Recently I’ve been trying to improve my repertoire of songs and have been searching around for new songs I like that I might want to play.
Yesterday I was watching the news with a friend and they were talking about the new military activities in Afghanistan. My friend didn’t seem to know who the Taliban is. This reminded me of a song about the Taliban, which I had heard briefly years ago, written by Toby Keith. I remembered it being funny but when I listened to it again I realized that it was totally wrong in the approach it was taking.
The first mistake the song makes is that it assumes that people in Afghanistan don’t like the Taliban. This may be true, but I want to see the evidence. Not only that, but the Afghani people’s opinion on this might change over time. This song is promoting the belief among American people that the US invaded Afghanistan for the Afghani people’s own good. It may be in the interest of the Afghan people, but I want to see the evidence, or a good argument- not simplistic statements in a song.
Then the song says “Bush got on the phone with Iraq and Iran, and said ‘you sons of bitches you better not be doin’ any business with the Taliban.’” Well actually Bush probably didn’t get on the phone with Saddam Hussein or the Iranian government (the US does not even have an Embassy in Iran). And could it be possible that this song is promoting the belief that Iraq was somehow behind the September 11th attacks? (A belief which is totally false.)
Video containing “the Taliban Song” by Toby Keith
But clearly the worst part of the song is when it says:
So we prayed to Allah with all our might
Until those big U.S. jets came flyin in one night
They dropped little bombs all over their holy land
And man you should have seen em run like rabbits, they ran- the Taliban
This part of the song implies that Afghani people were praying for the USA to bomb Afghanistan- which seems like a pretty unlikely thing. There is no doubt that they may have hoped for an end to civil war, or perhaps even for the end of Taliban rule- but that they were praying to be bombed? Please! This seems highly unlikely.
The singer, Toby Keith, and his audience seem to be gloating about the fact that the Taliban ” ran like rabbits”… Well it doesn’t seem like such a clear victory any more. The Taliban has re-grouped and become a serious menace again, and may even end up in control of Afghanistan again. Meanwhile the US has bled itself dry paying for two costly wars and amassed huge debt to finance them. It seems you may have gloated too soon Mr. Keith!
I won’t even mention the part about erect male genitals…
While I personally am strongly opposed to the Taliban and what they represent, the mistakes in this song are serious- there are several assumptions contained in it which are dangerous. It’s sad that people are listening to this kind of song and believing what it says- or just following its general attitude.
Getting back to my previous blog post about “Can Music be Used for Social Change?”, this song shows me that one should not attempt to handle serious factual issues in a song. For example, the issue of whether a group of people are against the Taliban, or whether a group of people want their country to be invaded. These are things which need to be debated in a rational forum, not portrayed in a song where they cannot be debated.
For all the people reading this who are not from the US- if you ever wondered why the American public supported these wars or supported someone like George Bush- here’s a piece of evidence for you. From this you can see how some element of pop culture can influence the masses- without even having to consider any facts or have any real discussion about it. It also shows how some people can be real numbskulls- even when it involves the welfare of the people of an entire nation! Bombing a country seems so frivolous when you’re sitting somewhere in Oklahoma- but its a lot more serious when you’re living in that country!
Thanks be to God that Bush is gone, but who knows when the war in Afghanistan will be over? 30 years of civil war and the Afghani people are still suffering!
Who ever wrote this post… It’s a song. Not a political movement. Do you get pissed when a sci-fi movie is not 100% true to life? A tv show does not follow all policies and procedures of the given occupational premise? In the words of Adam Corolla, you are a blow hard.
By: That guy on Monday, 5 April, 2010
at 5:30 pm
Hello That Guy,
And thanks for your comment! I appreciate when things get lively around here, just as long as it doesn’t come to fisticuffs.
I understand your thought that, well, it’s just a song, but the fact is, its a song about a very important historical event and world issue, which is the US invasion of Afghanistan and the current civil war there. The country of Afghanistan and the welfare of its people are important, and a song which takes a political stance on that war should be subject to criticism.
Songs can actually have an important effect on public attitudes, as they tend to bypass the rational thought process. The song implies that Afghan citizens mostly oppose the Taliban (which may or may not be true), and that they “prayed”for the US bombing. This idea can easily get into the U.S. public consciousness by being in a song, which is not subject to rational debate.
I hope you do not deny that the War in Afghanistan and the welfare of the Afghani people are important?
What I see in this song as is a trend in the US public to not take the impact of US foreign policy decisions seriously enough. I really think that Americans are not in touch with the reality on the ground which is caused by those US foreign policy actions. As a result, the anger against the US in the world is quite large, not something you would expect for a supposed defender of human rights. Americans mostly have been spared from war on their own soil, so they don’t appreciate what it’s like to have a war going on for years in your own country.
I do not like the Taliban and think it would be better if they did not exist, but I think we should not make assumptions about how Afghani people feel. We should ask them and do research, conduct journalism, to find out.
As for your claim that I am a “blow hard” (or person who talks too much, a loudmouth), I would say Toby Keith is much more of a blow hard for saying in his song that the Taliban “like rabbits they ran”, gloating over the original US capture of Kabul. But who’s laughing now? Eight years later and the US and other countries are still fighting away… Toby Kieth’s words are far more boastful than mine…
By: Patrick Mosolf on Monday, 5 April, 2010
at 9:42 pm
Take a look at Ron Paul’s foreign policy. I really think that you would agree with him. He has been against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan from the beginning. Ron Paul is the only presidential candidate I have faith in to bring our troops home and save us the trillions currently being spent on the war.
RON PAUL 2012
By: the other guy on Wednesday, 31 August, 2011
at 2:08 pm
Hey other guy,
Thanks for your comment and glad to hear someone is listening.
I don’t know everything about Ron Paul, but of course have had a few people tell me about him in the past. Some of his ideas seem to radical, while others are fairly mainstream, such as the proposal to get the U.S. out of Iraq and Afghanistan. Of course, its how the whole package fits together that is important to understand as well.
For me Ron Paul seems like a wildcard, like a Bernie Sanders kind of politician- one of the outliers in the US political system.
Personally, I would not vote for him, but then your comment may be interesting for another reader!
By: Patrick Mosolf on Friday, 16 September, 2011
at 10:13 pm
man, you are overanalyzing way too much about this song. not that i don’t apprecitate one’s ability to dig a litte further into the issues….but c’mon, toby keith? he’s the biggest redneck country singer superstar there is. give him some credit for not being a total hick in his approach. it’s a catchty tune. i like the melody of the music more than anything. the lyrics are just there as filler in my opinion. god bless the usa!
By: toe B on Friday, 20 April, 2012
at 7:51 am
one more comment. music as an instrument of social change…? hmmm, maybe. but country music? H**L NO! now rap music…well that’s totally different. makes us men want to go out and slap our b*tches before we ride ‘em…my point … again. it’s just a stupid song!
By: toe B on Friday, 20 April, 2012
at 7:55 am
Hi Toe B,
Thanks for your comment. It may just be a stupid song, but it also carries important messages about the war in Afghanistan. Which, as I said, get into the listener’s consciousness, whether they take it seriously or not.
I hope you are right, and no one takes this song seriously.
I think it’s better not to write songs about political subjects if one cannot be responsible in what one has written.
I guess we can agree to disagree!
By: Patrick Mosolf on Sunday, 29 April, 2012
at 1:02 am