We live in a Karaoke World 

A designer, recording artist and a manager his name is Malcolm McLaren who is commonly credited for the rise of punk rock. He was born on January 22^nd 1946 in London, England and was raised by his grandmother. The lecture is an hour long and focuses on the topic of How Does One Find Authentic Creativity? The lecture starts with his upbringing while casually filling in inspirational quotes that were taught to him which inspired him thorough out his career.  In the beginning of the lecture he stated that he lived in a time of necessity but he goes on to say,

“We live in a culture of desires… the desire to become famous overnight.”

Which stood out to me because if you would take a look at what is on television it is filled with reality TV people trying to get their fifteen minutes of fame, take The American Idol, X-Factor, The Bachelor, The Kardashians for example.

He also pointed out the consequence of this ideology, which is that it is harmful for children because you are teaching them the desire to be famous and wanting success overnight without the struggle. If you think about it is almost like false advertising. Most people that become successful happen over time not over night.

He then goes on to discuss the two different meanings of struggle, which is the main topic of his lecture, Authenticity and karaoke.  He believes that a majority of us live in a karaoke world. A world free from any real responsibility, and anyone and anything can be for sale. This world struggles to find anything authentic. While Authenticity is the exact opposite it is discovering something that is real that can only be achieved through a struggle.

I found this speech overall very intriguing and I didn’t know what to expect. If the audience was feeling the same way as I was feeling through out they were focused on every word that he said. You almost had to focus because of his think accent but it was more than that. His story that he told was truly moving and inspiring. Sometimes it is hard to be authentic in today’s society and it is almost better to be common like everyone else to fit into the popular mold. But his story proves and illustrates the best way to live ones life is only by truly being authentic and being true to oneself. 

The speech is a MUST see check it out!