Originally Posted by JAPOV
This is obviously something that really weighs on you, as it should weigh upon all of God's children.

That's the reason I'm so compelled to ask you, who are "They" in your song? If you believe I'm just trying to start a political argument with you, please reconsider. I'd really like to know how racism in America is viewed from Canada.



Thanks JAPOV for the listen and comment. I very much respect what you say on many of the posts.

They, IMO are those who really wished MLK would just go away and I believe that list was long and diverse, representing many aspects of society, including government officials. You can pick your own poison when it comes to "they". As far as how Canadians view racism in America, 36 million people live in Canada so you probably have 36 million opinions. By the way we are quite adept at racism ourselves in this country starting with the treatment of our First Nations people.

Personally I believe racism exists, to a certain extent, in everyone with most being unaware of it in themselves (unconscious racism????)

I wouldn't say this topic was overly weighing on me and yes I agree with your statement that it should, but I tend to write about issues having written songs about, bullying, spousal abuse and injustice on a global scale.

The video is, of course, about freedom and MLK's speech in August 1963 is one of the finest ever written. The question I posed was "has anything changed" or are we just more subtle in our approach to inequality? A few years ago I watched some young black people being interviewed on TV at a MLK rally and one of the young girls said "you know we're still not free" I had just written the song about a month prior and I was stunned by the confirmation that what I had written was actually being felt by these young adults all these years later.


Steve

Creators of music have a responsibility to their craft. When they have finished using all the notes and words, they must pass them down to the next generation with a simple request. “Use these to create new music.”...Steven McDonald