"Wouldn't It Be Nice" on Right-Wing Anthems list

[Alex]

Jon Stewart's/Stephen Colbert's brand of sarcastic condescension is just as annoying as Beck's/O'Reilly's outraged blowhardiness, imo.  I laugh every time I think about the Rally To Restore Sanity, and the fact that the guy they got to represent the sane/peaceful side against crazy Ozzy was....Jusuf Islam. 

His name is Cat Stevens!!!

[adamghost]

Jon Stewart's/Stephen Colbert's brand of sarcastic condescension is just as annoying as Beck's/O'Reilly's outraged blowhardiness, imo.  I laugh every time I think about the Rally To Restore Sanity, and the fact that the guy they got to represent the sane/peaceful side against crazy Ozzy was....Jusuf Islam.  

I don't agree.  It would be different if there were other people calling out their targets, but most of the time they're the only ones pointing out the things they do, despite the supposed liberal bent of the media.  So I think a certain amount of eye rolling exasperation is warranted....but your mileage may vary of course.  If there were as many Jon Stewarts on the radio and TV airwaves as there are Glenn Becks, I might see it that way...

But of course, any time someone's belittling something one believes, of course one is going to feel condescended to, and nobody likes that.  The thing I always ask myself is what's the source of the condescension?  Is it because the other person has a problem, or because I do, or somewhere in between?  I always learn something from that process.  Usually there's a greater understanding of myself and others' perspectives to be had there....

[Menace Wilson]

Stewart's appearance on "Crossfire" sort of epitomized what I don't like about him.  If you can watch that entire exchange without wanting to blow chunks you're a better man than I am. 

As for "Wouldn't It Be Nice", I don't hear anything political about it at all.  It's a song about young love, a sense of yearning and looking toward the future, etc.   

[donald]

Where would Lennon's Imagine fall on the continuum of extreme right to extremem left?  No heaven AND no possessions!

[drbeachboy]

Where would Lennon's Imagine fall on the continuum of extreme right to extremem left?  No heaven AND no possessions!

Definitely leftist.

[TdHabib]

Where would Lennon's Imagine fall on the continuum of extreme right to extremem left?  No heaven AND no possessions!

And no religion too! No hell below us, above us only sky!

[Smilin Ed H]

"No heaven AND no possessions!"

Yeah, you first, John...

[bgas]

"No heaven AND no possessions!"

Yeah, you first, John...

I think he has...

[busy doin nothin]

Of the songs listed:

"Sweet Home Alabama" is a reactionary song, and borderline racist.  "Hope Neil Young will remember, southern man don't need him around anyhow."  "In Birmingham they love the governor" -- a reference to the loathsome segregationist George Wallace.  "Now Watergate does not bother me, does your conscience bother you?" -- nice.  Why anyone would want to be associated with the political sentiments expressed in that song is beyond me.

"Taxman" -- musically a great song, but I have always found the lyrics grating.  An entire song by a fabulously wealthy rock star complaining about tax rates?  Even Mick Jagger has never gone so far as to complain in a song about how much he has to pay in taxes.

"Won't Get Fooled Again," like "Revolution," has always struck me as at least something of a slap in the face to sixties radicals.  Not sure why the Who and the Beatles, neither of which ever espoused left-wing politics in their lyrics, felt the need to be so harsh in these songs ("meet the new boss, same as the old boss.")

I never saw "Sympathy for the Devil" as having a right-wing message.  Just don't see that at all.

"Wouldn't It Be Nice" is possibly the greatest track ever recorded.   Do the wingnuts have to try to adopt it for their cause?  I don't think the lyrics advocate abstinence before marriage; I think they recognize that for a very young, passionately in love unmarried couple (especially in 1966) it can be difficult to get the opportunity to truly consummate all that lust (and love) in a satisfying way.  The song, both lyrically and musically, is the embodiment of innocence, optimism, and joy, but I don't think it denies the cynical realities of the world.  All it really says is that a young passionate couple in love wants to spend every second together, physically and emotionally.  How does the story turn out after they get married?  Probably about the way the Brian Wilson story has turned out -- with many ups and downs. 

[Smilin Ed H]

"I think he has..."
Sadly.

[Fun Is In]

The tax rate that Harrison was complaining about was a 95% marginal rate.

That's worth a complaint by anyone, I'd think.


"Should five percent appear too small, be thankful I don't take it all"

[Ron]

I think the left leaning folks on this board take themselves a little too seriously.  Bless their little hearts   I'm a republican and the list sounds pretty funny to me... it's clearly a self depreciating joke about the stereotypical conservative platform. Do you honestly think that the tea party or whoever is going around thinking about what kind of anthems they want to play at rallys?  Maybe it was a joke?  Anybody who would consider themselves a John Stewart fan has no idea what humour is, so I can see why there would be confusion about the intent of the list. 

There, that ought to be enough to get it off to the Sandbox.  There's an awful lot of intolerance and name calling here; whatever happened to liberals being open minded? 

BTW Sweet Home Alabama was written by Southern Democrats.  Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a Republican.  Blah Blah Blah everybody already knows this, but since there's so many stereotypical comments being thrown around, I figured I'd add a few of my own. 

Republicans like good music too!  Not everybody has to be an intellectual, enlightened liberal to know that the Beach Boys are incredible.  Even some of us cretin Republicans, in all of our barefoot in the kitchen pregnant gun totin' in the pickup truck racist hate the president because of his skin color and only his skin color backwoods abortion hating uneducated yahoos have a musical appreciation for harmony. 

[Smilin Ed H]

You're right.  Some of you aren't bad folk at all.

[Sam_BFC]

Are you sure you are a Republican?

[Menace Wilson]

Ugghh.

[bgas]

Republicans like good music too!  Not everybody has to be an intellectual, enlightened liberal to know that the Beach Boys are incredible.  Even some of us cretin Republicans, in all of our barefoot in the kitchen pregnant gun totin' in the pickup truck racist hate the president because of his skin color and only his skin color backwoods abortion hating uneducated yahoos have a musical appreciation for harmony. 

Are you sure you are a Republican?

One should never question when someone announces their partisanship. 
Of course republicans like ggod music, they just need it played slower so they can take it all in.   

[Fun Is In]

Some presumed right winger shot my Democratic Congresswoman in the head in a grocery store parking lot in Tucson this morning.  Some outlets are reporting her death, but nothing official.

Overheated rhetoric from either side stokes the actions of deranged people.

Love and Mercy is what we need.

[hypehat]

Republicans like good music too!  Not everybody has to be an intellectual, enlightened liberal to know that the Beach Boys are incredible.  Even some of us cretin Republicans, in all of our barefoot in the kitchen pregnant gun totin' in the pickup truck racist hate the president because of his skin color and only his skin color backwoods abortion hating uneducated yahoos have a musical appreciation for harmony. 

Are you sure you are a Republican?

One should never question when someone announces their partisanship. 
Of course republicans like ggod music, they just need it played slower so they can take it all in.   

 

*dum-dum-TISH!*

[Mahalo]

Some presumed right winger shot my Democratic Congresswoman in the head in a grocery store parking lot in Tucson this morning.  Some outlets are reporting her death, but nothing official.

Overheated rhetoric from either side stokes the actions of deranged people.

Love and Mercy is what we need.

Presumed by who? He was just a kid, 22 years old...confused and crazy...could've been helped by a few spins of Smiley Smile, I'm sure...

[Fun Is In]

Presumed by me, that's why there are no quotation marks or attributions anywhere near it.

I used the word to indicate that it was an opinion not a fact.

You seem to be presuming that he had no political opionion, just mental illness.

The two are not mutually exclusive.

[bgas]

Presumed by me, that's why there are no quotation marks or attributions anywhere near it.

I used the word to indicate that it was an opinion not a fact.

You seem to be presuming that he had no political opionion, just mental illness.

The two are not mutually exclusive.

Thems pretty strong words, pardner! 

What I get is you're trying to say that  republicans are mentally ill. 
That's wrong, and you shouldn't even go there.  They may be slow....   

[Fun Is In]

You have severely misinterpreted this. I didn't say or mean anythng of the sort.  
Many of my family members are Republicans and not one of them is deranged. I'm saying that political beliefs of any kind (left, right, whatever) and mental illness are not mutually exclusive.  How you went from there to your suspicions is a mystery to me.

What I was saying is that this individual was politically motivated. Based on his purported writings, I don't think he did this to impress Jody Foster (see: assasination attempt on Reagan); he had political anti-government motivations.

Anyone who would murder innnocent people at a shopping center is, ipso facto, deranged. Yet most deranged people don't go shooting innocent people.

I hope that clears up any misconception.


Or were you just joking?

[Menace Wilson]

Overheated rhetoric from either side stokes the actions of deranged people.

No comment.

Turns out the guy was obsessed with mind control, lucid dreaming, grammar, creating his own currency, and formulating completely nonsensical "if/then" statements.  The Communist Manifesto was on his list of "favorite books", he was a pot smoking atheist, and he thought 9/11 was an inside job.  Oh and he had a skull shrine in his backyard. 

[Mike's Beard]

A regular American Joe then.....

[Bill Ed]

Turns out the guy was obsessed with mind control, lucid dreaming, grammar, creating his own currency, and formulating completely nonsensical "if/then" statements.  The Communist Manifesto was on his list of "favorite books", he was a pot smoking atheist, and he thought 9/11 was an inside job.  Oh and he had a skull shrine in his backyard. 

Which, in the mind of Wilsonia pusilla, places him at the far right end of the political spectrum. Of course Wilsonia has plenty of company.

Well, never let a good tragedy go to waste!