And...back to John Mayer. He has the most incredible bluesy voice I have ever heard, and I really am a fan, but once again, he seems to be one of those celebrities who just dips his toes in the political bathwaters. This is another protest on the Iraq war (seems to be the only issue he really takes a stand on), which is especially evident in the following lyrics:
Now if we had the power
To bring our neighbors home from war
They would have never missed a Christmas
No more ribbons on their door
And when you trust your television
What you get is what you got
Cause when they own the information, oh
They can bend it all they want
It is always so easy for the critics of the Iraq war to image that they would have had the superhuman wisdom and foresight to determine the absolute right choices if only they were in the position of the leaders of our country. I seriously doubt it. It seems as though, if these yuppies were in charge, they would have sat on their haunches in the name of peace until all Americans--not just the victims of September 11, 2001 and those who have died in the War on Terrorism--were murdered in the streets, or at least in danger of that fate. As a politically outspoken friend of mine quipped about this particular song and artist, "It's just so... pathetic. 'I am a whiny, pseudo-socially-conscious idiot, and the world just won't bend to my ignorant desires... I am so repressed.'" Now, I can't pretend to be that blunt, and I do believe John Mayer's heart is in the right place, but sometimes I get very tired of the apathy and prideful ignorance of those who claim that they would have absolutely done the "right" thing had they been given the chance.
Sources:
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1458921998#!/permalink.php?story_fbid=191010387616059&id=1458921998
http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Waiting-On-The-World-To-Change-lyrics-John-Mayer/B2BCC190B8AD3B21482571B2003E83BD
"Waiting on the world to change" is one of my favorite songs. Thank you very much for sharing this song with us. I actually just post a reading response on GeorgiaView about the impact of media. I somewhat agree with John Mayer. But please keep in mind that comparing to other countries, media in the States are much more liberal. We actually can hear different voices and opinions. Aren't we lucky? I also can understand where your frustration come from. We are humans and we make mistakes. Sometimes we have to make quick decisions based on the limited information we have.
ReplyDeleteI've been wondering why John Mayer's waiting has evoked such a critical response while Sam Cooke waiting for the change to come was hailed as an anthem of the time.
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