You Say You Want A Revolution... [how Beatles music helped hollow out communism]

Newsweek ^ | September 22, 2003 | Jonathan Alter

[ejdrapes]

You Say You Want A Revolution...
In the Middle East, unlike in the U.S.S.R., young rebels are the enemies of the West. Bin Laden’s picture is the forbidden icon

Edward Teller and Paul McCartney didn’t know each other, but maybe they should have. The nuclear physicist and father of the H-bomb, who died last week at 95, was the model for Dr. Strangelove. A fierce anti-communist, his advice to Ronald Reagan to launch Star Wars is credited by some conservative analysts with sweeping the Soviet Union into the dustbin of history.

AND THE CONNECTION between Teller and the Beatles would be... what? That Ringo starred in a movie with Peter Sellers? Actually, many Russians themselves believe that the Western cultural forces symbolized by Beatles music helped hollow out communism, slowly eroding its authority until it collapsed. That it disintegrated without a huge war is the greatest blessing of the last half of the 20th century. In other words, “hard power” (Western strength and resolve) and “soft power” (Western ideas of freedom) worked together, with plenty of help from brave refuseniks, a pragmatic, bumbling and ultimately peace-loving Mikhail Gorbachev—and the numbing effects of vodka.

[The_Media_never_lie]

my comment: then they have to take blame for being rotten influences to the young people of the 60s and leading many to destruction (definately justified). The Beatles led many to experiment with drugs by their bad example.

your comment: Exactly how did they lead people to experiment with drugs? What specifically did they do that encouraged people to become drug users? What songs of theirs promoted drug taking?

I take it from your comment you are a younger person than I am(53 years old).

The Beatles came to this country with longish hair and underwent a hippie conversion over a period of several years. They were the #1 band and as such had many followers and copiers. As they went from well groomed to hippie style, their songs went to some kind of eastern/mystical/druggie style. Unfortunately, they led many young people astray, people without the Beatle's wherewithal to live a hippie lifestyle and recover to some sort of normal life.

I love the Beatles music (they were creative geniuses) and what happened was not all their fault, but that doesn't change what happened.

I am sorry if I offended you by saying something negative about the group but I think we should remember what happened.

[goo goo g'joob]

In a very weird sense, Ronald Reagan was to communism what Yoko Ono was to the Beatles.

I'm glad I've never seen a picture of Reagan naked...

(obligitory post on all Beatle's threads from goo goo)