Indeed. Author also states: 'Bono's assertion that "commerce [and] entrepreneurial capitalism takes more people out of poverty than aid" is unlikely to play well with the Bernie Sanders crowd. It's tough to endear people to your fight when you embrace the very thing you're fighting against. '
He does not seem to understand that what U2 are fighting against is social injustice, not commerce or capitalism. Anyone even vaguely familiar with U2 would understand this is a band who love commerce.
Exactly. One of many things in this article that screams "this guy has no idea what he's talking about when it comes to U2."
It's one thing to be not even vaguely familiar with U2- it's quite another to write an article for a major newspaper and have some editor agree to publish it when it's clear he did absolutely no homework.
Regardless of whether Bono's views on capitalism play well with Bernie's crowd, they're factual in nature. They also can't be used to paint U2 as hypocrites because as you point out, this band has always loved commerce. For all the talk of U2 losing their roots, becoming bloated and everything they used to rail against, you can actually get pretty consistent statements from Bono and everyone else on this over the years.
It's people projecting their own views onto U2 that gives them this perception. Reminds me of the "hope and change and savior" talk Obama was confronted with and his response when asked about it a little into his presidency. The interviewer was asking him to compare his campaign/rhetoric/the hopes people placed in him to the reality of his Presidency. The clear implication being that he'd let people down, etc. His response was excellent: he basically said people saw him as a canvas on which to project their own views. He then went on to say that if those same people had listened to what he'd actually said in the campaign, they would've seen that he always said that these issues were difficult and were going to require hard work. He also laughed at the notion of him as "messiah" and stated very clearly that he never portrayed himself that way.
I thought of that Obama interview immediately when I read this article.
The absolutism of the Trump crowd is terrifying (or the Gingrich/Rove/Cheney/Ryan/McConnell/Trump crowd as it's hardly anything new with Republicans) and in its own league. However, the Bernie crowd doesn't help either in many circumstances.
To a few points here:
Yeah...the 80's were a laugh riot funfest of positivity. 10,000 punk bands formed with Reagan in their name to celebrate our loveable, grandfatherly leader. Jim Crow was a funny name, and every race/creed/culture/orientation was celebrated. Televangelists, The Satan Scare, stagnant economy, the Cold War...fun times
To be fair to U2, Rattle & Hum might not be a live Joshua Tree tour concert front to back, but I can see where they feel like they touched on the era in incredible, expensive, 35MM Technicolor.
Millennials...they are awful. Except when they are fantastic. Or average. Or boring. Or nerdy. Or awful. Or fantastic. They are just another generation. I was going to say they were a superior one with their acceptance of others and lack of the hard divisions that used to determine social class in my 80's (it is weird how our entire social construct seemed based on the music we listened to...punkers, stoner/rockers, Duranies, Mods, etc), but this alt-right movement seems to be sucking in far too many young males, so the "millennials are tolerant" statement has moved from "confirmed" to "more information needed". But, yeah...we all hate the young people. It's been going on since the beginning of time. Their worst traits are the same as all youth...narcissism, lack of perspective in conflict with their perception of their own knowledge, social climbing...just the tools they have at their disposal make sure everyone gets to see what they are doing. Just like the world is actually a MUCH safer place for most of us today vs 1985, but we perceive there is danger everywhere and our risk level has increased. Nope...you are a lot less likely to get raped, beat, or killed walking down the street today vs 1985 or even 1995. But we hear EVERYTHING that happens, and that echo chamber (the phrase of the 2000's) becomes deafening. So the Millennials missteps are just magnified. Can you imagine if your youth had been on camera? It makes me shudder...
Wow! What an EXCELLENT POST!
I agree with every word.
I laughed audibly at this guy when he said such things as the 1980s and 1990s being times of boundless hope and that U2's music just mirrors that blind optimism.
Quite the opposite- U2 have always basically been about belief in the human spirit against a reality of overwhelming suffering and strife- both personal and politcial- in this world. I would say that they address the reality of human suffering and adversity as much or more than any other prominent act out there.
I also like how you discussed the fact that we are exposed to every single bad thing that happens now, therefore our perceived level of danger is greater than it was 20 or 30 years ago. Of course, the reality is that, at least in the US and most of Western society, you are far less likely to be victimized by an act of violence walking down the street than you were before. Ironically, the time period of U2's peak (1987-1993) coincided with the crack epidemic and a substantial uptick in crime in the US, the home country of the guy writing this article. Heroin was a scourge on the streets of Dublin.
Take Washington DC as an example. US capital. Visited by U2 on both JT and Zoo TV. They played RFK stadium on both tours. Walk around that area after the 1987 or 1992 shows and then do it now. Hint, you probably wouldn't have dared do it back then. It was in, see the show, and get the hell out with the doors locked. This is only a few blocks east of the US Capitol.
Now, in DC and many other US cities, you go and see U2 and the areas around these venues are all destinations. I was in Pittsburgh last night (evokes images of rust and decay with many) and the area around Heinz field was very nice. Clean, safe, plenty of restaurants and hotels. Good energy. River walk with views of the downtown skyline.
I know I'm only talking about one aspect of things- crime/the state of cities in the US, but that's an area where there is major positive difference from the alleged utopia of 30 years ago. Of course, things are difficult now-some even more so than they were then. Trump is a mad man, probably the most dangerous to ever hold the office, but he comes to power with much of the world against what he stands for. He wants more nukes, most of the world says that's a bad idea- let's keep reducing them. He wants to get out of Paris, everyone but Syria, including most cities/states in his own country, says that's a bad idea.
Get out of the US and look how Ireland and a reunified Germany have come along since the 1980s. Unrecognizable change for the better.
Never mind that...... Sunday Bloody Sunday, Running To Standstill and Mothers to name a few, were 4 guys writing about utopia during the fleeting, bygone preview of that utopia that was the 1980s.
Whatever, maybe I need to chill out a bit and cut this kid some slack. I tend to hit hard at "millenials and U2" threads because I immediately say "that's me, they don't speak for me."
However, I have to remind myself that I was born in 1987 and I'm a pretty early millenial. I remember all of the 1990s- most of these kids that people think of when they think of millenials were born in the 1994-1996 range. I already knew "Return of the Mack," "The Macarena," the real meaning of "Shoop" by Salt N Pepa and had a crush on my summer camp counselor by the time this kid was 2. HAHA!!
It's hard to think of a generation that has less in common from beginning to end than mine.
From High School age during 9/11 to barely old enough to remember it and certainly not old enough to understand it at the time.
