War edwin starr8/25/2023 The original version by The Temptations appears on side two of Psychedelic Shack. “War” – Performed by Edwin Starr, music and lyrics by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong I’ve covered many anti-war songs in various reviews for this essay, I’ll focus on three anti-war songs that have moved me the most. A particular song may only impact a few minds, but I’ll take one-baby-step-forward over one-big-step-backward. To ignore this scourge of humanity and keep silent about the horrors and sheer wastefulness of war is simply unconscionable, and anyone who has the courage to write an anti-war song in a world conditioned to accept war as a viable option is a hero in my book. It will likely take centuries for human beings to discover healthier paths to glory and safely abolish war. The struggle to secure equal rights for women and minorities has been going on for centuries and there’s still a long way to go. The UN has warned that peace is more under threat around the world than it has been since World War II.” “Globally, conflict and violence are on the rise, according to the United Nations. According to, there are currently twenty-seven ongoing conflicts today affecting one-quarter of the world’s population. Out of 195 countries in the world today, only 16 have no military forces. War fills the pages of our history books the first war in recorded history took place in 2700 B.C, which means we have five thousand years of familiarity with war under our belts. Strangely enough, this stuck-in-neutral situation makes for a happy populace-not only because it helps to preserve the familiar, but because there are few things people enjoy as much as bitching about the government.Īlas, there are few things in human history as status quo as war. In democracies, this powerful bias towards the status quo leads to electing the same old farts year after year, who in turn do nothing to change failing policies or decrepit institutions. The flaw in the conservative design approach is that those in power have no interest in changing anything that would cause them to forfeit that power-which quirkily feeds into the desire of the masses for the familiar. There are good reasons for taking a conservative approach to government design-the shitshow referred to as the French Revolution conclusively proved that trying to change an entire system overnight is a guaranteed path to chaos. The collective effect of billions of change resisters is reflected in the institutions that govern society-institutions that are largely dedicated to preserving the status quo. Human beings cling to the familiar because they believe that sticking to the people, surroundings and traditions they know is the safer bet-and they continue to embrace the familiar even when presented with rock-solid evidence that doing so will lead to their demise. Here’s the thing: human progress is by its very nature glacially slow. So, why should songwriters waste so much time and effort fighting a hopeless battle? Given human history, the resurgence of the “strongman fetish” and the extreme political polarization engulfing many countries, I’d say the chances are pretty high that a fairly significant war will occur in our lifetimes and even the greatest anti-war song ever composed will be unable to stop it. Whether the cause is bellicose individuals, incompetent leaders, territorial pissing, religious differences or rabid patriotism, it’s highly unlikely that war will soon become a thing of the past. Most leaders try to avoid war, but there are many instances of bellicose individuals enthusiastically seeking out armed conflict. Wars usually begin due to a dispute between nations and break out because governmental leaders cannot solve their problems peacefully. Guess what? I don’t think Putin gives a shit. You’d think that after centuries of effort with nothing to show for it that songwriters would have abandoned the practice, but Wikipedia lists ten songs protesting the Russian invasion of Ukraine. I am not aware of any high-level confabs of top government officials where one of the participants said, “Hey, I was listening to Phil Ochs the other day and he made a pretty convincing case against going to war,” or “Hey, maybe John Lennon was right-maybe we should give peace a chance.” Wikipedia has a fairly comprehensive list, a little light on the traditional side, but enough to demonstrate the many attempts by songwriters to raise awareness of the evils of war through protest, satire or graphic descriptions of the human cost of armed conflict.īut none of them achieved the desired effect. Hundreds of anti-war songs have been written throughout the centuries and none have ever prevented or stopped a war.
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