i thought that if you had an acoustic guitar…

Temporarily Not the K-Man

With all due respect to Pete Seeger, I’m not a big fan of folk songs or protest music though I can certainly see their purpose. Maybe it’s just those ’round the neck harmonica holders…they look like evil orthodontia from Patrick Bateman’s closet to me.

I initially intended this blog entry to examine my feelings about the current political climate and discuss the role of perspective in shaping our beliefs. But, much like folk music – yeah yeah workers’ rights, teach the children blah blah blah – it became a little tiresome. And I’m anything but ambitious.

So instead of diving into how watching the History Channel makes me think the history of man is nothing but the history of war, or how reading Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States might lead me to believe it’s all about the oppression of the lower classes, or how it all often seems to just be about Booty and the Beat, I’ll just say that every opinion I have is colored by what I already believe, which in turn is influenced by how I’ve chosen to see things, and so on in circular fashion – and facts are often manipulated to serve a purpose, adding further color to a potentially murky canvas. Why do I believe what I believe, in other words.

I’ll also avoid wondering if corporately-owned news outlets that cater to their owner’s vision are as dangerous as government-controlled news agencies, or if it seems wrong that during recent unnecessarily record-high gas prices one of our oil companies posted the highest profits ever by any company in US history, or whether it’s more important to be loyal to your country than it is to mankind or the world as a whole. I don’t have enough hair or weed to get into all that, but I think you can tell where I’m coming from.

Instead, I’ll leave you with this raggedy folk song, based on a friend’s true adventure. The opposing viewpoint is just as valid sure, but it’s not as vital or song-worthy. As I said, I don’t particularly go in for this sort of protest stuff…it just seemed the right platform for the subject matter, and it was kind of fun & sloppy.

TEMPORARILY NOT THE K-MAN

My friend Eric, he’s got a pretty good job
He works in a bottle shop and he drives a Volvo
He’s a sensible guy, he’s a very fair man
So it came as no surprise when I heard he took a stand against The Man

He was working alone one night for about the seventh time
Because the company didn’t think it was necessary to pay a back-up
As these things go you know, he was gettin’ a little hungry
‘Cause we all know you gotta have fuel if you wanna work in this country

Temporarily not the K-man anymore

So he locked the door for a minute and he shuffled down the street
Everybody needs a minute to whizz and get something to eat, isn’t that right?
Well, people were mad because they couldn’t get inside and get their booze
When the company found out they said, “Eric, my friend, you lose.”
They suspended him without pay

Temporarily not the K-man anymore

It’s the rule within this mighty nation that if you’ve got a corporation
Well sir, you’ve got an obligation to earn a profit no matter what the cost
Now this creates a culture based on greed that doesn’t always recognize the human need
And when it permeates society, well brother then we’re lost

Temporarily not the K-man anymore

Eric’s a fine American, just like me
He’s not a fan of George Bush or Dick Cheney
He thinks that war is wrong even in a world this sick
If you think that’s unpatriotic, well you can suck my….

Eric eventually lost his job after they dicked him around for a couple of weeks
That’s a couple of weeks without money and you need money if you want to eat
These fat cats strolling through their corporate vestibules think their workforce is just cattle
Yeah, they think they’re mules, but they’re not [insert Bob Dylan reference here]

So let this be a lesson my friends in the way this world’s become
You’re just a means to an end, you’re not any-one
And as you ponder it all and think to yourself What is This?
Remember the words of the man with the tie who said, “It’s just business.”

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