Posted on 09/12/2012 11:28:13 AM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Folk rock legend Bob Dylan has some strong words about America that many of his compatriots may not want to hear: He says the stigma of slavery ruined America and he doubts whether the country can get rid of the shame because it was founded on the backs of slaves.
Dylan spoke to Rolling Stone for a cover story that coincides with the release of his 35th studio album, Tempest. Dylan has long been an outspoken critic of American culture and its inherent inequalities, particularly during the 1960s when his songs Blowin in the Wind and The Times They Are a-Changin voiced his generations support for civil rights and anger at the Vietnam War.
In his interview with Rolling Stone, Dylan, who has won just about every music and songwriting award on the planet, seems intent not so much on attacking America for its racist history but observing that racism has long been holding the country back.
People (are) at each others throats just because they are of a different color, he said. It will hold any nation back.
A 71-year-old man born in Minnesota at a time when blacks in many parts of the country couldnt eat in white restaurants or use white water fountains, Dylan has seen a great deal of Americas progress and evolution during the past centuryall the way to the election of the first black president. But clearly he has not seen enough progress. And he thinks it all goes back to the countrys founding.
He tells Rolling Stone that blacks know that some whites didnt want to give up slavery. Only after a civil war cleaved the nation in two did slavery come to a reluctant endafter more than 600,000 Americans (including 260,000 Southerners) died in a war that started because the South wanted to preserve the institution.
If slavery had been given up in a more peaceful way, America would be far ahead today, Dylan observes.
When the magazine asked if the election of President Obama was helping to bring about a change, Dylan says: I dont have any opinion on that. You have to change your heart if you want to change.
The magazines new issue hits newsstands Friday.
The thing about Dylan's music is you can read into it anything you want. People would hear something like It's a Hard Rain and assume it was about nuclear fallout but it was not. It was just his stream of consciousness writing style.
I was going to say, “Shut up and sing,” but on second thought...just shut up!
And, his OPINION is important why?
Good God, liberals are stupid.
If we had just left these people in Africa where they enjoyed making slaves and meals of each other , and imported the Irish to work the southern plantations we wouldn’t have had this problem either.
Then again if my aunt had a penis she would have been my uncle.
I understand how personal taste can result in people liking his music - and that there is music I like that others hate - but I can’t stand anything this guy does. He’s horrible. His music makes me want to shove spoons in my ears.
—He says the stigma of slavery ruined America—
So, it was the importing of Africans to this country that ruined it,...?
—People (are) at each others throats just because they are of a different color, he said. It will hold any nation back. —
So, if everyone were the same color we wouldn’t be held back,...?
Soooo....Dylan’s going to support today’s (and yesterdays for that matter) SLAVE Party...the Democrats, eh? That Plantation is getting pretty full....he just wants to be one of the owners.
Zimmerman would have done a lot to help the situation if he’d have closed the loop by mentioning there is a lot of racism on both sides of the great divide, and that it’s gotten worse since Zero’s election, not better. He had the perfect opportunity with the last question in the OP above.
In many, MOST??, cases, we DID pick our own cotton. It’s a myth that only blacks did it.
I don’t recall asking Mr. Zimmerman about his opinion.
Dylan has been a political conservative since the 80’s, at least, and in his later years has written songs far better than what the MSM still hold up as leftist standards. He was a folk singer for about five minutes.
He’s the author of some of the best gospel music I’ve ever heard. I know of right-leaning literary critics who revere him (see Patrick Kurp).
There was a website, “rightwingbob” written by a very talented conservative writer, that lasted for years, with convincing arguments that Bob doesn’t belong to the Left at all. He’s one of ours.
I doubt if he brought up the subject of slavery but his statement about slavery is not very controversial. I’d like to see the whole interview.
And that he gives interviews to the Rolling Stone? They worship him and probably named their magazine after his song. I’ll wager that whenever the editors of R.S. have to deal with B.D. they’re pretty uncomfortable.
Someone should tell Bob Dyaln that the glorious countries where they killed our ambassadors that slavery is still LEGAL in those great “spring” countries....
Liberals always squeal “Out of context!” whenever their own words get tossed back at them. This case is no different.
The US outlawed slavery long before most other countries did. I believe Hungary was the first country to outlaw slavery but the US was in the first ten or so to do so.
The Abolition of Slavery with the price of American Blood, REDEEMED the country not ruined it.
Jim Crow ( a democrat idea) almost Ruined things.
I wonder if little Bobby Dylan realizes that the liberal Icon Woodrow Wilson RE-Segregated the Millitary????
Dumbass Dylan
The South would be 100 times better off it it had won the Civil War, independent of NY & New England condescending < expletive deleted >.
DEATH TO SLIM WHITMAN! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MhgnMX73Pw
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