So today the Americans (the old U S of A, that is) is celebrating its independence from the British. There are fireworks displays and people grilling all the meats. Stranger Things 3 hit Netflix today. There are also "patriotic" memes on the internet and "patriotic" songs on the radios. There are loads of reasons why this isn't my favourite holiday, the heat and humidity come to mind. Also, the whole overly patriotic wave that comes over people, which I wrote about last year, & the misinterpreted reasons for our "freedom" from "tyrannical" Britain. We separated from Britain, not because of tyranny, but because of miscommunication. King George III was doing the best he could ruling a vast, and relatively new empire. The colonists were here, over 3,000 miles away, trying to strike out into uncharted lands and keep their settlements, towns, and cities thriving and surviving. That right there does not make for good communication. Bring in King George III’s advisors and delegates. The delegates' jobs were to report to the King about what was going on in his empire. The advisors' jobs were to advise the King on what to do. Basically reasons to unseat George III or promises of wealth or domains in the New World kept correct news from reaching either party. The colonists, at first, only wanted George to listen, not realizing their news was being kept from him. When he wouldn’t (because he couldn’t, as in he wasn't getting the messages or the correct ones), they wanted to become independent. The Patriots never set out to free themselves from British rule and set up a new country. They set out to have their king listen to them. They didn't long for independence, they longed for communication and setting things to rights that would work better here in a new land. Sure things didn't go that way (again, read advisors and dignitaries); it was like a game of Telephone. Misinterpretations and Misrepresentations and the whole thing culminated into a revolution and a war and separation from Britain and the king. So, it bothers me that people are celebrating something they think is true, but isn't. It didn't go the way you think it did. (Also everyone did not come over on the Mayflower & the religious persecution was because those people were akin to a cult [there probably was religious persecution, just not what you've been led to believe] and your furniture didn't come over from the Old World with your ancestors as bulky things weren't shipped, so your stuff is New World made or else purchased later.) And also some of y'all tend to think that The Patriots were American. I don't know where y'all get this stupid idea from. The main, key players in The Revolutionary War were ALL British (yes, The French and The Hessians (Germans) jumped in for either side, as well as various tribes of Indigenous Peoples, but the main players were not these people). There were Loyalists who were still loyal to the King, and The Patriots who were radicals wanting the King to hear them, and then after so many failed attempts at messages across a vast ocean, they gave up and declared war. They would later become Americans as in The United States of America following this war and the Peace of Paris (finally ratified in 1784), but not until then. No, what we're celebrating on the 4th of July is The Declaration of Independence. It doesn't claim us to be Americans, just grievances against the King & that we have the right to revolt. It certainly didn't mean by them writing and signing it that automatically they were free. Besides, this isn't even when everyone signed it, as that took at least a month. No, we're celebrating the final draft approval. We're celebrating spellchecking of a future revolution and that is all. But this post isn't even about how we became a country (even though I can't help myself to nerd out on the real particulars when the opportunity presents itself); no, it's how people don't understand patriotism and song lyrics. Every year in the few days leading up to the 4th of July, radio stations will pull out all the stops and play all of the "patriotic" songs. And I don't understand, especially in this age of quick information, why they can't look up the lyrics, because they certainly don't know or understand them. They hear buzz-words of "America" "stars & stripes" or "flag" and the song simply becomes so patriotic that it hurts. Sure, some of the songs when I was a kid were popular before my time, so I don't have any connection to time or events; or else they were edited. But if girl from po-dunk-vill can determine these songs, then why can't you? The song that played yesterday making me think, "damnit, I should write about this!" was Fortunate Son by CCR (Creedence Clearwater Revival). This is a mega "patriotic" song and I don't know why people can't realize that it's a big "Fuck you!" to America. I have it on my iPod and last year the song came on and I said, "Oh, this is a good one.". The Sister made a face and asked, "You like this one?!" with distaste forming in her words, "I didn't know you were so patriotic." "What are you talking about? This song isn't patriotic, it's anti-patriotic." She didn't understand, so instead of singing the words, I started saying what CCR was singing. "Hear it?" It's basically all about the Vietnam War, to which she said she knew that (but apparently she thought it was praising our involvement in that war?). No, it's basically that the American Government said they wouldn't draft people and they wouldn't take people in college or this or that. And they lied. Went against that and took everyone (which is really how wars always play out, but I digress)... well everyone who wasn't "fortunate" as in the "important" sons of "important" people. Sons from men with money, high ranking Government jobs, high ranking military men. So, America lied and took all the "little" people, the "poor" people, the "unimportant" people and funneled then into a war we should never have been in the first place. A big "fuck you!" to America all wrapped up in that song, not something glorifying America, it's Government, or it's wars; to it saying that the majority of Americans were unimportant; weren't special or fortunate enough to be slaughtered in a war. It's because people only hear the buzz-words or "Red, White, & Blue" and "Star-Spangled" in that song that they assume (wrongly) that it's patriotic. Or else they think it's glorifying the Vietnam War because that's when the song was released and what it's about, and with the buzz-words, well that must be what it's about. One might think that our local Rock & Roll station, only playing stuff from the late 60's through the mid 80's, might be knocking out a very real and intentioned "fuck you!" to America on it's "birthday", but they're not. They not being all down with the man Rock & Roll about it. They actually think it's patriotic. It's not the only song that gets played on radio stations around here, but that is the main one. Other anti-patriotic songs which people think are patriotic that get played include Born In The USA by Bruce Springsteen, American Girl by Tom Petty, American Woman by The Guess Who, & Rockin' In The Free World by Neil Young. It didn't take me long as a kid to pick up on the real buzz words in these songs. Guns and Killing yellow men in Born In The USA; more to life somewhere else, great big world in American Girl; stay away from me, mama let me be, war machines, ghetto scenes in American Woman; sleeping in their shoes, garbage can, machine gun hand, better off dead in Rockin' In The Free World. They all told me that these songs weren't good, as in the subject matter was darker than the title lets on. That these were not rainbows and kittens issues here. Though the subject matter from Petty's American Girl isn't necessarily dark (there is a theory about a suicide), she simply does not want to be here, in America. It's not glorifying this country, she wants to get away even if it kills her. How is that happy and patriotic towards America? It's not. Springsteen is singing about how messed up and horrible the Vietnam war was and how veterans of that war and getting the shaft from the rest of America and basically their life sucked because of the war, during it as well as after. It's not a banner cry from America over the treatment of Veterans, but a proud to be born in the US anthem for them. The entire shitty subject is lost on the people who absolutely adore this song. It is, most definitely a giant "fuck you!" to America. The Guess Who certainly aren't glorifying American Woman, though that's how the song is taken. Like we're the most awesome and alluring women in the world. There's really no know what this song means because two band members have different explanations. The singer just liked Canadian girls better (I'm not buying it - not because of the girls but it's too simplified of an explanation), the other said it was an anti-war song. Either way, the Canadian band isn't painting America or her women in a good light. I'm not offended by the song, I like it, but if it is about American women, then they're all evil temptresses and nothing good. However, why mention war machines and ghetto scenes if it's just about girls. Is it really about America and the bad things it does/is made up of? Probably. It sounds very much like a "fuck you!" to America, but that doesn't bother me as America can do some pretty shitting things. And lastly, Neil Young is mocking the entire Free World attitude. It's a slam against then President Senior Bush, as in George Bush (not Lil' Bush, George W.). The plight of current American life and that Presidency. It's a back-handed comment, the title. Are we really free? No. It's not patriotic in the least. No one seems to play This Land Is Your Land by Woodie Guthrie close to this holiday (that I know of), but I've heard it my entire life, but generally the edited version where they only play the happier parts, not the stanza's with seedier aspects of America. It's said this song is about internment (that would be Japanese Internment) or about The Great Depression & social injustice. The lyrics that are often left out lead me to believe it's about the Great Depression/social injustice thing. So, y'all just get a clue. Learn some history and read some song lyrics for Christs' sake!
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorA girl from South Mississippi who finds herself in exploration. Archives
November 2019
Categories |