Strung Out Episode 88 THIS MACHINE KILLS FASCISTS.

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With the invasion of Ukraine, the world witnesses (again) the result of Authoritarianism, when a decision by one person can potentially destroy a country and sadly, the world.   As an artist, one has to make a decision on how to confront such evil.  Songwriters in the past have written songs that have taken evil head on.  The great Woody Guthrie wrote "Talking Off Hitler's Head Blues" and had a sign put on this guitar, THIS MACHINE KILLS FASCISTS.   The guitar, the song obviously couldn't kill Hitler, but it has the power to sway minds and hearts.  Political music is inevitable and can be used by all sides in a conflict to help sway the masses.  Telling artists that they cannot write political songs is like telling the wind not to blow.  And when artists get political, it is difficult to separate the artist's work from the artist.  As an artist, my mission is to bring people together through my music.  If I have something to say that could be construed as political in nature, my tendency is to present it without judgement or accusation.  It is a tall order in today's "knock you down" world. 

The other part of this podcast has to do with addressing our own collective guilt with Ukraine.  The fact that our world has been permissive with authoritarians is something that we all take part in whether we like it or not.  Xi Jinping, an authoritarian, has publicly declared he wants to make the democratic country of Taiwan "part of China", much like Putin maintains Ukraine is historically Russian.  Martin uses himself as an example of when he purchased lights for his backyard.  He bought lights through Amazon that of course were made in China.  If we wish to fire a bullet at authoritarianism, it has to start in our own backyards.  Purchasing democratically made goods and the practice of civility and voting for civility-minded leaders are three necessary steps in the war on Fascists and Authoritarianism. 

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