By By Amanda Decamp
People have been speaking out against government in the United States since its establishment. Samuel Adams tossed boxes of tea off the side of a ship protesting taxation without representation. Upton Sinclair wrote “The Jungle”, a graphic novel depicting his dismay with the lack of government control in the meatpacking industry. Freedom of speech is one of the Constitution’s greatest amendments, without it, this country easily could have morphed into an autocratic government. Since the birth of the punk rock scene in the ’70s (Ramones, Misfits, Clash) bands have voiced their opinions on the government to the tune of guitars, drums and a bass. With the release of their new album, “American Idiot,” punk rock legends Green Day tried to follow in the footsteps of these past rebels.
Starting out as childhood friends and forming their band when they were 14 years old, Green Day first gained attention after their 1994 release of Dookie. Over a decade later they are known worldwide and helped bring punk rock to mainstream outlets. Their music has come a long way-it started with four chord wonders, but by 2005 they opened the MTV Video Music Awards with their billboard hit, “Boulevard of Broken Dreams,” and left with seven Moonmen awards. Lyrically the trio has evolved as well. “Longview” from Dookie has a chorus which sings, “Bite my lip and close my eyes, take me away to paradise, I’m so damn bored I’m going blind! And I smell like shit.” Compare this with American Idiot, which focuses on politics, loneliness and the death of front man Billie Joe Armstrong’s father. Demonstrating the group’s recent dissatisfaction with the government, songs decry: “One nation controlled by the media, information nation of hysteria, it’s going out to idiot America.”
Educated or uneducated. Liberal or conservative. Everyone is entitled to his or her opinion; however, Green Day has taken it too far in their video for their most recent single, “Wake Me Up When September Ends.” The seven-minute story grasps the viewer’s attention with young love, war and a tragic loss. Recently Armstrong spoke to MTV, saying the video is “striking a chord and making people think about what’s going on in the world.” The clear message in this video is the young couple is in love and happy until the boy signs up to fight in the military. The boy is looked at as cruel and evil for defending his country and being patriotic.
The beginning of the video, directed by Samuel Bayer, portrays the couple enjoying life-happy together. They hold hands and promise to never leave each other. When the girl finds out he joined the military, she comes to him screaming and slaps him across the face. He yells back at her defending himself, “I thought you would be proud of me.” She is not: she is devastated, as any girl would be if she found out her boyfriend was leaving and may never return.
Although the girl has a right to be upset at the moment, there is no sign in the video that the boy made a mature decision. Instead, it shows very dreary pictures of war with the boy committing hateful acts. At one point, the young soldier, with his gun, is standing in front of an innocent looking mother and child. There is no picture of him shooting at them, but the video leaves room for the imagination to finish the act. As bombs explode around the boy, his fellow soldiers are shot and fall to the ground. The dramatic scene ends as the music slows and the girl is shown back at home with no sign of his return. The video does not lie about the ugliness and loss in war. However, when so many young Americans are fighting in Iraq, people should be supportive, not necessarily of the war, but of the men and women who are brave enough to sign up.
Perhaps Green Day’s idea of a hero is a musician who did not go further than high school, wears a thick layer of black eyeliner and sings about how the president is an ignorant man. The band owes an apology to all the soldiers whom they offended. The video leaves those who are risking their lives for every other citizen with a sick feeling for doing something honorable–something Green Day cannot seem to fathom. This video tells soldiers their sacrifice is unappreciated by fellow Americans. The band can be as left as they wish without criticizing the soldiers. The only American idiots in this video are the men behind the music.
Amanda Decamp is a sophomore print journalism major. You may email her at [email protected]