To read the tribute to SFC Marcus Muralles, please click here
Tuesday, September 14, 2004
Takin' a stand, the Country way
Just saw the video for Montgomery Gentry's new song, "You do your thing." Oh, my! (hopefully, you can watch it online by clicking on that link)
OK, I'll admit it. I'm a hypocrite. I can't stand it when liberals use their position to flaunt their political/social/whatever opinion. But, when a God-fearing conesrvative does it, I'm fine with it. Funny, that.
But, I think I know why. It's all in HOW it's done. Usually, when a liberal Hollywood-type starts talking politics, etc. they act as if they're lecturing to uninformed children. They have to berate and belittle those who believe differently than they do. And, most importantly, it's almost always done outside the arena of their "art."
Conservatives, on the other hand, tend to respect the fact that not all people agree with them. "Feel free to think that, just try not to do it around me." And, for the most part, their "grandstanding" is within the realm of their "art"- in the lyrics of their songs, the images in their videos, and the messages in their other forms of art. Art can be the ultimate expression of free speech, and they take full advantage of it. Recent examples of this include Darryl Worley's "Have you Forgotten?" and Toby Keith's "Angry American" and "American Soldier." But this is not a new phenomenon- what about Charlie Daniel's "In America," "This ain't no Rag, It's a Flag," "The Last Fallen Hero,"and "Simple Man" and Merle Haggard's "Okie from Muskogee" and "Fightin' Side of Me." And how about Lee Greenwood's "Proud to an American." Or, in the non-patriotic category, Collin Raye did a haunting song about child abuse with "The Eleventh Commandment." The list goes on and on. And, if you don't like the message, change the channel.
So, I think that's the difference. Liberal artists try to shove it down your throat, and conservative artists put their message out there, and it's up to you to find it. Can't say that I wouldn't mind if some conservative artists (actors, singers, whatever) became more vocal about their conservatism, but, in all honesty, that's not the conservative way. Conservatives expect people to think and make their own decisions. We don't need to lecture.
Back to Montgomery Gentry's video. The lyrics are summed up by the chorus- "You do your thing, I'll do mine." Don't judge him, because his Judge will judge us all in the end. But, the video... for me, the video was a statement about hypocrisy and parenting and doing the right thing. The storyline of the video is pretty simple- Troy Gentry is coming home from a hunting trip with his boys. First, their truck (with a buck tied to the hood) passes an outdoor café, and a woman is appalled by the sight of the deer, but then dives into her steak when it's served. Then, they pass a war protest (and Troy has a POW/MIA sticker on the back of the truck). He drives past a school, and he sees a drug deal go down. He gets out of the truck with a baseball bat and goes after the dealer.
The last tableau was, the most interesting to me. A limo pulls in front of the truck, and there are several older "gentlemen" in the back. A scantily-clad woman gets in. Troy looks at the men with disgust, but her almost with pity. She looks up at him, and her "happy" expression changes, for a moment. Troy nods to her, as if to say "Who am I to judge? But there is so much more." His older son looks on as the limo drives away. The video ends with a very cool image of a cross.
Makes you wonder what kind of conversation those three would have that evening around the dinner table. How do you teach your children to make wise choices, but to be compassionate and not judgemental towards those who either make poor choices or who just disagree with you? How do you teach them to have the courage of their convictions when those around them don't? Where do you take your stand? Where do you draw those lines?
Have I made a lot (maybe too much) out of a simple song? Maybe. But that's ok. Good art should make you think, and this video got me thinking. And that's a good thing.
OK, I'll admit it. I'm a hypocrite. I can't stand it when liberals use their position to flaunt their political/social/whatever opinion. But, when a God-fearing conesrvative does it, I'm fine with it. Funny, that.
But, I think I know why. It's all in HOW it's done. Usually, when a liberal Hollywood-type starts talking politics, etc. they act as if they're lecturing to uninformed children. They have to berate and belittle those who believe differently than they do. And, most importantly, it's almost always done outside the arena of their "art."
Conservatives, on the other hand, tend to respect the fact that not all people agree with them. "Feel free to think that, just try not to do it around me." And, for the most part, their "grandstanding" is within the realm of their "art"- in the lyrics of their songs, the images in their videos, and the messages in their other forms of art. Art can be the ultimate expression of free speech, and they take full advantage of it. Recent examples of this include Darryl Worley's "Have you Forgotten?" and Toby Keith's "Angry American" and "American Soldier." But this is not a new phenomenon- what about Charlie Daniel's "In America," "This ain't no Rag, It's a Flag," "The Last Fallen Hero,"and "Simple Man" and Merle Haggard's "Okie from Muskogee" and "Fightin' Side of Me." And how about Lee Greenwood's "Proud to an American." Or, in the non-patriotic category, Collin Raye did a haunting song about child abuse with "The Eleventh Commandment." The list goes on and on. And, if you don't like the message, change the channel.
So, I think that's the difference. Liberal artists try to shove it down your throat, and conservative artists put their message out there, and it's up to you to find it. Can't say that I wouldn't mind if some conservative artists (actors, singers, whatever) became more vocal about their conservatism, but, in all honesty, that's not the conservative way. Conservatives expect people to think and make their own decisions. We don't need to lecture.
Back to Montgomery Gentry's video. The lyrics are summed up by the chorus- "You do your thing, I'll do mine." Don't judge him, because his Judge will judge us all in the end. But, the video... for me, the video was a statement about hypocrisy and parenting and doing the right thing. The storyline of the video is pretty simple- Troy Gentry is coming home from a hunting trip with his boys. First, their truck (with a buck tied to the hood) passes an outdoor café, and a woman is appalled by the sight of the deer, but then dives into her steak when it's served. Then, they pass a war protest (and Troy has a POW/MIA sticker on the back of the truck). He drives past a school, and he sees a drug deal go down. He gets out of the truck with a baseball bat and goes after the dealer.
The last tableau was, the most interesting to me. A limo pulls in front of the truck, and there are several older "gentlemen" in the back. A scantily-clad woman gets in. Troy looks at the men with disgust, but her almost with pity. She looks up at him, and her "happy" expression changes, for a moment. Troy nods to her, as if to say "Who am I to judge? But there is so much more." His older son looks on as the limo drives away. The video ends with a very cool image of a cross.
Makes you wonder what kind of conversation those three would have that evening around the dinner table. How do you teach your children to make wise choices, but to be compassionate and not judgemental towards those who either make poor choices or who just disagree with you? How do you teach them to have the courage of their convictions when those around them don't? Where do you take your stand? Where do you draw those lines?
Have I made a lot (maybe too much) out of a simple song? Maybe. But that's ok. Good art should make you think, and this video got me thinking. And that's a good thing.
