The success aim was much more prevalent in the songs that I used. I believe that success is more prevalent in music because of the state of the economy. We are not oppressed or in dire need of liberation, however, with the poor state of the economy, people feel the want to be more successful. There are many songs about success, because people desire success more so than liberation. There are also many forms of success. Each of us has our own perception of what it means to be successful in life. This opens the door for a wide range of songs that express the theme of success in different forms. Songs of liberation are about being freed from an oppressor, whether the oppressor be a person, state of mind, stereotype, drug, etcetera. Today people are more financially troubled and struggle to live a comfortable lifestyle. People want to live the “American Dream”. This is why I believe more people can relate to wanting to be successful than they can relate to being oppressed. What surprised me about this assignment was how difficult it was to find songs about liberation. Many artists reach levels of success through their music, therefore they can easily relate to the subject. I believe that if the American people were faced with oppression, then more songs of liberation would exist.
I agree with your comment that people want to hear more about having success or money because that is the way our culture is. However, I don't agree that people can relate more to money than being oppressed. There are multiple types of liberation, thus the message of liberation gets out to a lot of people. Additionally, there are levels of oppression, just because the government legalizes something doesn't mean that the masses will follow. Women, minorities and LGBTQ communities still are not treated equally.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your comment that we put success on a higher pedestal than liberation. With success you can have a comfortable lifestyle and be happy. Liberation usually is not thought of until you are in a comfortable place in your life. If you are struggling financially you will not think about liberating yourself. The American Dream also puts success on the top. People come to America to become successful in some way educationally and money wise. I feel like that is why the success aim is more prevelant.
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