The Rhetoric of War-Based Music - The 1960s: Hunter J. (11), Jimmy C. (26), Tarik R. (26), Lynn P. (50), Matthew M. (60), Anna R. (60), Aubrey L. (2), Hope B. (4), Michael N. (4)

Saturday, March 22, 2008

Hunter J. (11), Jimmy C. (26), Tarik R. (26), Lynn P. (50), Matthew M. (60), Anna R. (60), Aubrey L. (2), Hope B. (4), Michael N. (4)

26 comments:

JShoe said...: Norman Whitfield/ Barrett Strong – “War” (1969)

War, huh yeah
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing.
War huh yeah
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing.
Say it again y'all
War, huh good god
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing. Listen to me

War-I despise
'Cause it means destruction
Of innocent lives
War means tears to thousands of mothers' eyes
When their sons go off to fight
And lose their lives

War, huh good god y'all
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing. say it again
War whoa lord
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing. listen to me
It ain't nothin but a heartbreaker
Friend only to the undertaker

Oh war, is an enemy to all mankind
The thought of war blows my mind
War has caused unrest in the younger generation
Induction, then destruction who wants to die

War, good god y'all
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing. say it say it say it
War uh huh yeah huh
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing. listen to me
It ain't nothin but a heartbreaker
Got one friend that's the undertaker

Oh war has shattered many young man's dreams
Made him disabled bitter and mean
Life is much to short and precious to spend fighting wars these days
War can't give life it can only take it away oooooh

War, huh good god y'all
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing. say it say again
War whoa lord
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing. listen
It ain't nothin but a heartbreaker
Friend only to the undertaker

Peace love and understanding tell me
Is there no place for them today
They say we must fight to keep our freedom
But lord knows there's got to be a better way; March 23, 2008 at 5:38 PM
Anonymous said...: Fellow Groupies,

I'm Leon from USC Upstate. I'm a Psych major/Criminal Justice minor. I like long walks through the forest... yeah!

The song "War" has a tune that really draws the listener into it and its message - even with so many years passed. On one hand, it is a great reflection of the attitude of the time, but on the other, it's important to consider the truth of the lyrics.

Anyone who thinks that war is a good thing is sadly mistaken. War is not something to be excited or happy about, and the song does a good job of explaining that. I especially like the line "War means tears to thousands of mothers' eyes." Having been deployed myself, and having been to a 'welcome home' ceremony in which two seats had to be left empty for those who didn't make it back, this line is especially powerful and meaningful to me. But, to say that war is good for "absolutely nothing" is a bit reckless.

It's easy to ridicule war from the relative safety of the US, where the US military has done an outstanding job at preventing war from reaching our soil. I wonder if those in Darfur who are being exterminated would feel the same way.

-M. Leon Newell; March 24, 2008 at 8:36 AM
Jimmy Canales said...: What’s going on everybody, my name is Jimmy. I am an architect major at Clemson University. I, on the other hand, prefer walks on the beach. Anyways let’s get back to the music.

The 1960’s were a crazy time. Not that I would really know but everything that seems to come from or that I hear from the 60’s deals with 2 things; war and drugs. Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong expressed their attitudes toward the 60’s in one of the world’s most recognizable jams, “War”. Lyrics like “war, what is it good for, absolutely nothing” and “oh war, is an enemy to all mankind” clearly show Whitfield and Barrett’s unrest on the subject.

I feel this song has a lot of truth to it. However, whole song refers to the effects on the individual person rather than the safety of the nation as a whole. With phrases like “sons go off to fight”, “unrest in the younger generation” and “shatter young man’s dreams”, the lyrics seem to forget about protection and patriotism.

-Jimmy C. section 26; March 25, 2008 at 8:55 AM
Anonymous said...: Hello group,

I'm Tarik Rollins I go to Clemson University. I plan on majoring in Sports Management. The title "War" already gives away what the song is going to be about. But it also grabs your attention because war is a very talked about and controversial subject. I can tell by the lyrics there is a alot of emotions and feelings in the song. It is obvious that it is a anti-war song. The most repeated lines is "what is it good for? absolutely nothing". These lines are right and wrong depending on the situation. There is no question about it there is nothing good about war. But sometimes it may be the only solution. For example, in the case of Pearl Harbor and September 11, they attacked us on our soil so we were forced to retaliate. On the other hand, in the case of Iraq I strongly feel that it is a unnecessary war. We got into that war with the suspicion of weapons of mass destruction not beacause we were attacked first.

"Tarik Rollins, 26"; March 25, 2008 at 9:04 AM
Anonymous said...: Hunter Jones.English103.Section11.
Hey everybody!

I'm Hunter (yes, I am a girl) and I am a Psychology major at Clemson...for now. Basically, I wish I was a hippie!

This song, "War", is such a strong piece for the feelings and emotions experienced during the 1960's. And not the good feelings everyone was experienced from getting high. The Vietnam War was a terrible time in our nation's history and this song demonstrates the negativity of the war. The line "'cause it means destruction of innocent lives" is a perfect definition of war during any time in history, even today in Iraq. So many young men were taken to Vietnam with short notice and very little training. Purposefully placing young Americans on the battlefield knowing that many of them will die is not something this nation should be proud of. To me, there is no patriotism in that.
Back to the song, one verse caught my attention- "the thought of war blows my mind". It's not only a verse to be taken metaphorically, but also physically. Teenagers in Vietnam were literaly having their heads blown off...where's the patriotism in that?
The strong words and phrases in this song really allowed me to catch a glimpse of the mood in America during the war.

Have a great Tuesday!
Peace and Love,
~Hunter~; March 25, 2008 at 11:34 AM
Anonymous said...: Hey everybody! I'm Lynn Patrick and I'm a Biological Sciences major at Clemson University.

This song portrays the feelings of many people during the 60s. The vietnam war was very controversial and sparked many peace riots. People marched in the streets holding signs that said "Drop Acid Not Bombs," and, "Make Love Not War." This song repeats the same lines "War, huh, what is it good for? Absolutely Nothing," over and over in an almost brainwashing fashion. Obviously the artists and writers had a point they wanted to make and probably wanted to convince more people to become radical.

Many people were upset that America was getting involved in the Vietnam War. Sour feelings arose when America decided to put itself in the middle of another countries problems. It is reasonable that people would become outraged that America would draft young boys to go to war and die for something that our country was not even involved in. If my boyfriend, brother, or other loved one was drafted to fight in this war I would have been very upset, myself.; March 25, 2008 at 3:49 PM
Anonymous said...: Hello Everyone!!!My name is Hope Blanding and I am a Biology/Pre-Physical Therapy major at USC Upstate.

The "War" song still stands strong to this very day with its very controversial lyrics on the subject of the Vietnam war.In my own opinion I do not feel that the song is intented to give you a feeling of warmth or comfort, but to force you to question the war,what did we accompolish and why did we let so many troops die before we decided to finally end it.The song is based on an anti-war tactic, the writers intended to make you oppose the war.

Hope B. section 004; March 25, 2008 at 6:47 PM
Anna Raulerson said...: hey yall- I'm Anna and I'm an Elementary Education Major at Clemson.

Even after reading the lyrics multiple times and listening to it online, I'm still not really sure I like it even a little. The message is clear, war is good for "absolutely nothing". I think the reason I am having trouble liking it at all if because it is so one sided. To say that war is good for "absolutely nothing" and that all it means is "destruction" seem to be a little much. I think the main thing to keep in mind when looking at the lyrics of this song is when it was written. It the 60s many many people did not believe in the VIetnam War. This is just a song putting so many people's words in a song. The song definitely gets its point across with all the harsh and strong language used in it. It doesn't take but one glance to figure out what this song is about and what the person who wrote its point of view was. So, I guess in that sense it did it's job.; March 26, 2008 at 1:51 PM
Anonymous said...: Hey group

My name is Matthew Mason and I am a pre-business major at Clemson University. The title "War" immediately gives away the subject of the song which is war, and I would think that "war" refers to the Vietnam War. I was trying to find a version of the song so I could find out the tone of the song. The only thing I could come up with was that Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong were Motown singers, so I guess that can provide a little bit of insight. The first stanza stood out the most because I couldn't figure out how you could sing something like "War, huh yeah." But anyways the song definitely has a negative outlook on war. The second, forth and sixth stanza really show this negative outlook with lines that created a lot imagery. "Tears to thousands of mother's eyes," "disabled bitter and mean," and "blows my mind" seemed to create strong visual images. Obviously songs aren't supposed to be without bias, but this song only focuses on negative aspects of war. It doesn't tell how the purpose of the Vietnam War was to stop the spread of communism, which was a huge threat to the United States and the world at that time.

Matthew Mason, section 60; March 26, 2008 at 6:37 PM
Jimmy Canales said...: How’s it going everybody, this is Jimmy. After reading all of the responses so far on our blog, it seems that most of us are on the same page.

I noticed that a lot of you mentioned the fact that Americans were upset because we got ourselves involved in the Vietnam War. The United States got itself involved with the war in order to seize the spread of communism. So you may ask was it really unnecessary? Or would the world be different today if communism would have won the battle?

A good point was made by Lynn Patrick. American families, in this time, witnessed young men get drafted into situations that often got them killed. Something like this would turn anyone against war. Also Hope Blanding brought up how we let so many troops die before we decided to leave Vietnam. The United States normally gets involved in war for positive reasons. But looking at Iraq and Vietnam, is it just me or do we have a problem with making things take way to long?

Jimmy C. section 26; March 27, 2008 at 8:54 AM
Anonymous said...: Hey Hey! Once again, I'm Lynn Patrick. You guys all made great observations about this song. This song clearly is one-sided, and by reading all of your posts I was able to understand point of views from people who agreed with the song and also point of views from people who disagreed with the song. Originally, my stance was that the Vietnam war really was not our war to fight. Jimmy Canales made a great point though, that if we had not gotten involved in this war, and Communism had advanced throught Vietnam, could it have possible spread into many other Asian countries, including large countries such as China and Japan? This thought also allowed me to think of the situation in another light. The American Revolution was fought because the colonies wanted to separate from England. Without French involvement, this war may have turned out quite different. How different would the world be if America was still part of England?
Leon Newell also makes a good point when he says that its easy to ridicule war from the relative safety of the US. Its also easy to say one way or another that you do or do not support the war when you've never been to the countries where the war is being fought. Often the media disguises the amount of deaths each day so that we may not know the full amount. Also, they seem to always report about missions that may have gone wrong, but never hear about all the missions that have gone right and saved lives. Therefore, many people can't make accurate decisions on whether our position in the war is valid or a waste of our time and lives.; March 27, 2008 at 3:38 PM
Anonymous said...: Hey Hey! Once again, I'm Lynn Patrick. You guys all made great observations about this song. This song clearly is one-sided, and by reading all of your posts I was able to understand point of views from people who agreed with the song and also point of views from people who disagreed with the song. Originally, my stance was that the Vietnam war really was not our war to fight. Jimmy Canales made a great point though, that if we had not gotten involved in this war, and Communism had advanced throught Vietnam, could it have possible spread into many other Asian countries, including large countries such as China and Japan? This thought also allowed me to think of the situation in another light. The American Revolution was fought because the colonies wanted to separate from England. Without French involvement, this war may have turned out quite different. How different would the world be if America was still part of England?
Leon Newell also makes a good point when he says that its easy to ridicule war from the relative safety of the US. Its also easy to say one way or another that you do or do not support the war when you've never been to the countries where the war is being fought. Often the media disguises the amount of deaths each day so that we may not know the full amount. Also, they seem to always report about missions that may have gone wrong, but never hear about all the missions that have gone right and saved lives. Therefore, many people can't make accurate decisions on whether our position in the war is valid or a waste of our time and lives.

Lynn Patrick, Section 50; March 27, 2008 at 3:53 PM
Anonymous said...: Hunter, don’t let me sound as if I’m attacking you, but my feelings tend to be a little strong on this subject. If I come on a little strong, I apologize. It’s not personal.

Hunter Said:
[The line "'cause it means destruction of innocent lives" is a perfect definition of war during any time in history, even today in Iraq. So many young men were taken to Vietnam with short notice and very little training. Purposefully placing young Americans on the battlefield knowing that many of them will die is not something this nation should be proud of. To me, there is no patriotism in that.]

I practically had a whole essay that I was about to post on here, but instead I’ll leave it at this. Let’s not get into the Iraq debate. Very few people are educated enough on the subject to speak from anything other than ignorant clichés, and I’m personally tired of hearing them.

As for Vietnam, I can definitely agree that the government really screwed the conscripts over as far as training and supplies went. However, you have to realize that it takes time for nations to adapt to new types of warfare, as we’re seeing even today. For some reason, we seem to continuously assume that each war is going to be just like the last.

Some view it as “purposely placing young Americans on the battlefield knowing many of them will die…”, while others view it as getting a job done no matter the cost. I’ll assume you know the history of the Statue of Liberty. America (with the help of our allies) liberated France from the Nazis. The estimated casualties on D-day alone are over 6,600. We understood that we would suffer heavy casualties, but it was a price we were willing to pay as a nation. You’re right – it’s not patriotism. It’s responsibility! If you ever get a chance to visit South Korea, ask the elders (the ones that were there to see the destruction the North brought with them) what they think about what the US is and has done for their country. And it was all at the cost of American lives.

And so fellow groupies, I will leave you with this quote:

A professional soldier understands that war means killing people, war means maiming people, war means families left without fathers and mothers. All you have to do is hold your first dying soldier in your arms and have that terribly futile feeling that his life is flowing out and you can't do anything about it. Then you understand the horror of war. Any soldier worth his salt should be antiwar. And still, there are things worth fighting for. --Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf--

M. Leon Newell
USC Upstate; March 27, 2008 at 7:04 PM
Anonymous said...: Hey guys, its Hunter.
It seems like the majority of you all feel the same way about war and the message this song portrays. War leads to so many deaths and so much destruction. Although I am certainly never going to be okay with war, the reality is that war is sometimes the only solution in certain situations, like Tarik mentions. It’s not like we can sit down and have “peace talks” with other countries. Sure it’s possible, but not likely. So then does that mean there is some good in war after all?
Jimmy brought up a good point when he talked about what the world would be like currently if we hadn’t fought to seize Communism. It makes you wonder what kind of world we would be living in now if not for Vietnam. It made me look at the song “War” in a different light. It almost seems as though the songwriters were a bit naïve when they wrote the song. Ideally, no one wants to go to war and die in battle, but that doesn’t mean we can dismiss any of the good that comes out of war. The reality of it is that there is a time and a place when war can be beneficial. The problem is that people aren’t willing to fess up to that realization, like myself. We would rather live in our perfect world where everyone lives in peace.
Peace and love,
~Hunter Jones~; March 28, 2008 at 8:03 AM
Anonymous said...: Hello Guys,It's Hope again.

I believe that a majority of the group feels the same about what message the song seems to potray.

I really agree with Hunter Jones when she says "she is never going to be certainly okay with war,but sometimes it's necessay in some cases.I strongly believe in this quote,for example when the U.S. was attacked on 911,if we had not gone to war after that there would have been an oppurtunity for them to attack on U.S. soil with even more force and even more inocent lies would have been lost.But,this does not necessarily mean that I totally agree with the war in Iraq,but it's just the simple fact that we have to do what we have to do in order to keep peace and stablity in the U.S.
I also totally agreed with Lynn Patrick when he said "that the song is clearly one-sided. The lyrics of the song are mainly intended for you to oppose the war.I mean war is not a good thing or a bad thing in my case,and it is the last solution that we go to after trying to reason,but when reasoning fails what else is left for us to do???

Hope Blanding,004; March 28, 2008 at 6:21 PM
Anonymous said...: What's going on everybody this is Tarik.

After reading all the comments from everybody it's a fair assessment that most of us view the song the same. I agree with Hope's statement the songs purose is to force us to question the war. But I also agree with Leon's statement. Basically he says it is easy for us to talk bad about the safety of the United States, but the government and armed forces have done an excellent job of keeping wars of our land. I feel personally that war should only be a last option. In the world there is always going to be a good side and a bad side, and unfortunately sometimes violence is the way to settle these disputes. Also I think on the outside looking in it is easy for us to speak our minds and tell what we should do. I also feel we are heading towards the same route as Vietnam I don't think we learned from our mistakes.

"Tarik Rollins, 26"; March 28, 2008 at 6:59 PM
Anonymous said...: Hello Everyone it's Hope again.

After reading most of the second comments I feel that everyone is entitled to their own opinion about the war,because the subject of war has a way of making certain people unsure about things.I know for a fact that sometimes I disagree with the war in Iraq,because I want our soldiers to come home and the life of innocent people to stop being lost.But, then again I'm scared that when we do stop fighting they will try to attack again.

But,like Tarik says it is easy for us to speak our minds and tell what we should do,to try to keep this perfect world that we live in.But, I learned a long time ago that we do not live in a perfect world and that sometimes what we have to do to keep peace and harmony is indeed necessary, so if it means war than it is war.

Another good point that was made is when Lynn Patrick says "that it is hard for anyone to support the war when they always tell about the missions that have gone bad, and never tell about the ones that went good,and when you have never traveled to the country where the war is being fought and how the media disguises the number of deaths each day so we will never know the total.These are some of the things that really make me not want to support the war for any reason.Because we have people over their sacrificing their lives for our freedom and liberty when the media cannot even tell us the truth about what is going on.That is enough right there to let me know that I really need to step in and show my disapproval.

Here is the link to the represantional photograph that I found http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/picture_gallery/05/in_pictures_the_vietnam_war/html/1.stm (image #10)

I chose the picture of the gorup of people protesting against the war,holding up the piece sign.Because during the time of the Vietnam war there were millions of protests worldwide.And the "War" song supports opposing the war that is why I chose the representationl because it really shows how many Americans really were against the war at the time.

Hope B., 004; March 30, 2008 at 12:19 PM
Anonymous said...: Hunter Jones.English103.Section11
Hey everybody!

I think everyone is on the same page that war is not a good thing, but in certain situations, it may be the only option to save the most lives. I agree with what Leon said that “we seem to continuously assume that each war is going to be just like the last”, but that we should treat each differently. Each situation has to be assessed on an individual basis and then a decision can be made.

One of the most difficult things about the Vietnam War was the use of the draft. We, in today’s society, don’t know what that’s like. We know that citizens are fighting in Iraq, but not because they received a letter in the mail saying they MUST report to war. To me, that was so much of the anti-war attitude in the 60s. And of course, the severe lack of training these young men had going over to Vietnam.

I also agree with what Lynn Patrick was saying about how wars are portrayed in the media, like the war in Iraq. So many times, I turn on the news to hear a reporter spitting out numerous negative reports about the war. Although the war may not be going so well, there are times when we are successful and it’s important to show Americans something good. It’s important to show the positives and the negatives of a situation.

I chose lyrics from the song “I Ain’t Marching Anymore” by Phil Ochs. The chorus in the song demonstrates the issues discussed in the lyrics from “War”.

It's always the old to lead us to the war
It's always the young to fall
Now look at all we've won with the saber and the gun
Tell me is it worth it all

The lyrics explain how the old are the ones leading the younger ones to war and there are several references to the younger generation being shipped off to Vietnam in the song “War”. It talks about “war causing unrest in the younger generations” and the description of mother’s crying as their sons leave for battle. Phil Ochs challenges the idea of war, questioning if it was really worth all those innocent lives, just how the songwriters of “War” felt.

Hope everyone had a great weekend.
Peace and love,
~Hunter Jones~; March 30, 2008 at 12:47 PM
Anonymous said...: Hey! Hope everybody had a great weekend. It's Lynn again. Its the last post and you all have made very interesting points and I've learned a lot from y'all's ideas.

I think Leon Newell's quote from Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf is very appropriate and makes a very good point. Soldier that choose to fight for their country do so knowing that they are putting their lives in danger and that is the choice they have made because they feel that the cause is worthwhile. Although it is tragic that so many of these soldiers lose their lives in battle, they do so fighting for a cause that will hopefully make the world better for their loved ones. However, I think that the real problem is when the draft was taking place. I feel like people who do not want to go to war and risk their lives shouldn't have to and it is unfair for the government to force people into life-threatening situations that they do not want to be placed in.

Tarik Rollins says that she thinks the Iraq war is a war that we shouldn't be involved in. I think we began the war with good cause. However I feel that we have been there too long. Yes, we September 11 attacks were made by Afghanistan and not Iraq, but by sending soldiers into both of these countries, we have shown the world that the United States WILL defend itself. If you think about, it has been approximately 6 and half years since the 9/11 and we have not had any large-scale terror attacks since we began the war. The country is doing the best it can to keep us safe and I'm sure the government knows much more information than we do. Because of this, I feel like I am not in the position to strongly criticize defense actions made by our country.

The song "Something in the Air" by Thunderclap Newman seems to go hand in hand "War." The lyrics read:
"Call out the instigators
Because there ¡s something in the air
We've got to get together sooner or later
Because the revolution is here, and you know it's right
And you know that it's right

We have got to get it together
We have got to get it together now

Lock up the streets and houses
Because there ¡s something in the air
We've got to get together sooner or later
Because the revolution ¡s here, and you know it's right
And you know that it's right

We have got to get it together
We have got to get it together now

Hand out the arms and ammo
We're going to blast our way through here
We've got to get together sooner or later
Because the revolution ¡s here, and you know it's right
And you know that it's right

We have got to get it together
We have got to get it together
Now"

It is not specifically speaking about war but it is instead persuading people to join together to protest war. When they speak of "the revolution" they are referring to the anti-war movement and they tell people "you know its right."

Lynn Patrick, Section 50; March 30, 2008 at 6:04 PM
Anonymous said...: Hey everyone its Matthew Mason again.
I enjoyed reading everyone's comments and a couple of them stood out. I like how in Tarik's post he writes, "There is no question about it there is nothing good about war. But sometimes it may be the only solution." His comment describes how sometimes war is completely necessary. I also don't think that Iraq should be brought into this discussion because we were fighting an entirely different war then, during a very different time period. There is no draft today and people aren't being forced to fight in Iraq, so the time period is definitely something that I also like how Jimmy C. described how the song came from an obviously individual perspective, rather than the nation as a whole. This song was obviously written by a person with a very strong anti-war stance, but I also realize that the fact it is so anti-war is what makes the song more effective.
In my first post I couldn't grasp how the first stanza of the song could actually sound like a song. I like how Lynn Patrick made the first stanza sound like it was written in a
"brainwashing" fashion. It definitely helped grasp a better understanding of the song as a whole.
Matthew Mason, 60; March 30, 2008 at 7:17 PM
Anna Raulerson said...: hey yall- its anna again. Ive read yalls comments and some of them have really made me think. its obvious that some of us have different opions for personal reasons and all of that. but, i do think there is some stuff most of us can agree on. i don't think there's ever a point that you can really say that war is good for nothing, and there's never a reason for it. you also can't say that it is always a good way to solve problems either. there is absolutely a medium for that kind of stuff

another thing that caught my eye was how many people said that most of us really are not educated enough to make generalizations about war and things that are so much bigger than us. sometimes, that is a hard thing to grasp. people have their own opinions and not always the facts to back it up. the war in iraq is definitely one of those things. most people feel very very strongly about it one way, and the most frustrating part is when people try to push their beliefs on people without having correct information. just kinda something to think about!; March 30, 2008 at 8:34 PM
Anonymous said...: (In keeping with tradition)
Fellow Groupies:
Guess who’s back. Back again. Leon’s back. Tell a friend… :)

I’d like to start out (even though I promised myself I wouldn’t get into the Iraq rant) with a correction to Lynn’s comment. The US was not attacked by any nation on September 11th. We were attacked by a terrorist network rooting back to Al-Qaida. It just so happened that the majority of Al-Qaida training and operations were run from Afghanistan. As for Iraq – I am not at liberty to discuss a lot of it, but I will say that whether or not there was reliable intell. to suggest that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction, the ongoing war efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan combined have served as a black hole for the funds of the terrorist networks. Does that mean it has been handled well? No! In (I believe) 2004, the Mujahideen – the largest and most powerful INSURGENT group in Iraq – offered the coalition forces a two year cease-fire. The only condition for this cease-fire would be that at the end of the two years, the coalition forces would leave Iraq. The US’s response: “The US does not negotiate with terrorists.” Anyway, I promised myself I wouldn’t get on this subject…

Matthew Mason made a good point that we do not have a draft anymore, so the situation today is a little different. Just playing devil’s advocate here, since it was mostly the poor that got drafted, and the poor are the main ones that benefit from all the bonuses offered by the military today – is there really much of a difference? I probably could have paid for college without joining the military, but I’d be up to my eyeballs in debt, and I’d have to work my ass off while in school. The rich people really don’t need the military, and statistically are a lot less likely to join. Just sayin’.

I would like to reference the song “Let’s Have a War” by A Perfect Circle. The lyrics are very sarcastic, and I feel they carry a very similar message. Here you go…
"Let's Have A War"

There's so many of us,
So many of us,
So many, there's so many, there's so many

Let's have a war,
So you can go and die,
Let's have a war,
We could all use the money,
Let's have a war,
We need the space,
Let's have a war,
Clean out this place

It already started in the city,
Suburbia will be just as easy

Let's have a war,
Jack up the Dow Jones,
Let's have a war,
It can start in New Jersey,
Let's have a war,
Blame it on the middle-class,
Let's have a war,
We're like rats in a cage

It already started in the city,
Suburbia will be just as easy

Let's have a war,
Sell the rights to the networks,
Let's have a war,
Let our wallets get fat like last time,
Let's have a war,
Give guns to the queers,
Let's have a war,
The enemy's within

It already started in the city,
Suburbia will be just as easy

Like “War” this song has a pretty catchy tune, and it raises some valid anti-war points. Unfortunately, it also irresponsibly seems to suggest that there is absolutely not situation in which war is justified. I hate the idea of war with every fiber of my being. The only thing I think I hate worse than the wars we fight are the ones we should fight but don’t (i.e. Darfur). And though they are in the minority: to all those who like to blame war on the soldiers, I will tell you all to look to your lawmakers. If we have to do our job, it’s because they failed at theirs.

It’s been great blogging with you folks. I appreciate all your observations and insights, and I apologize if I have stepped on any toes. Thank you to all and good night.
Leon Newell
USC Upstate; March 31, 2008 at 6:05 PM
Anonymous said...: Hey everyone it's Tarik again. After reading everyone's comments it has really been an eye-opening oppurtunity to get different peoples opininon's. Also to get see how everybody feels about war. Some of us have different views that can be based from several factors. But I think all of us agree that war is a bad thing. I agree with Hope im concerned that if we leave they will attack again. I also agree with Lynn that the government shouldn't force people into life threatning situations. I chose a picture from this website it has a sign that says make love not war. Both the song and this are against war.; March 31, 2008 at 6:54 PM
Jimmy Canales said...: What the business is everybody; this is Jimmy Canales from Clemson University again. Hope everyone is doing well!

After reading all of your first, second, and third blog responses, I have not only understood some things I didn’t before but also thought about a lot of things. Like how the 1960’s really were or how come we can go to Vietnam but not Darfur, etc. I thought all the songs and pictures that have been shared up to this point have definitely related to “War”. Leon found a pretty interesting song. “Let’s Have A War” by A Perfect Circle carries the same sarcastic ideas that we have discussed so far. Hunter also made a good point about why our war in Iraq is viewed differently than that in the 60’s. The soldiers fighting today, for the most part, chose to. They did not wake up one morning, grab a cup of coffee, than receive their death letter in the mail like many in the 60’s did.

I looked online quite a bit for a song or picture that went along with the same theme as our original song. To be honest, just about everything to deal with the 1960’s found online could fit into our themes some way or another so finding material wasn’t hard. The picture I did find relates to protests. Protests made in this time about various topics. I feel this image shows just a few of the most popular protests generalized by the public. The link is as follows:

http://ronwade.freeservers.com/cause4.JPG

Nice kind of meeting you all. Good luck with the rest of the semester!; March 31, 2008 at 6:58 PM
Anonymous said...: Like most people have already said everyone will have there own very different opinions on war, but even after doing this blog I still seem to have the same opinion which is similar to a lot of people's. I feel like war is necessary in a lot of situations, but since it can be prevented in many situations, it is not the best solution. Like Tarik said though, it is not like it is as easy as having a conversation with another country or terrorist group, so sometimes war is required to keep our country safe.

I couldn't figure out how to hyperlink so i just posted the whole song.

Freda Payne-Bring the Boys Home
Fathers are pleading, lovers are all alone
Mothers are praying-send our sons back home
You marched them away-yes, you did-on ships and planes
To the senseless war, facing death in vain

Bring the boys home (bring 'em back alive)
Bring the boys home (bring 'em back alive)
Bring the boys home (bring 'em back alive)
Bring the boys home (bring 'em back alive)
Turn the ships around, lay your weapons down

Can't you see 'em march across the sky, all the soldiers that have died
Tryin' to get home-can't you see them tryin' to get home?
Tryin' to get home-they're tryin' to get home
Cease all fire on the battlefield
Enough men have already been wounded or killed

Bring the boys home (bring 'em back alive)
Bring the boys home (bring 'em back alive)
Bring the boys home (bring 'em back alive)
Bring the boys home (bring 'em back alive)
Turn the ships around, lay your weapons down
(Mothers, fathers and lovers, can't you see them)

Oooh, oooh...
Tryin' to get home-can't you see them tryin' to get home?
Oooh, oooh...
Tryin' to get home-they're tryin' to get home

Bring the boys home (bring 'em back alive)
Bring the boys home (bring 'em back alive)
Bring the boys home (bring 'em back alive)
Bring the boys home (bring 'em back alive)
What they doing over there, now (bring 'em back alive)
When we need them over here, now (bring 'em back alive)
What they doing over there, now (bring 'em back alive)
When we need them over here, now (bring 'em back alive)

This song much like our song "War" focuses on the young soldiers that were unwillingly sent to Vietnam. This song expresses how mothers were longing for their sons to come home because they are "facing death in vain."; March 31, 2008 at 7:03 PM
Anonymous said...: Forgot to put my name. The previous post was by Matthew Mason, 60.; March 31, 2008 at 7:04 PM

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