BandAid on the radio just now: "well tonight thank God it's them instead of you" has literally never brought me comfort
Like why does it have to be anyone? Oh, right, it doesn't, but this Christmas classic reinforces capitalist & colonial thought in our collective psyche every single year anyway. 👎
Like why does it have to be anyone? Oh, right, it doesn't, but this Christmas classic reinforces capitalist & colonial thought in our collective psyche every single year anyway. 👎
Comments
It's SUPPOSED to make you recognize your privilege-- long B4 "privilege" was even a buzz word.
DTKIC does seem incredibly naive & tone deaf 40 years later-- but BandAid did actually change the world & still is doing so.
I agree it’s a clumsy song in too many ways to cover here but think the above context is important.
Might be better to point out the roots of problems rather than sing naive and insensitive lyrics that obfuscate the problem.
The song states it doesn't snow in the continent of Africa, nor does it rain or have flowing rivers. Which is blatant ignorance and paints Africa as a homogenous group, which isn't the case.
And the song just sucks at any level. Crap.
This was the beginning of musician realizing that they had some power and responsibilities in the world. Band Aid and Live Aid made a difference
I agree, but that's where the damage lies. It reinforces capitalist & colonial thought already taught to parents by the establishment.
So whether sarcastic or not, the ruling class benefited from this big time!
Honestly, that song and the production of it had a profound effect on me and I can't "see clearly."
I truly appreciate your points!
Happy Christmas!!!
It would have been better if their song wasn't full of inaccuracies, ignorance and white saviourism though.
And if they used their collective power & wealth, to spotlight the actual causes of their poverty rather than glossing over that.
I'm saying the song lyrics are awful, very easy to misinterpret for the general population & are drenched in colonial & capitalist ignorance. They reinforce the status quo. The irony of it all.
Two things can be true at the same time.
Bono delivered the line with such bite, that it was intended to goad people into doing more than thinking and praying of their own station in life.
I was an adolescent when the song came out and recognized the meaning of the line.
I don't have any guilt over what's happened since then..
Song is silly but people's hearts were in the right place,even if they were white..
How are you going to repeat a line promulgated by the ruling class & say its sarcastic & expect the majority of people to get it?
In the absence of critical minds, that's just reinforcement of the status quo
It was never meant to soothe, that line. It was meant to arrive with well-deserved spittle attached.
It was brilliant.
None of this was meant to soothe.
Wtf?
May I ask your age? Only because being 58 I've never encountered someone personally who didn't get the bitterness of this song, while you haven't encountered anyone who did get it.
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Wondering how asleep you’d have to be to miss the point of this song…
Poetry must be dead. Ugh.
One can love the sentiment behind the idea and criticize the execution.
I grew up admiring 80's Brit-pop and I've cringed at this song for years. In hindsight the song is a (willfully?) ignorant display of paternalism and reinforces White supremacy.✌🏻
Satire =/= sarcasm.
Today is literally the first time in 40 years I've encountered someone who didn't get it.
How dare they try to help.
Damn them all to hell.
I think that was all bullshit to get people to just keep buying shit.
I think I preferred it when it threatened parents with its 'moral degeneracy'.
At least that meant something.
If this song didn't benefit the ruling class enormously through the perpetuation of ignorance, it would not be continuously platformed the way it has been.
The song is not radical. The song reinforces problematic narratives & always has done.
They still did a brilliant fundraising effort.
These are not mutually exclusive concepts.
A brilliant fundraising effort. A lot of misinformation & ignorance spread. You can measure the impact of one, but not the other, unless discussed.
Happy Christmas!
For a short time, we had a real feeling of hope and it was beautiful while it lasted ♥️
I'm not disputing the nice time yall had, and the great it did, I'm saying the ignorance these days is counterproductive.
For what it's worth, I sorry that my generation made such a bloody mess of everything, but some of us tried. I'm sure Bob and Midge were 100% sincere.
Just think the lyrics these days are outdated, ignorant and therefore counterproductive to newer generations and the good they can do.
As you say: why does it have to be anyone? Spoken like a true empath.
They are seperate issues.
I'd always assumed that line to be intended as sardonic, but not sure they're actually capable of those sorts of rhetorical devices 🤨
The line and not understand the line is deeply sardonic / bitterly sarcastic. It's clearly written dripping with sarcasm "don't worry lads, just keep buying stuff and don't worry about anyone else, I'm alright jack". It shouldn't need a big theatrical wink.
Like yes they know it's Christmas, but even if they didn't, who cares it's not all about us & our capitalist holiday 🤣
Apathy inducing lyrics. Don't question it, just be happy it's not you.
It would be like deciding a vision of the UK based on the 1816 year without summer.
An analysis of a mindset.
It's the same prevailing line from the ruling classes and few question it so it just normalises it. 🤷♀️
But I do think the song lyrics are damaging and promulgates ignorance that the British public by in large don't question, which is what I'm highlighting here!
It was about a school shooting in America.
I don’t think Bob’s lyrics are fact checked or thought out for their consequences, including the Band Aid song (which was quickly written).
https://youtu.be/FcZW0GFLSdw?si=yssht5wvAMF2FWDK
It did spur a lot of discussion about charity giving and about what was right and wrong.
And it was a song of the time, meaning for today, there are cringe moments.
😳❤️
https://bsky.app/profile/seahawk95.bsky.social/post/3ldy52a6xk223