi-ethnic population and equal protection, still not sufficiently, it maintains a powerful and useful
creativity in the global culture. Yet, it has also engaged in attempts to impose democratic ideals in places where the fallacies of
democracy are rightly decried. Having yet to properly secure the rights of minority cultures within the domestic national culture the US
foreign policy has at times insisted on democracy at all costs elsewhere. That is, without creating a wholly fair and just model of
democracy at home, the US has used force to risk other nations in the experiment. And yet, it must be recognized that this has worked
in the past.
After World War II, the US was able to implement revisions to its own constitution in the new constitutions of its conquered enemies.
But these new rights were not able to be implemented in the highest charter of the US social contract. Our former enemies regained
their previous strength, but now it was ruled by democratic principals that serve as a second round of experiments in Western
democracy. As other nations who suffered greatly during WWII rebuilt, they too experimented with new forms of government. The US,
having been both victorious and relatively undamaged by the war, was not compelled to be so quick to change. It took a few more
decades before the people created social change in the form of the Civil Rights Movement. And we've gone back and forth since then in
a tug-o-war over these rights and recognition of cultures within a culture unbelievably slow to acknowledge the truth of the situation and
the spirit of the founding of the US and its necessary modern interpretation.
The problem is essentially that there is a large contingent that is protecting its own self-interests in a short-term view by pushing the
fallacies of democracy as virtues. It largely comes down to people who benefit from the advantage of representing the majority opinion
as registered at the polls and the tug-o-war that determines exactly what that majority opinion is at any one time. This creates the
duopoly, as it's been called, the pendulum between left and right, but always the two leading parties benefit and so they have agreed to
disagree but also to share the spoils, if a bit lopsided and greedy when it's either's turn at the trough. What's missed in all this is that
despite the tacit winner takes all method of rule and protest, the majority has no natural right to rule the minority. This is an essential
fallacy of democracy. The opinion of two people of like mind cannot best serve an individual of different mind. Greater numbers only
create greater injustice when democracy is imposed. We must find another way. We must take the next step in the evolution of the
philosophy of freedom and the creation of a just social contract. We must continue the American experiment with the same bravery as
our forefathers and even greater ethical standards. Our national decline is tied directly to our inability to take the next step to date and
instead to impose a now played out theory of justice and method of representation. Ethical pluralism is that next step.
Ethical pluralism calls for the continuation of freedoms we enjoy, but the implementation of better equal protection practices and a new
theory of justice and advances in better representation. A move into an ethical pluralist system does not have to be a radical upheaval,
nor does it have to be bloody. In fact, it cannot be bloody to be consistent with its logic. Ethical pluralism states that all cultures have
equal value to a cosmopolitan culture, which is what the US national character is, a culture of cultures. All very large countries share
this trait, but the US is particularly global in its inclusion of cultures within its overall culture. Unfortunately, the equality of those cultures
is horribly unbalanced and historically so. Whereas, in the case of one large culture empowered through government over a few very
much smaller cultures within a nation or even not so small, but tremendously disadvantaged by the national power structure, open,
bloody genocides. And, while it's been more blatantly bloody in the past, the USA does still engage in a slower genocide by attrition
within its borders and at them and over them. The domestic popular culture is oppressive to some if not all minorities so long as they
hold on to their native, minority culture. But it is not just for the majority culture to claim its victims should melt and accept the majority
culture as their own, generally starting at the bottom, disadvantaged and exploited, but with real opportunity to rise up in the newly
adopted culture, despite the odds against them and the efforts of those who enjoy the majority culture as a birthright. It is merely fascist
to believe so. Those with the numbers on their side should consider how they will view things if they are around in another 40 years
when they will likely have lost those numbers, even in their ability to sway a large undecided middle to their side.
To be continued...
Trademarks - 2010,
Earthman's Enterprises,
Cleveland, Ohio.
City under the Lake
Archives - 2008 - February 29
Women of Consequence
Sea Level Lounge, 8307 Madison Ave.
C-town, February 12, 2008
Will Napoli, AKA Hot Water
History was made, it was proclaimed by more than one MC, with the start of a weekly event in C-town, one for the ladies. Queens of the
Mic showcases women with styles in their wiles. They can’t help but bring smiles wit’ their files and profiles. They’ lookin’ to start
somethin’ that’s gonna go for miles and naturally riles. 8:00 on your dials.
Grande Uno, for the record, kicked it off after MC Brains Davis set the stage and gave us C-town mains and neighbors an introduction to
the flavors in the spitfest that smartly favors the ladies. Uno might have confused the hombres with her femininity, but when her
manager joined her on stage it was understood to be a Victory Team thing, all good in the Hood. Then came this little thing in
pinstripes and tiger eyes they call Blue Flame and she burned it up and then turned it up. Also joined by her crew, it was too thru. Who
knew this hot dame has got game like top name? Such hot flame, Blue Flame got fame in her name!
Then came the bomb, the B.O.M.B bomb, The Twins and their mob. They did a job, two hits like it’s the mod, no prob. Huge? It’s like
the bod, a lot. They were followed by Selena J who had a way with R&B and far flew free with a cover and another from her heart and
sea.
Pardon me, but MC Thing, Burnetta Fisher, Miss Thang, came out to reign, glistening. She ain’t got nothin’ missin’, if you listen, you can
christen this night a piston, listen, I mean a womanly anniversary is the mission. Did you get the whole transmission? It’s a gold
goaled transition.
Puttin’ in her two spits worth, MC Cookie, who has performed at Peabody’s Concert Club recently did equally decently. I expect to see
her with a frequency, just like this whole sequency.
Warning, up next it’s Caution. She’s gonna crack like she’s the boss an’ back you up with just a caution, from Caution. She’s flossin’.
Then, you saw her in the mix with Blue Flame’s clique, but Lady Tramp had to smack her stamp on the place and clamp your face to the
map, Cleveland. Believe in believin’. She ain’t deceivin’. That ain’t just air she’s breathin’. Get it clear. She ain’t leavin’.
Then it came to the spit boxer known from many a zone, Chevy Blue. She’s a heavy brew and heady too. Get ready to get read,
renewed, read nude and ready red in your pretty head. Hold on ‘cause you gettin’ led from the lead head of the boo that blew, Chevy
Blue. It’s so heavy, ooh. That girl ain’t packin’ no lack an’ she’s black an’ Chevy Blue.
It’s not me quotin’. It’s hot equatin’: Emotion --> Elation, the quotient equation, eternally internally, periodically and infernally.
As DJ Jay Fresh and others in the house, on the stage, kept the house aroused and on the page, flippin’ trippin’ tracks like flap jacks
and wax stacks keepin’ the flows flexin’ the flux to the max and the smacks to yo’ backs ‘til you can’t relax but fax back your hard history
artistry, part mystery hardest fee, shout about the route out of doubt and smart industry in the streets wit’ heat and feel that beat, fill that
sheet and fulfill that feat. I can’t but spill complete. You can’t kill my meat.
Music is the human engine, ingenuity and you and me. Brains Davis, first million-seller from the Hip Hop well o’
C-town’s beat downs keepin’ the town down spread the love and knowledge around to round the sound of the underground lounge, like
brown and orange is brownge. The appearance of notables was quotable and so the show is sure to grow with heavies in bevies and
queens rockin’ the scene like I mean. Much love for the love shove and all of the above.