System of a Down

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Right now, I happen to be in a third-world country. I just feel thankful that I've got my 600-plus play list on my trusty laptop. I have a song for every mood; a song for every feeling and emotion. My file of music is the soundtrack to my life and nothing less. When I'm furious at the "establishment", I can put on some Rage. Some vintage Cat Stevens is perfect for when I'm in a more reflective mood. When I'm feeling a mixture of sadness and happiness, Coldplay works pretty well.

Music does not exist merely for our entertainment. Music serves a purpose and a very important one at that. Music is not just a sound, another way for corporations to dull us down. Music should not numb us from reality or provide an escape from the sometimes wretched nature of reality. Music is about confrontation. It's about confronting what is within and what is without. At its best, music can be mind-expanding, thought-provoking, and even a source for social change.

Music amplifies dissent, anger, disappointment and joy that is already there. Music cannot start a revolution on its own but it certainly helps to promote change. It is the artists and the intellectuals who are the conscience of the nation. If any strong-armed president wants to ram his policies down the throat of the people, you can usually count on actors, musicians, and intellectuals to speak out and provide a much-needed check on the authorities. These are the people whose very livelihood depends on freedom of expression and therefore they represent a sector of society that is usually less-willing to give up its freedoms and rights in times of crisis.

Too many pundits, in these troubled times, assert that music and politics don't mix. They say music cannot be a source for change. Indeed, it is hard to measure just how much of a tangible effect music has on anything. But, have they forgotten about the 60s ? That turbulent decade showed us the potential power of music as a source of mobilization. It was songs like Dylan's "The Times They are a-Changing" and the Rolling Stones' "Street Fighting Man" that provided the soundtrack to the great movements of the '60s. Music was a driving force, a catalyst, a mode of angered expression. It was through music that a whole generation expressed its hopes, dreams, and aspirations. When the Beatles sang "All You Need Is Love" in 1967, they were speaking for millions of people who wanted to believe in something greater than themselves.

It would be hard to argue that music didn't have a discernible effect on the civil rights struggle, the anti-war movement and the counterculture movement of the '60s. Throughout the '60s, civil rights protestors would march to the sounds of traditional African music. Festivals and concerts brought young people together to raise consciousness about the social and political issues of the day. Woodstock, in its very essence, was one big political statement. Not all the Woodstock attendees knew what they were against, but they knew they were against something.

Maybe some were misguided and many naïve; but that was a time different than ours. People weren't scarred by the apathy that plagues us today. The youth of America had no reason then to doubt that they could indeed change the course of their country. Still, even today, at rallies, it's never too hard to find someone with a guitar and there is rarely a shortage of bongos. Just a few months ago, at the height of the anti-war movement, we were having a sleep-in for peace at Georgetown University. We would often gather at night with a couple guitars and sing classics such as "Imagine" and "One". Timeless songs such as these have an enduring power to inspire and that is what makes music such an undeniable force: it gives people hope that maybe, just maybe, things will get better.

JFK will be remembered as one of the greatest American leaders of all time. If you look at what he actually accomplished in terms of policy it wasn't that much, but he did something that only the greatest can do: he gave people hope and that is the greatest gift a leader, politician or musician can give his audience. Unfortunately, there's little that's even remotely Kennedy-like about today's music. Most music today raises awareness about how to bang hot girls, but there are a still a few artists who actually raise awareness about something worthwhile. Bruce Springsteen's "public service announcements" about Iraq, civil liberties and the economy are worth noting. It is impossible to say how much of an effect these announcements actually have. But if there are 30,000 people at the concert, and 20% actually process what he's saying, that means his words had an effect on at least 6,000 people. Multiply that by 20 concerts in a given period -- that means 120,000 people.

Fans of politically conscious groups such as Radiohead, Pearl Jam, and System of a Down tend to have something of a religious devotion and pour over lyrics with surprising intensity. These young people tend to be open to anti-establishment viewpoints. If a teenager grows up listening to Radiohead or System of a Down, chances are he'll absorb at least some of their politics.