The 1960s was a time of the Cold War where the ideologies of Capitalism and Communism clashed. This led to worldwide conflicts regarding the ideologies such as the Vietnam War. Society in the United States also reflected the opposition of ideologies, specifically the battle between liberalism and conservatism. This opposition led to the growth of a gap between the left and the right in the United States. One way people manifested their political ideologies was through music. For example, Phil Ochs’s “Love Me, I’m a Liberal” shows contradictions between what liberals say and what they actually do. Also, Barry Sadler’s “Ballad of the Green Berets” is a patriotic song that describes the bravery of the Green Berets in war. Ochs and Sadler present …show more content…
songs that manifests the opposing political ideologies in the United States between the Left and the Right. “Love Me, I’m a Liberal” posed a critique on liberals during the 1960s.
Liberalism was the dominant political ideology in the United States during the 1960s. The 1960s was also a time where the gap between the left and the center grew (Widener 4/18/16). The left consisted of socialists while the center consisted of moderate liberals. Liberals at the time were criticized by the left for not being liberal enough. Ochs demonstrates this criticism in his song with the use of “but” every other stanza. Ochs suggests liberals say one thing that is actually liberal, but the following stanza contains a too conservative belief. So, Ochs presents a song that is supportive of socialism during the 1960s.
On the other hand, “Ballad of the Green Berets” is a patriotic song. It was written by Barry Sandler, a former Green Beret, and has a patriotic tone. Again, since liberalism was hegemonic, since it was the main political ideology, Sandler’s song seems hegemonic due to the patriotic tone. Each part supports the bravery of the Green Berets. Since the song is hegemonic, it thus supports liberalism since liberalism was hegemonic. As a result, Sadler’s “Ballad of the Green Berets” is a song that represents liberalism during the
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1960s. “Ballad of the Green Berets” and “Love Me, I’m a Liberal” both demonstrate opposing views of war during the 1960s. The Cold War took place during the 1960s and was mainly about wars within countries that represented the fight between Capitalism and Communism since Communism was seen as a threat to Capitalism. For example, the Vietnam War was a conflict between which ideology would rule the nation, Capitalism or Communism. The United States was involved with the Vietnam War as aid would be sent to help that side that supported Capitalism. This ended up dividing between in the United States between supporters and anti-war people since some felt interference was needed and others did not want to be involved with war (Widener 4/18/16). One one hand, Sadler gives a positive opinion regarding war as the word choice of his song suggest the soldiers fighting are brave, as evident by his repetition of “these [soldiers] are men, America’s best” (Sadler). This word choice contributes to a proud tone. Furthermore, Sadler states “[a Green Beret] has died for those oppressed” (Sadler). This statement helps to reinforce the dominant ideology of the United States as those under a Communist regime were seen as being oppressed. The result is a positive vibe in relation to war since it suggests Americans are there to liberate those oppressed. Moreover, this suggestion makes the song feel positive since its language makes it patriotic and hegemonic. On the other hand, Phil Ochs presents an alternative ideology. Ochs’s song has a sarcastic tone, so the stanzas that give a “positive” message work to discredit liberals. One of these messages is how liberals support war since Ochs states, “when it comes time to Korea\ There’s no more red, white and blue” (Ochs). Although Ochs mentions Korea, the situation is very similar to the Vietnam War as both wars involve defending Capitalism. The sarcastic tone of “Love Me, I’m a Liberal” suggest a counter-hegemonic ideology of being against war, thus Sadler and Ochs present opposing opinions of war. In addition to having opposing ideologies regarding war, Ochs’s song also poses a contradiction between being liberal and supporting the fight against Communism. Supporting the war means one is against Communism as evident by Sadler’s statement that the communists were oppressing people. Thus, one would transitively dislike socialism since socialism is related to Communism. Again, the socialist ideologies were counter-hegemonic since they conflicted with ideologies of capitalism. This further reinforces the patriotic and hegemonic feel of Sadler’s song since the dominant ideology against Communism is being repeated. A contradiction arises when Ochs suggests that young liberals supported socialism as Ochs sang “[liberals] even went to the socialist meetings” (Ochs). Since liberals were the dominant political group of the United States, there is a conflict between the hegemonic anti-communism ideology and liberals attending meetings about the counter-hegemonic socialism. So, Ochs discredits the liberals with the contradiction that they support socialism despite fighting socialism abroad and in addition contributes to the anti-liberal theme of the song as another contradiction is made. Sadler and Ochs also demonstrate a relationship regarding the hegemonic ideology of anti-Communism in America during the 1960s with their songs. “America’s stated goal was to spread democracy and defend freedom” (Sir No Sir). Sadler mentions moderate liberals were anti-Communist as evident from the lyrics: “I’m glad the commies were thrown out” and how he states that moderate liberals use to support socialism but have “grown older and wiser” (Ochs). As a result, moderate liberals aligned politically with the policy of stopping socialism and communism. This forms a relationship with Sadler’s song since “the United States government began sending combat troops to South Vietnam” (Sir No Sir). As a result, the Green Berets were sent to Vietnam to fight for democracy. As a result, Och’s song illustrates a cause, whereas the context of Sadler’s song, the Green Berets being sent to Vietnam, shows the effect. This relationship also presents a contradiction since the justification for sending soldiers to Vietnam to defend democracy was not exactly the truth.
“Love Me, I’m a Liberal” presents the moderate liberals’ distaste for Communism and support for a war against Communism. As a result, soldiers were sent to Vietnam. These soldiers were “men who mean just what they say” (Sadler). So, soldiers were there for fighting Communism, but the disillusionment of the Green Berets after arriving in Vietnam is evidence of a contradiction since they realized instead of actually fighting for democracy, an injustice was being done as the Vietnamese were killed regardless of political affiliation. The anti-war movement within the military started with the Green Berets. One member of the Green Berets, Donald Duncan, stated “the problem I had was realizing what I was doing was not good” (Sir No Sir). The result was the start of the anti-war G.I. movement which is evidence of the contradiction of promoting
democracy. Similarly, Sadler presents a similar contradiction with a liberal ideology which Ochs presents of how the Vietnamese are being protected from Communism. Sadler’s song states that a Green Beret “has died for those oppressed” (Sadler). Both singers imply Communism is the threat to the Vietnamese people. Sadler’s song is hegemonic, thus the implication is a result of the dominant ideology that Communism is a threat to democracy. Och’s song states that liberals are against Communism and liberals were the dominant political ideology, so the belief that Communism was bad became hegemonic. Thus the Vietnamese were supposedly oppressed by the system of Communism. However, there is a contradiction as there is evidence of U.S. soldiers killing innocent Vietnamese citizens. For example, a soldier stated that about 50 women and children were killed even though they were just carrying food (Sir No Sir). Sadler’s song contains a contradiction of implying the Vietnamese were being oppressed by the system of Communism. Overall, “Love Me, I’m a Liberal” and “Ballad of the Green Berets” present the opposing ideologies of socialism and conservatism respectively. Ochs’s song has many messages within the lyrics that criticize the liberals for not being liberal enough. He cites what liberals say and show what they do not do. This is evident with messages regarding politics and race which gives way to contradictions. As a result, Ochs discredits liberals which means Ochs’s song illustrates socialist ideologies in regards to politics and race. Sadler also presents messages, but these messages are patriotic and defend hegemonic ideologies of conservatism. Instead of challenging hegemonic, his lyrics reinforce hegemonic through its tone and lyrics. So, both songs reflect the 1960s’ battle between the Left and the Right.
The 1960’s was a time society fantasized of a better world. However, the horrors of the Vietnam War soon became evident; the mass amounts of death occurring because of the war became a reality. It created a “movement”, especially in American colleges, in order to stand up for what they believed to be “right”. By 1970, many Americans believed sending troops to Vietnam was a mistake, however there were also various individuals becoming increasingly critical of the student antiwar movement
James A. Baldwin once said, “The most dangerous creation of any society is the man who has nothing to lose” (BrainyQuote.com). In the 1960s, “the man” was youth across the country. The Vietnam war was in full force, and students across the country were in an outrage. Society needed an excuse to rebel against the boring and safe way of life they were used to; Vietnam gave them the excuse they needed. Teenagers from different universities came together and formed various organizations that protested the Vietnam war for many reasons. These reasons included protesting weapons and different tactics used in the war, and the reason the U.S. entered the war in the first place. These get-togethers had such a monumental impact on their way of life that it was famously named the Anti-War Movement. When the Vietnam War ended, The United States did not have a real concrete reason why; there were a bunch of theories about why the war ended. Through negative media attention and rebellious youth culture, the Anti-War Movement made a monumental impact in the ending of the Vietnam War.
Vietnam was a highly debated war among citizens of the United States. This war was like no other with regards to how it affected people on the home front. In past war’s, the population of the United States mainly supported the war and admired soldiers for their courage. During the Vietnam War, citizens of the U.S. had a contradictory view than in the past. This dilemma of not having the support of the people originates from the culture and the time period.
During the 1960s and the early 1970s, music reflected the political and social changes that America was undergoing at the time. Some of these major changes included the African-American civil rights movement and the conflict over America’s role in the Vietnam War. During these hard times, people turned to music for hope, peace, happiness and answers.
In order to give a just analysis, to give an examination of the Vietnam Counter-Culture, one would have to look to the preliminary causes, the debates and diplomacy of the youth themselves, and the reflection where this has influenced today’s youth. I am proud to say that as an American I am proud of the simple origins of the peace and love philosophy. Coupled with the causes of freedom, comes a cause for peace and love. Simply put, why can’t we be friends? Why can’t we love our neighbors in the world? Why not peace and love?
"HUT, TWO, THREE, FOUR...HUT, TWO, THREE, FOUR...” What do a bunch of grunts calling out raunchy marching cadences have to do with pop culture? There’s more to the cadence then just keeping soldiers in step, there is a deep sense of pride, patriotism, unity, motivation, and nostalgia, which can be found within these songs. The Military cadence is used to motivate, inspire, and foster company cohesiveness while keeping soldiers steps in time and hands down the rich oral traditions of the Army, Navy, Marines, and Air force. The cadence is a song sung when marching or running and the songs require a caller, who normally sets the pace and leads the formation. Like robots, the soldiers echoed their leader's sing-song" Jody Call" in beat to their pounding footsteps. The way a unit sounds while running or marching tends to reflect on that unit's morale and leadership. This paper will illustrate the similarities that cadences share with pop culture music through lyrical examples. As you will see, the lyrics of these cadences are expressions of individual feelings, goals, and fears, and are quite similar to the themes of other popular culture musical genres. The theories of subculture, appropriation and improvisation that have been proposed in lecture will be reviewed and illustrated within cadences. The military cadence as a subcultures oral tradition will be examined, through analyzing the theories of popular music which can be applied to the genres’ history, structure, and socio-political influences.
It is understandable that some Americans strongly opposed the United States getting involved in the Vietnam War. It had not been a long time since the end of World War II and simply put, most Americans were tired of fighting. Mark Atwood Lawrence is one of the people who opposed our involvement in the Vietnam War. In his essay, “Vietnam: A Mistake of Western Alliance”, Lawrence argues that the Vietnam War was unnecessary and that it went against our democratic policies, but that there were a lot of things that influenced our involvement.
The ‘60s were the age of youth, as millions of children’s from post World War II became teenagers and rebelled against the conservative fifties. Denying civil rights to African-Americans and liberation to teenagers in previous decades and Vietnam War, created a vortexes which lead to massive rebellion against the status qua. Music of the 1960s was characteristic of the revolution that was going on during the decade. It was a time of rebellion and counter-culture in which the teenagers and college students were critical of government, business, religious institution and other various aspects of life. Era marked by civil rights movement, Vietnam War, environment of drug abuse and sexual freedom formed new music like: folk rock, soul and psychedelic rock. These genres starkly contrast the teen idol music of ‘50s pop mainstream. Writes John Covach; “World was exploding, and rock musicians were listening more closely than ever.”(Covach, 152) Such stark contrast in pop music directly relay to changing social culture in America, which further echo’s the relationship between music and culture.
...sided fashion, one in which we have no sorrow for the "communists." But what we see is that Vietnamese soldiers were not fighting for communism, they were fighting because the government ordered them to. "The ones who loved war were not the young men but the others like the politicians, middle-aged men with fat bellies and short legs." (75) Repeatedly The Sorrow of War reveals the deep suffering of Vietnam. One can not say, however, that American soldiers returned unscathed. The most important thing we see when we read the two aforementioned works is not the differences, but the similarities. War is hellish and unnatural for both sides. In the aftermath, our common humanity becomes evident in universal suffering.
In the 1950s rock-n-roll established its own marks in history. It spread throughout the decade in a thrilling, substantial, and even livid to those Americans trying to get rid of all sorts of conflicts and challenges that occurred during this time period. As exciting as this music was, the novel “All Shook Up” portrays how rock-n-roll brought many changes to the American culture and later to the sixties. It expresses many concerns such as race relations, moral decays, and communism, but in ways that are partially true.
The 1960s was the era of rebellion. It was a time when views of many people started to change dramatically as unexpected things were happening from the Cold War to the assassinations of nation’s leaders. So within this disturbed era, many citizens started to rebel and question the authorities saying that they were ruining the country. The younger generation, especially, stood firmly in front to lead the action to change the ideas of the older generation. One of the main methods they used to speak their opinions was through music and we can see the power it had on the people through one of the main protest anthems called “Fortunate Son” by Creedence Clearwater Revival in 1969. The song speaks out to the elite controlled America and becomes one of many instances of the younger generation questioning and rebelling against the authority in the late 1960s. They send people a message that the citizens of United States do not live in a fair world and the authorities are not doing their jobs. By creating images through the comparative and descriptive lyrics such as who “waves the flag” , and “some folks are born with silver spoons in hand”, its repetition of the chorus “it ain’t me” and the instrumentation of the song which sounds like the cry of the working class to signify that the Vietnam War is a rich man’s war and a poor man’s fight, this song by the Creedence Clearwater Revival shouts to the world that the elite-controlled America is unfair as it can get; and becomes a big part of the counterculture movement. However, contrary to the message of the song, challenges to authority and privilege did not come exclusively from the working class. Rather, members of the upper class were also involved in opposition movements, for instance vi...
Throughout time, music has been an influential part of society. As a form of entertainment and expression, its impact has always been felt both economically and emotionally. During the Vietnam war, music evolved into more a form of expression rather than pure entertainment. Emotionally charged songs became a method to oppose the war, and vent frustrations. While many songs opposed the war, numerous others focused on peace and happiness. They provided a positive perspective in an otherwise depressing time. Along with incorporating passion into music, cultural diversity increased in music greatly. Black artists became progressively more popular and accepted in the musical scene. This respect carried over to society slowly but surely. During the Vietnam war, music played a crucial role in the societal evolution into a state where emotions fueled actions, more emphasis was put on equality, all opinions counted.
In the 1960s, the anti-war movement grew rapidly in America. The party reached the summit in 1968 by collecting members of various age ranges throughout the country 6. The song "Revolution," produced by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, expresses the irony of the political group. Although the party is against...
Music is an outlet to all aspects of life and culture is a significant way of forming people and the way they live. Although not always seen directly culture has an overbearing influence on the music that is produced and made popular. The political Climate of the early seventies was full of fire with issues such as Vietnam and constant protest throughout the county. Later in the 70’s the end of the Vietnamese conflict brought the rise of the Watergate scandal and Iran Contra. These issues swept headlines and ingrained people’s thoughts. Social issues also played a big role in the developing culture of the seventies. Protests and constant outbreaks about gay rights and women’s rights seemed to overtake the country in storm. Later in the Decade the social climate changed to a celebration of the Past and a can-do attitude. Political and Social climates had an overbearing influence on the attitude that was being developed throughout the seventies. This climate was also transparent in the music world of this decade. In the early 70’s music lyrics were being created that were representative of the popular method of protest and social change. Music is a common way of expression and during this time artist and groups took the most of their popular music by expressing viewpoints on present issues. In the mid to late seventies the birth of new styles that broke from the old seemed to dominate the music industry. These new types of music ranged from disco to television pop. The music of the decade represented the culture and was greatly influenced by events and beliefs of the 70’s. At this time in American history, music and life became closely nit. In the late 1970’s, national issues settl...
The 1960’s was a time of war and fear for the United States and many people were turning their accusations towards the government. “Masters of War” was written by Bob Dylan in late 1962 and early 1963. The focus of this song is a protest against the Cold War and the Cuban Missile Crisis that was happening during the early 1960’s. The song is protesting on the American government having its citizens live in fear of a constant attack and hiding behind their shroud, unaffected by anything that would happen to the people. It shook the nation with its fierce and angry tone against the “military industrial complex.” Dylan’s lyrics stated that it was not contained by declaring a pointless war and not taking responsibility for the problems it was causing. “Masters of War” is a powerful song against the government and the military. The protest song “Masters of War” by Bob Dylan highlights how the looming aspect of the Cold War affected the people of the United States and demonstrates Dylan’s view on the governments involved.