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Bruce Springsteen's Violence In America

1315 Words6 Pages

Us versus them mentality is a cultural phenomenon that is pa hallmark of civilizations past, present, and future. Propagation of this phenomenon is greatly enhanced at times of great conflict in order to unify members of a culture. In Violence in America, Arnold Goldstein details how us versus them is spurred by, “A basic human quality [of] desire to feel one is part of a group of people whom we see as being both like ourselves and . . . being better than other groups” (Goldstein 1). However, is everyone swept up in the cause during times of distress, or are there those who go against the tide and argue against the us versus them psychology? The answer is there are always those who defy the cultural trend. Bruce Springsteen’s 1984 hit song …show more content…

These lyrics reflect the struggle he grew up with, living “in a working-class household in Freehold Borough.” His father “had trouble holding down a steady job and worked at different times as a bus driver, millworker and prison guard,” during his childhood and his songs reflect on this relatable ordeal. Of all his albums, 1984’s Born in the U.S.A. is credited as Springsteen’s magnum opus. The album produced “seven singles [that hit] the top of the Billboard Charts,” one of which shared its name with the album (Biography.com Editors). “Born in the U.S.A,” with its upbeat tempo and invigorating chorus, is not the patriotic tune that many mistakenly believe. It takes the opposite approach, as it embodies Springsteen’s own values to destroy the philosophy of us versus them that gripped America during …show more content…

The song does not describe the yellow men as enemies, communists, or barbarians. He does not degrade them in any sense; nor does he claim the purported reason for the war. The government just wants him to kill the yellow man. This lyric does not only debase the validity of the war, but discredits the government of the nation at the time. Who exactly is the enemy in this scenario; the yellow men or the government that wants to kill them? This alone breaks down us versus them, but this is only the second

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