(no subject)

Tina Rhoades ([email protected])
Mon, 26 Oct 1998 22:26:21 -0500

Nothing like sex, religion, politics,...and music (hmm) to make the
passions flair. Kudos to Stephen and Cath for their braveness. Music and
musicians have had a lot of influence raising consciousness throughout the
world, but in fact little change has really occurred. Live Aid, Farm Aid,
Self-Aid, Conspiracy of Hope Tour, and Greenpeace promos, etc. have all
raised money for lots of good causes. And all involved should be commended
for their actions. However, people are still starving in Ethiopia, farmers
are losing their livelyhood, unemployment abounds, human rights violations
are occuring all over the world, 100 gray whales were buried about a week
ago in Australia, the Antartic ice shelves (90 square miles broke off about
a month ago) are melting and the rainforest is still being burned at an
alarming rate.

U2 have a large capacity for compassion and that's reflected in just about
every song they write, and in many areas of which they are involved. I am
proud to be a fan of the band when I read comments such as those published
in RollingStone, and I realize that Bono is so much more aware than many of
the artists (and readers) questioned. (However, Bono was a gentleman and a
diplomat. I believe Tom Morello hit the nail more squarely on the head.)

For all of the U2 fans out there who claim to be so connected to U2, I am
amazed at the animosity and lack of tolerance that exists between fans when
they disagree. (We applaud U2 when "uniting" an audience, etc., then
attack our fellow U2 fan if we feel that they have slighted us, are
misinformed, etc.) When an issue or opinion is "tossed-up", it is there to
be contemplated, pondered and discussed (to "share", if you will). The
amount of defensiveness and counterattacks is alarming, not to mention
disheartening.

It is important for people in the public eye to discuss and get people
involved in the issues of the day. But it is more important, if not
downright necessary, for us as individuals to look further than
RollingStone to assess a president's job performance, etc. Read anything
that you can touch (anything written by Noam Chomsky would be recommended).
 Bill Clinton may be the lesser of evils, but his voting record on many
issues (environmental, censorship, and NAFTA) does not differ that greatly
from the Republican agenda. Real change can never occur until people fully
understand the issues, the political agendas, and make more vocal demands
of their government.

I apologize (especially to Joel Abbott--I promise to never do this again)
for violating and exceeding the space guidelines, but I guess I have been
suffering from a case of Bono-itis... and I guess I've just Bono'ed y'all.
"I hope I'm not buggin' you..."

Take care!
Tina
   

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