Disco stick

A recent item in our sister tabloid, PangMasa, mentioned of a furious parent who demanded not only explanation, but the sacking of a teacher in an exclusive Catholic school for girls in Manila for allegedly requiring Grade 6 pupils to study the lyrics and music video of “Love Game” (from The Fame album of Stephanie Joanne Angelina Germanotta a.k.a. Lady Gaga) and come up with a reaction paper.

The gender preference of the teacher wasn’t specified however. So it would be hard to infer whether the assignment had something to do with libido surges, subtle seduction among a flock of minors, or encouragement for students to take a bold step out of the box of cultural quarantine.

I find it no surprising, though, for teachers to use music as a way of encouraging students to write. Or as a compelling device that allows students to connect, explore and understand the reality of supposed media sexualization of very young girls and on how they fall prey to the vulgarism induced by music producers who love to shower them with rotten messages to strengthen patronage for Gaga stuff and establish that consumer behavior that mouths to the world “Gaga top pop act” even with all the trashy lyrics.

Read: “I’m on a mission/and it involves some heavy touching, yeah/you’ve indicated you’re interest/I’m educated in sex, yes/and now I want it bad, want it bad/a love game, a love game/hold me and love me/just want to touch you for a minute/maybe three seconds is enough for my heart to quit it/let’s have some fun, this beat is sick/I wanna take a ride on your disco stick.”

Through the message boards of my social networking site links, one Miabella C started asking, so what’s a disco stick? Kyletheg came with a simple answer: remove the “isco” and “st” and I think you know what that means.

Dang stupid I! Never thought of that!

Microbopeep, somewhere, came with another slang: I think she’s referring to shlongs. And another with a HopeLoveTruth handle cried “a whaaat?”

Jak M answered: If you don’t already know, then you’re not old enough. Amanda in the Sky replied, “something all boys have in common.”

Reanimated wrote: Lol (laugh out loud in chat lingo) male genitals.” Catherine butted in “it means she wants to take a ride on that? (LOL).” So Sara Heroes quipped, “hmmm, take a guess.”

Further, Andrea said, “did you just really ask that? LOL”, as Xylia Addae sarcastically keyed in “haha, how old are you? 10?”

Don’t be so surprised, rather, don’t act in hysterics upon discovering that your preppies love to sing and grind to this disco tune. After all, we really have done nothing collaborative and concrete to stop them artists from throwing sexual innuendo into music these days.

Now, what was that Lady Gaga holding again? Isn’t it a disco stick? Isn’t it that stick with rock-like candy and that which lights in the dark? Or was it placed there beforehand so that by the time we parents start fussing over the malice injected in every song by some perverted and demented musicians, who ironically label themselves artists, they could easily point a finger back at us for “being the ones associating filth” to fluorescent tubes waved around during dance parties?

I wouldn’t want to convince myself that I’m looking at the issue as real dirty as there might not be a thing as obscene music – it being a ground for freedom of expression. But common sense tells me the pop industry is beginning to act like the world is owned only by adults.

What’s next with disco sticks? Disco balls?