Tuesday, November 11, 2008

“NOBODY’S RIGHT IF EVERYBODY’S WRONG”

I became a progressive in the early ‘70’s but my career has always been in economic development so people with polar stereotypes of business and social and economic justice assume I’m all about business. It is like being with a bunch of UNC-CH fans, they can’t fathom you’d be a Duke fan, even if you’re from Durham. It can be obnoxious.

My name is on various fundraising lists, so I get calls from one particular national political party, all assuming if I’m involved in building the economy I must be conservative. When I go to meetings around the state, the participants - like UNC fans - can’t believe I don’t share all of their ideological stereotypes.

Similarly because I am progressive and because I live in Durham, when I go to certain meetings, some people with those same polar views believe that caring about social injustice means I can’t have pro-business viewpoints.

I believe President Obama may be one of the transformational figures that breaks up some of these stereotypes. A legendary hit keeps running through my mind called For What It’s Worth written by Stephen Stills and performed as Buffalo Springfield (including Stills, Neil Young, Richie Furay and Jim Messina who all went on to bigger things).


There's something happening here
What it is ain't exactly clear
There's a man with a gun over there
Telling me I got to beware
I think it's time we stop, children, what's that sound
Everybody look what's going down

There's battle lines being drawn
Nobody's right if everybody's wrong
Young people speaking their minds
Getting so much resistance from behind
I think it's time we stop, hey, what's that sound
Everybody look what's going down

What a field-day for the heat
A thousand people in the street
Singing songs and carrying signs
Mostly say, hooray for our side
It's time we stop, hey, what's that sound
Everybody look what's going down

Paranoia strikes deep
Into your life it will creep
It starts when you're always afraid
You step out of line, the man come and take you away

We better stop, hey, what's that sound
Everybody look what's going down
Stop, hey, what's that sound
Everybody look what's going down
Stop, now, what's that sound
Everybody look what's going down
Stop, children, what's that sound
Everybody look what's going down

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

1) The song you added at the end is horrible. I don't care how good it ever was. No.

2) NOBODY IS RIGHT. EVERYBODY IS WRONG is now an uncommonly used phrase utilized for its ironic flare. I said flare. It is used for stupid Internet bickering, like if you wanted to argue with me about the "coolness" of that song.

3) Are you weirded out by this comment? I think I would.

mn said...

Yes, sure I am weirded. That was your sole intention, wasn't it? Okay, you win!

Anonymous said...

For what it's worth
That's gotta be one of the greatest songs ever written.
Nobody's right if everybody's wrong
-charlie