I feel like I should feel like a traitor, only I really don't.
I like that song Big Yellow Taxi. I've always liked it, from the time I first heard it (although I have to admit that the first time I can remember hearing it was when Amy Grant recorded her rendition about twelve or fifteen years ago. I didn't know who Joni Mitchell was then). Do conservatives like that song? That's why I feel like I should feel like a traitor, but I don't. See, there's this one line in the song that smells of activism, the environmental variety that most conservatives eye with suspicion. "Hey, farmer, farmer, put away that DDT now. Give me spots on my apples, but leave me the birds and the bees, please." See? DDT, hurts wildlife, would rather eat splotchy fruit, etc. Sounds pretty Woodstock, right? Yeah. And somehow I have the feeling that a conservative girl like me would be looked down upon by the greater conservative community for liking a song that touts the benefits of splotchy fruit. But I like the song, and I don't feel like a traitor.
Saturday, May 06, 2006
Big Yellow Taxi
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4 comments:
Oh, I don't know. My problem with something like that is that DDT really isn't as dangerous as Rachel Carson claimed. Most people still think that DDT was going to kill us all, but it really wasn't that bad. And the benefits may well have outweighed the dangers. DDT was never shown to cause cancer in humans, wasn't the sole or even primary cause of bald eagle eggs thinning and did demonstrably save millions of lives from malaria when it was used.
But all that aside, who says you have to subscribe to the beliefs of the musicians you enjoy? Does it mean I have to be Catholic to enjoy Bach's Passion of St. Matthew? Do I have to hate Jews to enjoy Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries?
Hey, have you heard of the book Crunchy Cons by Rod Dreher? You might like it. I like parts. Sometimes he's a bit intense. But, I think you'll find there's a wholeconservative community out there that has crunchy tendencies.
Well, yes, that's a good point, Bob. But enjoying or even humming along with an instrumental piece does not indicate to the outside world that the composer had less than ideal political standings. Turn The Communist Manifesto into the lyrics of an upbeat number, on the other hand, and you'll raise some eyebrows.
But still, I do agree that I don't have to agree with a song in order to enjoy it.
Thanks, Alishia; I've put that book on hold at the local library. Sounds interesting.
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