Why are Political Convention Music Pickers Stupid?
It's an epidemic. Political campaigns pick songs to represent them that either: 1) are written and performed by people whose personal politics are in direct contradiction to the candidates using them, or, 2) completely misunderstand the message of the song. I've have always been floored at how political groups of various stripes want to use Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the USA" as a campain song. Don't these people actually listen and/or read what happens beyond the chorus?
Reagan was the first. In one of the worst, if not the worst post-depression recession (there is a word construction), Reagan tried to co-opt Springsteen, at the height of his popularity (yet incredibly old--sound familiar?) with all Americans but especially blue-class-Americans, with icons of his image in voice and music. Springsteen, an avowed liberal democrat soon squashed the use of the song. Reagan may have been able to manipulate the image enough to win a lot of "Reagan Democrats, however."
But that's beside the point of this post. I saw Melissa Etheridge, who even if I don't like her music that much, I consider to be a righteous soul and grew up in my one-time neighbor hometown of Leavenworth, Kansas (when I was a kid at the fort). I like her. But even SHE was playing "Born in the USA" at the DNC!
How stupid are these people? "Born in the USA" is NOT a patriotic, rah rah song! It is about a jilted veteran who comes back from Vietnam only to get screwed by the VA and his fellow citizens. "Born in the USA" is not a shout of patriotism, it is the cry of a character who can't believe what has happened to him. He was born in the USA, he served his country: why is he getting shit on?
It is a protest song. But it gets played today as a thump-your-chest song of the country. Its a folk song with Phil Sprector-ish production. It says, "screw you" to those who want to thump up support for war. Springsteen has said this himself many times.
So why do people, and ESPECIALLY the democrats, choose to continally serve it up and as a rallying cry?
Because people are becoming STUPID. And that's my fault. I have to do better in my classes.
Reagan was the first. In one of the worst, if not the worst post-depression recession (there is a word construction), Reagan tried to co-opt Springsteen, at the height of his popularity (yet incredibly old--sound familiar?) with all Americans but especially blue-class-Americans, with icons of his image in voice and music. Springsteen, an avowed liberal democrat soon squashed the use of the song. Reagan may have been able to manipulate the image enough to win a lot of "Reagan Democrats, however."
But that's beside the point of this post. I saw Melissa Etheridge, who even if I don't like her music that much, I consider to be a righteous soul and grew up in my one-time neighbor hometown of Leavenworth, Kansas (when I was a kid at the fort). I like her. But even SHE was playing "Born in the USA" at the DNC!
How stupid are these people? "Born in the USA" is NOT a patriotic, rah rah song! It is about a jilted veteran who comes back from Vietnam only to get screwed by the VA and his fellow citizens. "Born in the USA" is not a shout of patriotism, it is the cry of a character who can't believe what has happened to him. He was born in the USA, he served his country: why is he getting shit on?
It is a protest song. But it gets played today as a thump-your-chest song of the country. Its a folk song with Phil Sprector-ish production. It says, "screw you" to those who want to thump up support for war. Springsteen has said this himself many times.
So why do people, and ESPECIALLY the democrats, choose to continally serve it up and as a rallying cry?
Because people are becoming STUPID. And that's my fault. I have to do better in my classes.
posted by cc at
9:27 PM
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