Neil Young is disappointed. The war in Iraq continues despite his efforts, which include writing musical masterpieces such as “Let’s Impeach the President.” Music, he concludes, has no power to change the world.
Apparently movies have no power to change the world either. Environmental policies have not been radically overhauled in response to Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth – yet. The climate continues to blow hot and cold. Go figure.
Talk has been judged entirely ineffective as well, at least talk radio, having failed to halt John McCain’s presidential bid.
Imagine scholars discovering the ugly fact that virtually nothing changes the world: “Evidence of discord and hunger, envy and sloth have been discovered in numerous ancient civilizations, and it’s really surprising that these things are still around, despite the Enlightenment, social progress, and our commitment to diversity,” opined an unnamed dean of sociology.
Well, modern sociologists argue that art primarily reflects society. So what could Neil Young possibly have been thinking? He was writing songs about a society that doesn’t exist yet. Clearly he got the cart before the horse.
On the other hand, raw rhetoric is proving to be a potent force in the hands of Barack Obama, who assures us that “Yes we can” change the world. Obama even writes poetry:
Under water grottos, caverns
Filled with apes
That eat figs . . .
(and so on)
Now there’s an inspiring vision of change we can all get behind. With Obama ascendant, perhaps even Young will reconsider and launch new efforts to speak truth to power. I suggest titles such as “You Retrograde Nitwits,” and “Hey Apes, Eat This.” That oughta work.
Comments on this entry are closed.