I agree with j justice. This song can be interepreted as a political statement, but it can be used to describe any situation of non-chalant apathy. It can be a message about the war in Iraq, but it can also be a message about the homeless man on the street or a bird with a broken wing We (or you) did not put the man on the street or break the bird's wing, so you have done nothing wrong, but did you do anything to help it. This song becomes a fast-paced critique of our modern world, not just youth culture. We did not pollute our water or amass nuclear weapons, but have we broken away from our tv screens to fight them? The message is also timeless because it does not have to be limited to a contemporary topic. Imagine high school or something. We all saw someone getting picked on and we all just stood by, caring only about ourselves. We did nothing wrong (we didn't pick on the kid), but did we stop the bully. Since everyone can relate to these human issues (isolation and betrayal) the song becomes more than a political thing.
While I am agaisnt the Iraq war I think it is too easy and too tempting to relate any kind of message to the war. I think the war and all the political hulla-ba-loo has created plenty of inspiration for art and discourse, but not evrythins is about it. Peace.
I agree with j justice. This song can be interepreted as a political statement, but it can be used to describe any situation of non-chalant apathy. It can be a message about the war in Iraq, but it can also be a message about the homeless man on the street or a bird with a broken wing We (or you) did not put the man on the street or break the bird's wing, so you have done nothing wrong, but did you do anything to help it. This song becomes a fast-paced critique of our modern world, not just youth culture. We did not pollute our water or amass nuclear weapons, but have we broken away from our tv screens to fight them? The message is also timeless because it does not have to be limited to a contemporary topic. Imagine high school or something. We all saw someone getting picked on and we all just stood by, caring only about ourselves. We did nothing wrong (we didn't pick on the kid), but did we stop the bully. Since everyone can relate to these human issues (isolation and betrayal) the song becomes more than a political thing. While I am agaisnt the Iraq war I think it is too easy and too tempting to relate any kind of message to the war. I think the war and all the political hulla-ba-loo has created plenty of inspiration for art and discourse, but not evrythins is about it. Peace.