Anyone who hangs round children will have heard of Raffi, the singer of songs that have a great appeal for the little ones. My personal favorite is Baby Beluga.
Inspired by the activism of young people around the world like Greta Thunberg, he has come out with a new song about climate change called Young People Marching.
Incidentally, many of you would have heard about Thunberg’s impassioned plea at the meeting on climate change at the United Nations where she talked about having her childhood stripped from her because of her need to do this kind of activism in the face of adult apathy. Later on I heard some criticisms of her online, saying that she has no right to complain, that she is privileged and that the children killed in wars in Syria and Yemen are the ones who had had their childhood ruined.
This is an example of how you can always criticize people for advocating for something good by pointing out that there are worse injustices that they should be paying attention to. This is not helpful. This is not a zero-sum game. Different people are moved to action by different things. You should support people anywhere who are trying to improve the world in any way they can. Shaming them for not doing something you think is more important is pointless. If you think something else is of greater urgency, then you should put your own energies towards addressing it.
“Dear Muslima” comes to mind.
From the blurb: ““Young People Marching” is a tribute to Greta Thunberg, the 16-year-old Swedish climate activist who inspired climate marches by young people around the world.”
It’s a tribute to a person, not an ecological message.
Morales
So what?
John @#2,
I don’t know how you can listen to that song and see the video and not see it as a powerful ecological message.
That it is explicitly acknowledges that it is inspired by Thunberg and the many young people who are taking to the streets in no way detracts from that message.
I didn’t even suggest it had no such message, I just quoted from the blurb, taking it as true.
(Problematic, apparently)
FWIW: A bit of Ozzie music;
Angry Anderson -- Calling (1986) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hT2W0Dqje4s
John Morales, you drew an inference from the blurb you quoted:
It’s a tribute to a person, not an ecological message. (emphasis mine)
and when people disputed that inference, you fell back on claiming you were merely quoting the blurb:
I didn’t even suggest it had no such message, I just quoted from the blurb, taking it as true.
I’m curious as to how you can rationalize that second statement.
file thirteen, it’s both, it’s many things, but if it is to be headlined a particular one, then I would defer to the actual description on the video itself, rather than the aspect I personally thought more salient.
But that’s not what the post title suggests, is it? 😉
Hm. Perhaps too terse, file thirteen. How about, you write a song as a tribute to a friend that died in a war, and someone says it was an anti-war song? How would you feel about that?
(Or about me noting that circumstance, for that matter?)
PS f13:
Sorta, but not really. To quote: “taking it as true”; that’s a conditional claim.
(I needn’t take it as true, but then again, why should I not?)
Yes you did: “It’s a tribute to a person, not an ecological message.”
… according to the info on the video supplied. The blurb.
(You’re disputing that claim, Holms?)
Here, I quote a bit more:
“Raffi’s rousing new song in support of the millions of young people around the world urging climate action.
“Young People Marching” is a tribute to Greta Thunberg, the 16-year-old Swedish climate activist who inspired climate marches by young people around the world. The song begins with her trademark clarity:
“There is no middle ground when it comes to the climate and ecological emergency!””
See, it says it’s a tribute to Greta, and Greta is known for her activism.
(A whole year of it, even! So very impressive)
Of course, there is no middle ground, so I stand nowhere.
(Also, she has no dreams, and no childhood. Poor dear)
Your #9 doesn’t seem to have substance because it can be interpreted in many ways. What if I write an anti-war song as a tribute to a friend who died in that war? Is “Waist Deep in the Big Muddy” just a song about someone drowning while trying to cross a river, and not an anti-war song?
But this song isn’t oblique like ‘Waist Deep’. Only about 10 seconds of Raffi’s song is about Thunberg, and they are on the context of climate change. The lyrics of the song include “Young people marching, marching for the climate. …. marching for our lives.” It lists other people too. It mentions the validity of the science, and the excess of greenhouse gasses.
You wrote “that’s not what the post title suggests”. What do you think the post title suggests? What do you suggest as a better title, in order to include all of the aspects that all of the readers will personally think more salient?
And .. why defer to the description of the song, rather than the song itself? I listened to it, and “Raffi sings about climate change” is personally more salient than “Raffi makes a song in tribute to Greta Thunberg.”
I see Thunberg’s message as including that she shouldn’t be the focus, but rather the growing climate disaster. By focusing the title and discussion on her, rather than on climate change, it seems rather like rejecting that part of her message.
Andrew:
Because it was a more primary source.
Let’s see. “Raffi’s newest song is an anthem in support of climate activists, melodically upbeat but lyrically scathing. “Young People Marching,” which will be available Thursday on streaming services, is dedicated to 16-year-old Swedish activist Greta Thunberg. ”
(https://slate.com/culture/2019/09/raffi-climate-strike-song-young-people-marching-interview.html)
“What I’m saying to all the climate strikers is, “Here, take this song, play it at your rallies, learn it, sing it, do what you like.” ”
OK. I stand corrected, it’s an anthem for climate rallyists, from the horse’s mouth.
(As for the song, well, it wasn’t sufficiently good for me to I listen all the way through, but it wasn’t horrible, either. Heard better anthems)
I’m pointing out that it directly contradicts your claim “I didn’t even suggest it had no such message”.
@1 Johnson Catman : Yep. Lot of that going around. Somehow, manages to be infuriating *and* tedious, at the same time!
“It’s two, two, two flavours of annoying in one!”
[Rest of this thread]:
Cleese: “But if I argue with you, I must take up a contrary position”
Palin: “Yes, but that’s not just saying ‘No it isn’t.’ ”
Cleese: “Yes it is!”
Palin: “No it isn’t!”
Somebody please call an ambulance, John Morales has an acute case of Thunberg Derangement Syndrome.
Kreator I think it’s too late for any help, he was already seriously affected yesterday https://freethoughtblogs.com/stderr/2019/09/24/fuck-yeah/#comment-25963.
No, it’s worse than I realised he’s been affeted since Tuesday!