There are good reasons for taking a conservative approach to government design-the shitshow referred to as the French Revolution conclusively proved that trying to change an entire system overnight is a guaranteed path to chaos. The collective effect of billions of change resisters is reflected in the institutions that govern society-institutions that are largely dedicated to preserving the status quo. Human beings cling to the familiar because they believe that sticking to the people, surroundings and traditions they know is the safer bet-and they continue to embrace the familiar even when presented with rock-solid evidence that doing so will lead to their demise. Here’s the thing: human progress is by its very nature glacially slow. So, why should songwriters waste so much time and effort fighting a hopeless battle? Given human history, the resurgence of the “strongman fetish” and the extreme political polarization engulfing many countries, I’d say the chances are pretty high that a fairly significant war will occur in our lifetimes and even the greatest anti-war song ever composed will be unable to stop it. Whether the cause is bellicose individuals, incompetent leaders, territorial pissing, religious differences or rabid patriotism, it’s highly unlikely that war will soon become a thing of the past. Most leaders try to avoid war, but there are many instances of bellicose individuals enthusiastically seeking out armed conflict. Wars usually begin due to a dispute between nations and break out because governmental leaders cannot solve their problems peacefully. Guess what? I don’t think Putin gives a shit. You’d think that after centuries of effort with nothing to show for it songwriters would have abandoned the practice, but Wikipedia lists ten songs protesting the Russian invasion of Ukraine. I am not aware of any high-level confabs of top government officials where one of the participants said, “Hey, I was listening to Phil Ochs the other day and he made a pretty convincing case against going to war,” or “Hey, maybe John Lennon was right-maybe we should give peace a chance.” Wikipedia has a fairly comprehensive list, a little light on the traditional side, but enough to demonstrate the many attempts by songwriters to raise awareness of the evils of war through protest, satire or graphic descriptions of the human cost of armed conflict.īut none of them achieved the desired effect. Hundreds of anti-war songs have been written throughout the centuries and none have ever prevented or stopped a war.
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