Music and protest

The internet is a big place. Waaaaay over yonder, in the land of MeWe, a certain writer named Sarah Hoyt, she of blogging fame, noted that “Protest songs. we [sic] needs them.” It’s funny, in a way, that such a thing had never occurred to me. Largely because of my dad, I grew up, musically and in part, on American folk music, a genre of which protest songs comprise an important part. While not always agreeing with the political leanings of the writers and performers, the songs often raised some important questions, or asked people to take a look at important issues. More than that, they were an effective tool* for getting out important messages. Music is a powerful medium. Far more powerful than blogs like this.

In the above mentioned MeWe post, Hoyt provided a link to a protest song. The artist is one Hopalong Ginsberg. I highly recommend you give it a listen.

Another recent protest song is one closer to my heart, musically, anyway. I’ve linked to it before, but here it is, again. Be advised, this one contains language not suitable for all viewers/listeners.

*I’m more than a little disturbed that our need for protest songs in our current political environment had never occurred to me. American conservatives and American libertarians need to learn more, quickly, about the tools available to a counter-culture.