Collapse (Post-Amerika)

Most of you are right, They are calling for change, and I know that it might sound stupid to sing songs about what we should do and it almost could sound lazy and like they are just trying to market to hippies and "rebellious kids" but it's simply not true. Rise Against is NOT just trying to market to those groups so they can make money, they have ALWAYS been this way, they have been active since they were teens in animals rights and liberal politics. It seems like singing a song is not making a difference but it is, if they get playtime on the radio or on music video television, they make a difference by getting their messages to the public, especially to the open-minded youth of the world, probably mostly American kids who will become voters who will decide who will have the power to start wars, create green energy, change tax rates on companies, ban battery cages, seal hunting, drill for oil, etc. I think it's working, most kids that I've talked to are very liberal compared to a lot of the public and more open-minded. You can see how popular their songs got like "Ready to Fall" (The Unrated Version on YouTube is much clearer) and "Prayer of a Refugee" which raise important issues like global warming, animals raised for human greed, and sweatshop labor. You can see this with other artists such as Eminem ("Mosh"), P!nk ("Dear Mr. President"), Flobots ("Handlebars", other songs too), Good Charlotte ("We Believe"), Rage Against the Machine (um, about all their songs), System of a Down ("War", "Prison Song", "Boom!", "BYOB"), Anti-Flag ("One Billion Dollars"), and the list goes on. These songs have gotten lots of views on such sites as YouTube as music videos and have gotten air time on radio stations and music video channels like MTV, Fuse, and IMF, and have we forgotten about people who just go to the music store and check them out?

Sorry about how long that was, but I really try to make my points clear so people can understand without too many questions left unanswered.

I believe this song was primarily saying, like many people have already said, that you can't stand neutrally, you have to take a stand or nothing's going to change. They practice what they preach, taking a pretty left view compared to what the mean of people think, they are supporters of Obama, want to end the war, are members of the controversial group PETA, and I believe, with this song, support the ALF and ELF, standing for Animal Liberation Front and Environmental Liberation Front respectively. These groups actually do take actions to destroy profits of Environment destroyers and animal abusers non-violently (violence used here is anything potentially causing harm to a living, feeling creature). These groups DO do things physically, not just talking, and for you who think singing songs isn't doing anything, do you expect Rise Against to go break windows of some animal testing lab or a fur farm? Really? That would really help them! We wouldn't get music for around 5 years since they'd be in federal prison but hey, at least they're not just singing to millions and millions of people who could potentially go vegetarian or at least consider voting for a person who shows concern about issues like war and preserving the environment! Lets just let the rap artists talk about smoking pot, sex, and having lots of money! That'll help the world out, kids of the next generation will be saying: let the world burn as long as I have my greenhouse, my money, and hot chicks around!

I understand what some of you may think that music doesn't do anything because I for a while thought that too, but when you look at it from my perspective, you will hopefully understand.