Charlie Chaplin’s final speech in the film The Great Dictator, with a splash of modern imagery. Song: Window by The Album Leaf.
Category: Impact of War
Google Promotes “The Interview” Movie and Tobacco to Under-Age Viewers While Offending Billions of People — Gets Kicked Out of China
The article below is being reposted here as it relates to geopolitical relations and the proper role of self-censorship when it comes to freedom of speech. Did the movie “The Interview” go to far in its portrayal of the assassination of a foreign leader? Read the article and post a response below.
* * *
The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) rates movies based on a variety of criteria and determines an acceptable viewing audience. According to FilmRatings.com (the MPAA rating site), The Interview, by featuring Seth Rogen and James Franco, is rated as ‘R’ due to “pervasive language, crude and sexual humor, nudity, some drug use and bloody violence.” Colombia Pictures and Sony Pictures Entertainment were in the news due to conflicts with North Korea over the movie.
This article isn’t intended to be a review of the movie, but instead an assessment of how it has been promoted, and what the impact has been.
Since its release, and up to the time of this writing, Google has been promoting The Interview in the Google Play store side-by-side with children’s games as shown below.
The Interview seems out of place with game titles like Club Penguin, Gummy Drop!, My Emma, and Pop Bugs. It’s like advertising cigarettes to children. In this case, it’s literally true since the film shows people smoking. There’s a legal disclaimer at the end of the film stating that the use of tobacco in the film wasn’t a paid endorsement (just a free one).
A Popular Genre of Cinema
There’s unarguably a popular genre of vulgar and gross teen comedy films like The Interview that have a cult following — even among adults. Just as comedian Sarah Silverman draws crowds of people to be entertained and offended by her shocking and often ‘inappropriate’ style of vulgar humor, films like The Interview are praised for their shock value and intentional offensiveness.
Such content seems to be increasingly in demand. Just as people pay to go on a roller coaster ride at an amusement park, people are equally willing to pay to be shocked by entertainment that is offensive. They want to be offended. This explains the popularity of films like American Pie, The Hangover, Jackass, Superbad, and others.
Problematic Promotion
However, the promotion of The Interview is problematic. First, the movie received world-wide attention by the news media. Capitalizing on this, Google is promoting the movie in a way intended to reach a wider general audience than these films are generally intended for. Of course, the original news stories weren’t part of the formal promotion of the movie (unless the news media was manipulated by the entertainment industry for promotional reasons).
Unlike a movie theatre where people can be easily ID’d prior to entering, or accompanied by an adult, streamed movies on the Internet are delivered to millions of homes with little or no restriction to who might viewing.
When you watch the movie, there is no clear rating declaration at the beginning. So, many viewers, young and old alike, who might otherwise avoid such content, will be lured into viewing the movie based on the trailer and numerous fluff reviews.
The Ramping Up Effect
The movie ramps up the levels of bloody violence, vulgarity, and nudity toward the middle and end, so that parents watching the beginning of the film to preview it will conclude that it’s typical teen humor.
Similarly, the average viewer will be drawn in as far as they are willing to go, and like the frog in the kettle, will find toward the end they are taking in images and content they might otherwise have avoided.
It may seem a little nit-picky to bring up such points. To those who are immersed in the violent visuals of today’s ‘first person’ video games and fully acclimated to vulgarity on television, in the movies, in music, and in comedy, The Interview probably seems fairly normal. To those who aren’t regularly exposed to that kind of content, the film probably seems inappropriate and culturally insensitive.
Lack of Targeted Promotion is a Disservice
Ultimately, Sony and Google do a disservice to the film and the genre by not limiting its promotion and release to a warm market. When this happens, reviews are skewed. Rather than having a film watched by and rated by the people who might most enjoy it and appreciate it, the film is released to people who aren’t acclimated to that particular brand of humor — and possibly never will embrace it.
The film is now being pushed to a world market, that’s already primed with interest, yet perhaps unaware that the movie contains crude humor and graphic bloody violence.
What’s unfortunate is that the film could have just as easily been produced in a way to meet PG-13 standards and been much more successful, and more widely appreciated.
Cultural Sensitivity and Global Response
At the time of this writing, the film has earned nearly $18M and is Sony’s top online film ever. (Source: NPR). So, American’s have spoken, and they’ve said, “We like this kind of humor, and indeed this kind of movie, more than anything else presently available.”
The film is perceived in the U.S. to be an act of demonstrating free speech, a criticism of North Korea, and in this case, a victory over those who would threaten to censor the film.
To foreigners watching the film, it is perceived as an example of American humor and the content produced by the U.S. film industry. It’s become our ambassador to world community (at least during its 15 minutes of fame).
Because of its content, the film serves to embolden those who advocate censorship of content from “the West.” In this regard, it provides an abundance of examples showing why anti-American jihadists should continue their struggle through war and censorship, concluding “If this is what America has to offer, we don’t want it.” The film is a Christmas gift to those who want to portray Americans as vulgar.
Google Blocked in China Days After Film Launch
While The Interview intends to be about North Korea, the potentially offensive jokes could just as easily be poorly received by people in other countries such as China, for example.
Drawing from bigoted caricatures, the movie pokes fun at portraying how Asians sound when speaking English. This is an outdated trope that is viewed by some as funny, but perceived by others as borderline offensive. At one point in the movie, someone holding a cute puppy proclaims, “Guess who’s going back to America where they don’t eat doggies?” Making fun of people with Asian accents, and making derogatory references to the animals eaten in Asian countries, might make some people laugh, but other people could very well take offense at these jokes.
It’s not surprising that only a few days after the heavy promotion of this film by Google on their search page, in the Play Store, and through a direct email campaigns. China has now blocked Google Gmail and Google’s search page.
The Search Page Campaign
Below is Google’s home search page as of Christmas morning. With the power of reaching approximately 210 million people every month (about 7 million people per day), Google chose to promote The Interview on Christmas day with a direct link to the streaming movie in their Play store. Click the image for a larger view.
The Email Campaign
The screen snip below shows an example of the direct email campaign launched by Google to promote the movie on Christmas day.
Disingenuous Disclaimer
At the end of The Interview, during the final moments of the credits, a legal disclaimer from Sony and the film’s affiliates states:
“The characters, incidents, and locations portrayed and the names herein are fictitious, and any similarity to or identification with the location, name, character or history of any person, product or entity is entirely coincidental and unintentional.”
You’ve got to be kidding me. So, it’s entirely coincidental that there’s a country called North Korea and political leader called Kim Jong-un. Did the producers really say, “Oh, really? Wow, we had no idea when making the film that these places and people actually exist! What a coincidence!”
That’s like someone slapping you in the face, and then saying, “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize I just slapped you in the face. (slap again) Was that your face? Oh, I’m sorry. (slap again).”
It would have been more sincere to say something like, “We intentionally spent millions of dollars making fun of another country’s leader, and joking about his assassination, and we knew full well we were doing it.” At least that would be honest. So, now we’re offensive and misleading. Great. This should generate lots of support and goodwill.
Movie Review of The Interview
This is likely a film that is destined to win the “Worst Movie Ever” and “Best Movie Ever” awards in the same year. For further reading, you can click here for a thoughtful movie review of The Interview.
Movie Poster
Below is the movie poster for The Interview.
North Korean Reaction
For those unfamiliar with the controversy surrounding the film, here is a brief excerpt from the Wikipedia page about the movie and North Korea’s response to it — which suggests they didn’t find the humor in the movie.
On June 20, 2014, Kim Myong-chol, an unofficial spokesman for the North Korean government, said The Interview “shows the desperation of the US government and American society … a film about the assassination of a foreign leader mirrors what the US has done in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Ukraine.”[16]
On June 25, 2014, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the state-run news agency of North Korea, reported that the government promised “stern” and “merciless” retaliation if the film were released, stating that “making and releasing a film that portrays an attack on our top-level leadership is the most blatant act of terrorism and war and will absolutely not be tolerated.”[17][18] The Guardian wrote that the film premise “touched a nerve inside the regime, which takes a dim view of satirical treatment of its leaders and is notoriously paranoid about perceived threats to their safety”[19] and that North Korea had a “long history of sabre-rattling and of issuing harsh threats that it does not act upon.”[20]
On July 11, 2014, North Korea’s United Nations ambassador Ja Song-nam condemned The Interview, saying that “the production and distribution of such a film on the assassination of an incumbent head of a sovereign state should be regarded as the most undisguised sponsoring of terrorism as well as an act of war.”[21] The Guardian remarked that his comments were “all perfect publicity for the movie.”[21] On July 17, 2014, the KCNA wrote to U.S. president Barack Obama, asking to have the film pulled.[22]
In August 2014, shortly after The Interview ’s release was delayed to December 25, it was reported that Sony had made post-production alterations to the film to reduce its insensitivity to North Korea. These changes included modifying the designs of buttons worn by characters, originally modelled after real North Korean military buttons praising the country’s leaders, and plans to cut a portion of Kim Jong-un’s death scene.[23]
Rogen predicted that the film would make its way to North Korea, stating that “we were told one of the reasons they’re so against the movie is that they’re afraid it’ll actually get into North Korea. They do have bootlegs and stuff. Maybe the tapes will make their way to North Korea and cause a revolution.”[11] Business Insider reported via Free North Korea Radio that there was high demand for bootleg copies of the film in North Korea.[24] The human rights organizations Fighters for a Free North Korea and Human Rights Foundation, which previously air-dropped offline copies of the Korean Wikipedia into North Korea on a bootable USB memory device,[25] plan to distribute DVD copies of The Interview via balloon drops.[26]
Update: 31 December 2014
As of 12:30 AM on 31 December 2014, Google has modified their promotion of The Interview in the Google Play store so that it is no longer listed adjacent to video games for kids. We applaud Google for their prompt corrective action in this matter.
Veterans Day – A Call to Wage Peace
The following is an excerpt from a sermon about Veterans Day by Steven Protzman, a minister at the Unitarian Universalist Society in Iowa City.
Tomorrow, Veterans’ Day, is a holiday. We take this time to remember and to honor our veterans, people who were willing to risk their lives to protect the freedoms we enjoy, the privileges we take for granted. I thank our veterans and I honor you this day, but my words, indeed any words, of thanks are not enough. Nor should we mark the day by celebrating with parades or fireworks or festive outings. Veterans’ Day and Memorial Day should be days of sorrow and repentance for all the times in human history and in American history when we settled with the sword what should have been settled with words of peace and reconciliation. These should be days to grieve our brutality and evil, our inability to find peaceful means to overcome our differences and to live in harmony with one another. These should be days in which we dare to dream of world peace, even if it seems impossible. These should be days in which we truly thank and honor our veterans by committing our lives to waging peace.
Songs About War
Music Index
The following collection of songs presents commentary and insights regarding the impact of war on democracy. Lyrics are viewable by clicking on any song title.
- “War” by Bruce Springsteen [Listen on iTunes Music Store]
- “The Dogs of War” by Pink Floyd [Listen on iTunes Music Store]
- “Till I Go Down” by Jackson Browne [Listen on iTunes Music Store]
- “No Bomb is Smart” by Sonia Rutstein, SONiA [Listen on iTunes Music Store]
- “It Won’t Take Long” by Ferron [Listen on iTunes Music Store]
- “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” by Gil Scott-Heron [Listen on iTunes Music Store]
- “I Am A Patriot” by Jackson Browne [Listen on iTunes Music Store]
- “The Word Justice” by Jackson Browne [Listen on iTunes Music Store]
- “For America ” by Jackson Browne [Listen on iTunes Music Store]
- “Lives in the Balance” by Jackson Browne [Listen on iTunes Music Store]
- “Soldier of Plenty” by Jackson Browne [Listen on iTunes Music Store]
- “What’s Going On” by Cyndi Lauper [Listen on iTunes Music Store]
- “Sunday Bloody Sunday” by U2 [Listen on iTunes Music Store]
- “Ride Across the River” by Dire Straits [Listen on iTunes Music Store]
- “Brothers in Arms” by Dire Straits [Listen on iTunes Music Store]
iTunes Index [ Index | Top ]
Lyrics
“War” by Bruce Springsteen [Listen on iTunes Music Store] [ Index | Top ]
Spoken to crowd at live concert: “If you grew up in the 1960s, you grew up with war on TV every night – a war that your friends were involved in. I want to do this song tonight for all the young people that are out there. If you’re in your teens, I remember a lot of my friends when we were 17 or 18, we didn’t have much of a chance to think about how we felt about a lot of things. The next time, they’re going to be looking at you, and you’re going to need a lot of information to know what you’re going to want to do. Because in 1985, blind faith in your leaders or in anything will get you killed. Cause what I’m talking about here is…”
[chorus]
War
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing
War
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing
War is something that I despise
For it means the destruction of innocent lives
For it means tears in thousands of mothers’ eyes
When their sons go out to fight to give their lives
[chorus]
War
It’s nothing but a heartbreaker
War
Friend only to the undertaker
War is the enemy of all mankind
The thought of war just blows my mind
Handed down from generation to generation
Induction, destruction
Who wants to die
[chorus]
War has shattered many young men’s dreams
Made them disabled bitter and mean
Life is too precious to be fighting wars
each dayWar can’t give life it can only take it away
[chorus]
War
It’s nothing but a heartbreaker
War
Friend only to the undertaker
Peace love and understanding
There must be some place for these things today
They say we must fight to keep our freedom
But Lord there’s gotta be a better way
That’s better than
War…
[chorus]
“The Dogs of War” by Pink Floyd [Listen on iTunes Music Store] [ Index | Top ]
Dogs of war and men of hate
With no cause, we don’t discriminate
Discovery is to be disowned
Our currency is flesh and bone
Hell opened up and put on sale
Gather ’round and haggle
For hard cash, we will lie and deceive
Even our masters don’t know the web we weave
One world, it’s a battleground
One world, and we will smash it down
One world … One world
Invisible transfers, long distance calls,
Hollow laughter in marble halls
Steps have been taken, a silent uproar
Has unleashed the dogs of war
You can’t stop what has begun
Signed, sealed, they deliver oblivion
We all have a dark side, to say the least
And dealing in death is the nature of the beast
One world, it’s a battleground
One world, and we will smash it down
One world … One world
The dogs of war don’t negotiate
The dogs of war won’t capitulate,
They will take and you will give,
And you must die so that they may live
You can knock at any door,
But wherever you go, you know they’ve been there before
Well winners can lose and things can get strained
But whatever you change, you know the dogs remain.
One world, it’s a battleground
One world, and we will smash it down
One world … One world
“Till I Go Down” by Jackson Browne [Listen on iTunes Music Store] [ Index | Top ]
Till I go down
I’m not gonna shut my eyes
I’ve already seen the lies
On the faces of the men of war
Leading people to the killing floor
Till I go down
Till the world stops spinning around
Till I’m six feet under the ground
Till there’s no sound
Till there’s no pain
I’m gonna swing this chain
Till I go down
I’m not gonna shut my mouth
I’m for the truth to come out
About the leader with the iron will
And his allegiance to the dollar bill
Till I go down
Till I go down
Till I go down
I’m not gonna shut my eyes
Till I go down
“No Bomb is Smart” by Sonia Rutstein, SONiA [Listen on iTunes Music Store] [ Index | Top ]
Well this is one more voice across the great big
This land is your land
and this is two more cracks across the backs
‘cause this land was my land
and it’s my time to sing now
I’m singing real loud
‘cause I’m not gonna watch this silently in pain
and I’m not gonna let this Earth go down the drain
once you bought up all the public transit tracks
so there was no way for us to get back home
had to buy a car to get to town
made sure that the bus stations all run down
well it’s my time to sing now
I’m singing real loud
‘cause I’m not gonna watch this silently in pain
and I’m not gonna let this Earth go down the drain
first you said they miscounted the votes
your brother said “no pretzels George, so you won’t choke”
how could a coup like this happen in America
“easily” that’s what the brother said “I already told ya”
it’s not about good guy
it’s not about bad guy
a brain’s a brain don’t ask me why
but if I am me and you are we
and we’re all freedom and democracy
then it’s hypocrisy to keep pushing us apart
no bomb is smart
no bomb is smart
now I’m riding on the back of a ten ton truck through Yucca Mountain
safe and quiet as a nuclear bomb or Chernobyl fountain
happy 50th birthday B-52 bomber
CNN how can you glorify this drama
Have you noticed that American’s on fire
Fueled by the high octane Bush bang bang empire
It’s not about good guy
It’s not about bad guy
A brain’s a brain don’t ask me why
well if I am me and you are we
and we’re all freedom and democracy
then it’s hypocrisy to keep pushing us apart
No bomb is smart
no bomb is smart
No bomb is smart
no bomb is smart
“It Won’t Take Long” by Ferron [Listen on iTunes Music Store] [ Index | Top ]
They said some men would be warriors
and some men would be kings
And some men would be owners of land
and other man-made things
False love as the eternal flame
would move some to think in rings
And gold would be our power
and other foolish things
But you who dream of liberty
must not yourselves be fooled
Before you get to plea for freedom,
you have agreed to be ruled
If the body stays a shackle
then the mind remains a chain
That’ll link you to a destiny
whereby all good souls are slain.
And it won’t take long,
it won’t take too long at all
It won’t take long, and you may say
“What has that got to do with me?”
and I say “You mean to tell me that’s all?”
Of three men in a desert wandering,
one is knowing and two are scared
They say time is in the river,
but the river is not there
Dry in spirit dry in body
two will lend themselves to death
And in grief one weeps into his hands
and drinks his bitter tears
‘Cause it don’t take long,
it don’t take too long at all
It don’t take long, and you may say,
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,”
and I say “You mean to tell me that’s all?”
And as I stand before you now,
I am hopeful in my rage
You know love has finally called for me,
I will not wilt upon its stage
But still smaller than my nightmare
do I print upon the page
Do we have to live inside its walls
to identify the cage?
‘Cause it takes so long,
why does it take so long,
But it takes so long, and you may say,
“I don’t really care what you’re talking about,”
and I say, “Are you trying to say you don’t belong?”
I am my mother’s daughter,
but I have seen myself in you
It’s this blessing that I follow now,
and so I must speak true
I dreamed of thousands dying,
it was you and you and you,
And while the city sleeps so quietly
there is something we must do
And it wont’ take long,
it won’t take too long at all,
It won’t take long, and you may say,
“I don’t know if I wanna know what you’re getting at,”
and it makes me wanna say, “So long.”
Because grief will come in measures,
only grief alone will know
And you’ll see it on your family,
on your own face it will grow
And they’ll try to keep you hungry,
then they’ll tell you to eat snow
You know pride can be a moving thing
if we learn the strength of “NO!”
And it won’t take long,
it won’t take too long at all,
It won’t take long, and you may say,
“I don’t think this has anything to do with me,”
“But did you ever think you could be wrong?”
At noon on one day coming,
human strength will fill the streets
Of every city on our planet,
hear the sound of angry feet
With business freezed up in the harbor,
the kings will pull upon their hair
And the banks will shudder to a halt,
and the artists will be there
‘Cause it won’t take long,
it won’t take too long at all,
It won’t take long, and you may say,
“I don’t think I can be a part of that,”
and it makes me want to say,
“Don’t you want to see yourself that strong?”
Division between the peoples
will disappear that honored day
And though oceans lie between us,
lifted candles light the way
Half will join their hands by moonlight,
the rest under a rising sun
As underneath the sun and moon,
a ritual’d wailing has begun.
And it won’t take long,
it won’t take too long at all,
It won’t take long, and you may say,
“I don’t know how to be a part of what you’re talking about,”
and it makes me want to say, “Come on!”
And beware you sagging diplomats,
for you will not hear one gun
And though our homes be torn
and ransacked we will not be undone
For as we let ourselves be bought,
we’re gonna let ourselves be free
And if you think we stand alone,
look again and you will see:
We are children in the rafters,
We are babies in the park,
We are lovers at the movies,
We are candles in the dark,
We are changes in the weather,
We are snowflakes in July,
We are women grown together,
We are men who easily cry,
We are words not quickly spoken,
We’re the deeper side of try,
We are dreamers in the making,
We are not afraid of “Why?
“The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” by Gil Scott-Heron [Listen on iTunes Music Store] [ Index | Top ]
The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
You will not be able to stay home, brother.
You will not be able to plug in, turn on and cop out.
You will not be able to lose yourself on skag and skip,
Skip out for beer during commercials,
Because the revolution will not be televised.
The revolution will not be televised.
The revolution will not be brought to you by Xerox
In 4 parts without commercial interruptions.
The revolution will not show you pictures of Nixon
blowing a bugle and leading a charge by John Mitchell,
General Abrams and Spiro Agnew
to eat hog maws confiscated from a Harlem sanctuary.
The revolution will not be televised.
The revolution will not be brought to you by the
Schaefer Award Theatre and will not star Natalie
Woods and Steve McQueen or Bullwinkle and Julia.
The revolution will not give your mouth sex appeal.
The revolution will not get rid of the nubs.
The revolution will not make you look five pounds thinner,
because the revolution will not be televised, Brother.
There will be no pictures of you and Willie May
pushing that shopping cart down the block on the dead run,
or trying to slide that color television into a stolen ambulance.
NBC will not be able predict the winner at 8:32
or report from 29 districts.
The revolution will not be televised.
There will be no pictures of pigs shooting down
brothers in the instant replay.
There will be no pictures of pigs shooting down
brothers in the instant replay.
There will be no pictures of Whitney Young being
run out of Harlem on a rail with a brand new process.
There will be no slow motion or still life of Roy
Wilkens strolling through Watts in a Red, Black and
Green liberation jumpsuit that he had been saving
For just the proper occasion.
Green Acres, The Beverly Hillbillies, and Hooterville
Junction will no longer be so damned relevant, and
women will not care if Dick finally gets down with
Jane on Search for Tomorrow because Black people
will be in the street looking for a brighter day.
The revolution will not be televised.
There will be no highlights on the eleven o’clock
news and no pictures of hairy armed women
liberationists and Jackie Onassis blowing her nose.
The theme song will not be written by Jim Webb,
Francis Scott Key, nor sung by Glen Campbell, Tom
Jones, Johnny Cash, Englebert Humperdink, or the Rare Earth.
The revolution will not be televised.
The revolution will not be right back after a message
about a white tornado, white lightning, or white people.
You will not have to worry about a dove in your
bedroom, a tiger in your tank, or the giant in your toilet bowl.
The revolution will not go better with Coke.
The revolution will not fight the germs that may cause bad breath.
The revolution will put you in the driver’s seat.
The revolution will not be televised, will not be televised,
will not be televised, will not be televised.
The revolution will be no re-run brothers;
The revolution will be live.
“I Am A Patriot” by Jackson Browne [Listen on iTunes Music Store] [ Index | Top ]
And the river opens for the righteous (5 times)
Someday
I was walking with my brother
And he wondered what’s on my mind
I said what I believe in my soul
Ain’t what I see with my eyes
And we can’t turn our backs this time
I am a patriot
And I love my county
Because my country is all I know
I want to be with my family
The people who understand me
I’ve got nowhere else to go
And the river opens for the righteous
And the river opens for the righteous
And the river opens for the righteous
Someday
And I was talking with my sister
She looked so fine
I said, Baby, what’s on your mind?
She said, I want to run like the lion
Released from the cages
Released from the rages
Burning in my heart tonight
And I ain’t no communist
And I ain’t no capitalist
And I ain’t no socialist
And I ain’t no imperialist
And I ain’t no democrat
And I ain’t no republican
I only know one party
And it is freedom
I am, I am, I am
I am a patriot
And I love my country
Because my county is all I know
And the river opens for the righteous
And the river opens for the righteous
And the river opens for the righteous
Someday
And the river opens for the righteous…
“The Word Justice” by Jackson Browne [Listen on iTunes Music Store] [ Index | Top ]
A man stands up before God and country
Raises his right hand and takes an oath
Swears he has acted in the line of duty
And he more than anyone wants to tell the truth
But there is a need to keep some things a secret
Some weapons shipments–some private wars
In the future democracy will be defended
Behind closed doors
Now the men of Congress who convene to determine
If covert war is a business or a crime
Are the same men who routinely give their permission
For the shedding of blood in security’s name
And there is a need to keep some things a secret
The names of some countries–the terms of some deals
And above all the sound of the screams of the innocent
Beneath our wheels
Does the word justice mean anything to you?
Are the features of a lie beginning to come through?
In the streets of America the children are buried
Caught in an avalanche of weapons and drugs
They live and they die in the bowels of a business
That’s disguised as a war between The Crips and The Bloods
And there is a need to keep some things a secret
The C.I.A. deals protecting the source
And the government policies directly connecting the drugs and our wars
Does the word justice mean anything to you?
As the battlefield comes home and democracy falls through
I am waiting for the time to come
When the word will be real for everyone
And not just a word but a thing that can be done
But justice must be won
“For America ” by Jackson Browne [Listen on iTunes Music Store] [ Index | Top ]
As if I really didn’t understand
That I was just another part of their plan
I went off looking for the promise
Believing in the Motherland
And from the comfort of a dreamer’s bed
And the safety of my own head
I went on speaking of the future
While other people fought and bled
The kid I was when I first left home
Was looking for his freedom and a life of his own
But the freedom that he found wasn’t quite as sweet
When the truth was known
I have prayed for America
I was made for America
It’s in my blood and in my bones
By the dawn’s early light
By all I know is right
We’re going to reap what we have sown
As if freedom was a question of might
As if loyalty was black and white
You hear people say it all the time-
My country wrong or right
I want to know what that’s got to do
With what it takes to find out what’s true
With everyone from the President on down
Trying to keep it from you
The thing I wonder about the Dads and Moms
Who send their sons to the Vietnams
Will they really think their way of life
Has been protected as the next war comes?
I have prayed for America
I was made for America
Her shining dream plays in my mind
By the rockets red glare
A generation’s blank stare
We better wake her up this time
The kid I was when I first left home
Was looking for his freedom and a life of his own
But the freedom that he found wasn’t quite a sweet
When the truth was known
I have prayed for America
I was made for America
I can’t let go till she comes around
Until the land of the free
Is awake and can see
And until her conscience has been found
“Lives in the Balance” by Jackson Browne [Listen on iTunes Music Store] [ Index | Top ]
I’ve been waiting for something to happen
For a week or a month or a year
With the blood in the ink of the headlines
And the sound of the crowd in my ear
You might ask what it takes to remember
When you know that you’ve seen it before
Where a government lies to a people
And a country is drifting to war
And there’s a shadow on the faces
Of the men who send the guns
To the wars that are fought in places
Where their business interest runs
On the radio talk shows and the T.V.
You hear one thing again and again
How the U.S.A. stands for freedom
And we come to the aid of a friend
But who are the ones that we call our friends–
These governments killing their own?
Or the people who finally can’t take any more
And they pick up a gun or a brick or a stone
There are lives in the balance
There are people under fire
There are children at the cannons
And there is blood on the wire
There’s a shadow on the faces
Of the men who fan the flames
Of the wars that are fought in places
Where we can’t even say the names
They sell us the President the same way
They sell us our clothes and our cars
They sell us every thing from youth to religion
The same time they sell us our wars
I want to know who the men in the shadows are
I want to hear somebody asking them why
They can be counted on to tell us who our enemies are
But they’re never the ones to fight or to die
And there are lives in the balance
There are people under fire
There are children at the cannons
And there is blood on the wire
“Soldier of Plenty” by Jackson Browne [Listen on iTunes Music Store] [ Index | Top ]
God is great, God is good
He guards your neighborhood
Though it’s generally understood
Not quite the way you would
You try to take the slack
Stay awake and watch his back
But something happens every now and then
And someone breaks into the promised land
Ah, boy
This world is not your toy
This world is long on hunger
This world is short on joy
A E I O
You speak as if you know
What’s good for everyone
What’s good in what you’ve done?
What’s good about a world in which
War rages at a fever pitch
And people die for the little things
A little corn, a little beans
Ah, boy
This world is not your toy
This world is long on hunger
This world is short on joy
How much longer
You gonna keep the world hungry, boy?
You measure peace with guns
Progress in mega-tons
Who’s left when the war is won?
Soldier of misfortune
Soldier of an angry call
Soldier on foreign soil
I’m not here to fight your war
I know what you’re fighting for
Ah, boy
This world is not your toy
This world is long on hunger
This world is short on joy
How much longer
You gonna keep the world hungry, boy?
“What’s Going On” by Cyndi Lauper [Listen on iTunes Music Store] [ Index | Top ]
Mother, mother
There’s too many of you crying
and brother, brother, brother
There’s far too many of you dying
You know we’ve got to find a way
To bring back love here today
Father, father
There’s no need to escalate
You see, war is not the answer
For only love can conquer hate
You know we’ve got to find a way
To bring back lovin’ here today
Aw, picket lines, and picket signs
Don’t punish me with brutality
Just talk to me so you can see
Oh what’s going on,
What’s going on…
Mother, mother
Every body thinks we’re wrong
Who are they to judge us
Just because our hair is long
You know we’ve got to find a way
To bring some understanding today
“Sunday Bloody Sunday” by U2 [Listen on iTunes Music Store] [ Index | Top ]
I can’t believe the news today
Oh, I can’t close my eyes
And make it go away
How long…
How long must we sing this song?
How long? How long…
’cause tonight…we can be as one
Tonight…
Broken bottles under children’s feet
Bodies strewn across the dead end street
But I won’t heed the battle call
It puts my back up
Puts my back up against the wall
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
And the battle’s just begun
There’s many lost, but tell me who has won
The trench is dug within our hearts
And mothers, children, brothers, sisters
Torn apart
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
How long…
How long must we sing this song?
How long? How long…
’cause tonight…we can be as one
Tonight…tonight…
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Wipe the tears from your eyes
Wipe your tears away
Oh, wipe your tears away
Oh, wipe your tears away
(Sunday, Bloody Sunday)
Oh, wipe your blood shot eyes
(Sunday, Bloody Sunday)
Sunday, Bloody Sunday (Sunday, Bloody Sunday)
Sunday, Bloody Sunday (Sunday, Bloody Sunday)
And it’s true we are immune
When fact is fiction and TV reality
And today the millions cry
We eat and drink while tomorrow they die
(Sunday, Bloody Sunday)
The real battle just begun
To claim the victory Jesus won
On…
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Sunday Bloody Sunday…
“Ride Across the River” by Dire Straits [Listen on iTunes Music Store] [ Index | Top ]
I’m a soldier of freedom in the army of man
We are the chosen, we’re the partisan
The cause it is noble and the cause it is just
We are ready to pay with our lives if we must
Gonna ride across the river deep and wide
Ride across the river to the other side
I’m a soldier of fortune, I’m a dog of war
And we don’t give a damn who the killing is for
It’s the same old story with a different name
Death or glory, it’s the killing game
Gonna ride across the river deep and wide
Ride across the river to the other side
Nothing gonna stop them as the day follows the night
Right becomes wrong, the left becomes the right
And they sing as they march with their flags unfurled
Today in the mountains, tomorrow the world
Gonna ride across the river deep and wide
Ride across the river to the other side
“Brothers in Arms” by Dire Straits [Listen on iTunes Music Store] [ Index | Top ]
These mist covered mountains
Are a home now for me
But my home is the lowlands
And always will be
Some day you’ll return to
Your valleys and your farms
And you’ll no longer burn
To be brothers in arms
Through these fields of destruction
Baptisms of fire
I’ve watched all your suffering
As the battles raged higher
And though they did hurt me so bad
In the fear and alarm
You did not desert me
My brothers in arms
There’s so many different worlds
So many differents suns
And we have just one world
But we live in different ones
Now the sun’s gone to hell
And the moon’s riding high
Let me bid you farewell
Every man has to die
But it’s written in the starlight
And every line on your palm
We’re fools to make war
On our brothers in arms
Impact of War on Democracy and Society: Blood on the Wire by Jackson Browne (video)
Video Assignment
The videos below present images of war combined with the soundtrack of Blood on the Wire by Jackson Browne. Warning: Some of the images are graphic. Discussion questions are found below.
Video 1
Video 2
Discussion Questions
The following questions can be assigned as desired, depending on your curriculum or reading group interests.
- Sometimes special interests and corporations use their influence to have a nation’s military work to advance their profiteering and empire building. How does that effect each citizen’s perception of what their individual influence in politics can be?
- A nation’s military is intended to protect the citizens, and also uphold principles of democracy and humanitarian ethics around the world. When military is used to promote war for the sake of greed, how does this undermine the democratic process.
- It’s common for thousands of citizens to protest what they believe to be unjust wars fought using tax money from the public trust. Quite often those citizens get arrested and thrown in jail. What is the impact on the democratic process when oppressive police state tactics are used to silence citizens and prohibit their freedom of speech?
- Should a government order the military to go into a war if the citizens are opposed to it?
- Depicted in the videos above were images of children being harmed by war, and some participating in acts of violence. How does the increased militarizaiton of a nation influence how the next generation perceives diplomacy?
A Government of the People 