PepzePepze <PepzePepze@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> writes:
>Stevens' other big hit was called "Peace Train" calling for all the
>people of the world to unite in peace. Exactly what part of those words
>offend you now that Stevens (Joseph Islam) is standing up for his
>beliefs?
I don't know about the OP, but many people turned against him when he made
a statement sup****ting the fatwa against Salman Rushdie -- a more specfic
reason than his status as a Muslim.
I wasn't very happy about that statement either. But he doesn't spend all
his time going around looking for people to hate; mostly, he teaches kids
about music, iirc.
The point is that it's rare, outside of the movies, to find 100% good guys
or 100% bad guys. I think it's valid to hate /music/ that embodies
hateful
ideas -- such as, to bring this back to the Beatles, "Run for Your Life."
And I suppose you could rationally hate a musician who consistently writes
hateful music. The only rock'n'roll example I can think of offhand is
Barry Sadler. :-) (Although there are specific songs by the Kinks, by
Steven Stills, and by Todd Runtgren that I can't listen to because of the
lyrics, besides RfYL.)
P.S. In trying to see how an otherwise peace-loving person could sup****t
the
fatwa against Rushdie, it's im****tant to remember that Rushdie is not a
member
of a different culture, but a Muslim apostate. Hatred of apostates is all
too
common all across the political (and religious) spectrum. IIRC the
Catholic
party line is that people not born Catholic can get into heaven on the
basis
of their good works, etc., but someone born Catholic who later leaves the
church goes to hell no matter what. And the '60s New Left (to which I'm
proud
to have belonged) famously fell apart in sectarian in-fighting. This
doesn't
/justify/ or /excuse/ the fatwa; it's just one piece of understanding the
detailed nature of the good and the bad impulses in Cat Stevens's life.
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