Is America lacking a voice?

Censorship of the arts and speech has been increasing since the Vietnam war with frightening speed. If you turn on the radio you probably won’t hear the Beastie Boys’ “In a World Gone Mad,” or Leslie Nuchow’s “An Eye For an Eye (Will Leave the Whole World Blind).” Don’t expect to see music videos for “I Am Not at War With Anyone” by Luka Bloom or Billy Bragg’s “The Price of Oil.” That’s because, at the moment, the music industry is still a little bit timid about releasing music protesting the war in Iraq. Also, there just aren’t a whole lot of big name musicians reflecting the voice of the people. There are plenty of non-commercial musicians trying to make their views known, but the giants that control radio are controlling what goes over the airwaves with an iron grip.

Just after the attacks of 9/11, Clear Channel Entertainment, which controls 1,233 radio stations around the nation, blacklisted 150 songs, including John Lennon’s “Imagine,” Drowning Pools “Bodies,” and Dave Mathews’ “When the World Ends.” Citadel Communications, the other major chain of radio stations, also participated in the blacklisting. America entered a state of ultra-conservatism. It became apparent that there was a need for a certain amount of sensitivity. The music and movie industries began to pull what was considered insensitive material.

When President Bush declared war on terrorism, America backed him all the way. Celebrities held telethons to raise money for the victims of the fallen twin towers families. Artists who once wrote Vietnam protest songs, now released pro-American songs. Neil Young released the song “Let’s Roll,” its title a tribute to the people aboard flight 93, who subdued their hijackers and took their plane down before it could get to it’s target. Young sang such patriotic sentiments as “Let’s roll for freedom; let’s roll for love, going after Satan on the wings of a dove.” If an opinion was anything but pro-American, it was simply not heard. Censorship was at an all time high.

During the Gulf War musicians had more freedom to release more controversial protest songs. Rappers Ice Cube and Paris released songs such as “I wanna Kill Sam” and “Bush Killa.” These songs weren’t America bashing anthems; they were speaking out against American involvement in foreign countries at the cost of American lives. The music was powerful and full of venom, reflecting the voice of Americans who were wondering what we were doing in Kuwait.

Protest music became the voice of America in the 1960’s during the Vietnam War. For the first time Americans got to see the horrors of war on their televisions, saw their sons dying violently. Protests spread and the radio waves carried the word of opposition to millions. Musicians and protesters came together to fight against an unjust war: Funkadelic, Edwin Starr, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Country Joe and the Fish’s “Fixing to Die Rag” and Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On?” All these musicians and songs defined a generation that recognized the inherent dangers of war. While thousands of American men were dying in the bush, thousands of American protesters were fighting to bring them home.

But how far have we come? The world has changed. The search for Usama Bin Ladin turned into the war on terrorism. The war on terrorism expanded to the “Axis of Evil.” The “Axis of Evil” was narrowed down to Iraq’s involvement in terrorist activities, its connection to Usama Bin Ladin. When Bush’s revised vision of evil failed to work, he turned to disarmament of Iraq’s weapons of “mass destruction” (Is that the millionth time you’ve heard this phrase?). And now the goal is to liberate the Iraqi people (did they ask?). As president Bush’s focus shifted from target to target, the people’s approval of his actions fell. Now we have people protesting in the streets, a nation divided, and the world looking at us like the trouble-making schoolyard bully. It’s like the sixties, only worse. The whole Middle East is on the verge of destabilizing. The American people don’t have a voice. Where are our generation’s Bob Dylan’s, Phil Ochs’ and Jimmy Cliff’s? In this post September 11 age of cultural sensitivity and social conformity, America has lost its nerve to voice its opposition to a self-serving government.

There are some musicians trying to make a difference, however. Artists like System of a Down, the Beastie Boys, Ani DiFranco and others are releasing our generation’s protest songs. As it becomes apparent that the war in Iraq will not be won quickly and that many more Americans and civilians will die, American opposition to the war will increase. More Musicians will begin to speak their minds. You may not be able to find much modern protest music on the radio, but you can on the internet. If you would like more information of the roll of musicians in the Iraq war check out the Musicians United to Win Without War web site at http://www.moveon.org/musiciansunited. You can download lots of good protest songs at www.protest-records.com. Also I suggest you go to Ani DiFranco’s web site and listen to her poem Self Evident at http://www.righteousbabe.com/ani/l_self_evident.html.