The Dark Ages is the time where the oppression of the common man reached an all time low. People lived in fear of violent death, tryannical warlords, rampant disease, and starved to death on a regular basis. All the grandeur and advances reached in the Roman Empire, though the average citizen never was that important in the whole scheme of Rome, had fallen. If you weren't a lord, king, knight, or somebody of royalty or wealthy bloodlines, chances were that you wouldn't make it past 40, if you were lucky. And superstition reigned supreme because the mass public was ignorant. Almost nobody but priests and royal officials could read or write. The Church held THE monopoly on God, and many of the priests lived corrupted lives of extravagance and wealth off the money they gained from the public. Basically, for about 900 years or so, the world in general was ignorant, knowing nothing of their ability to advance as a society.
To compare the intellectual sense of a dark age with today is reasonable. Wars are breaking out across the world, and people don't care. The government in America has become and more centralized, taking more control over its citizens (i.e. the Patriot Act), and still nobody speaks out. I think what Graffin really points out that so much of the public is disappointed with the govt. but nobody speaks their opinions, hence "susurrations". Instead, the average American is more concerned about "living right" in society and not questioning the system. We care more about getting our new car than what we could be doing to help better the world. We are led to believe everything is fine in our nation, even though most of us know it isn't, a "pall on truth and reason". We don't question what society tells us to be anymore, and as a result we don't question our leaders. Eventually, all advances in the society will stop and we'll go backwards from what we are currently. In a sense, when society controls our worlds, a "new dark age" will be ushered in as mankind gradually stops advancing and we start destroying each other again, like what happened in The Dark Ages.
I'm liking this definition. You pretty much said it all; this song has a very punk mindset to it, in that Bad Religion understands that these times are comparable to the darkest of times in humankind's history. Ignorance is prevalent in the world today and its leading humanity into a downward spiral towards something like the Dark Age.
I'm liking this definition. You pretty much said it all; this song has a very punk mindset to it, in that Bad Religion understands that these times are comparable to the darkest of times in humankind's history. Ignorance is prevalent in the world today and its leading humanity into a downward spiral towards something like the Dark Age.
One of BR's best sounding songs, and definitely of one their most meaningful songs.
One of BR's best sounding songs, and definitely of one their most meaningful songs.
The Dark Ages is the time where the oppression of the common man reached an all time low. People lived in fear of violent death, tryannical warlords, rampant disease, and starved to death on a regular basis. All the grandeur and advances reached in the Roman Empire, though the average citizen never was that important in the whole scheme of Rome, had fallen. If you weren't a lord, king, knight, or somebody of royalty or wealthy bloodlines, chances were that you wouldn't make it past 40, if you were lucky. And superstition reigned supreme because the mass public was ignorant. Almost nobody but priests and royal officials could read or write. The Church held THE monopoly on God, and many of the priests lived corrupted lives of extravagance and wealth off the money they gained from the public. Basically, for about 900 years or so, the world in general was ignorant, knowing nothing of their ability to advance as a society.
To compare the intellectual sense of a dark age with today is reasonable. Wars are breaking out across the world, and people don't care. The government in America has become and more centralized, taking more control over its citizens (i.e. the Patriot Act), and still nobody speaks out. I think what Graffin really points out that so much of the public is disappointed with the govt. but nobody speaks their opinions, hence "susurrations". Instead, the average American is more concerned about "living right" in society and not questioning the system. We care more about getting our new car than what we could be doing to help better the world. We are led to believe everything is fine in our nation, even though most of us know it isn't, a "pall on truth and reason". We don't question what society tells us to be anymore, and as a result we don't question our leaders. Eventually, all advances in the society will stop and we'll go backwards from what we are currently. In a sense, when society controls our worlds, a "new dark age" will be ushered in as mankind gradually stops advancing and we start destroying each other again, like what happened in The Dark Ages.
I'm liking this definition. You pretty much said it all; this song has a very punk mindset to it, in that Bad Religion understands that these times are comparable to the darkest of times in humankind's history. Ignorance is prevalent in the world today and its leading humanity into a downward spiral towards something like the Dark Age.
I'm liking this definition. You pretty much said it all; this song has a very punk mindset to it, in that Bad Religion understands that these times are comparable to the darkest of times in humankind's history. Ignorance is prevalent in the world today and its leading humanity into a downward spiral towards something like the Dark Age.
One of BR's best sounding songs, and definitely of one their most meaningful songs.
One of BR's best sounding songs, and definitely of one their most meaningful songs.