14 April 2013
Is it only me who thinks that nowadays they could have run into problems with the lyrics?
Some say that cold war period was sort of more liberal in terms of civil liberties (in the western hemisphere) than what we have now: Ike’s dream Obama’s reality ; others regard the discrimination of women and minorities as more characteristic for this age and time; go figure.
One of the problems that they could have run into in our days is here Why Anti-Authoritarians are Diagnosed as Mentally Ill Of course there are children and adults with genuine problems that can be helped by medication; the problem that the article tries to point out is that the psychiatric definitions are covering a wide spectrum and are subject to interpretation; the result of this interpretation may over time result in repressive practices. (This essay also argues that the DSM diagnostic bible is covering an growing range of disorders, and that things are more and more diffuse )
If society does not tolerate dissent, then dissent is approached/tackled by other means; these means may also involve psychology/psychiatry. ( On the other hand: fewer closed institutions, so no One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest )
I am speculating along these line: maybe back in the past there was a time when sort of every move was measured against the ideological enemy of the cold war; In these times there was a strong disincentive in the west against a wide definition of psychological disorders, namely the Soviet practice of supressing dissent by psychiatric means Political abuse of psychiatry in the Soviet Union
repressive tool here too was a wide definition of a pathological condition Sluggishly progressing schizophrenia
Now maybe this disincentive is gone, together with the Soviet Union;It might be that we West needs an Ideological enemy in order to uphold the torch of freedom, the case for moral high values. On an related/unrelated note: If one compares the practices of the former GDR with those of the former Soviet Union; in the GDR they had repressive practices down from elementary school; the express desire was to filter out undesirable personalities, so that those would not get into university and get an education; see the regime was very frightened of its intellectuals. Maybe with time such a approach/filter might be repeated in a less liberal age and time;
Disclaimer: Not all of my screws are tight, but whose are ? And yes, here are the lyrics of the song:
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"Power Play" by Steppenwolf
What gives you the right? Hey you
To stand there and tell me what to do
Tell me who gave you the power?
To stop me from livin' like I do
Remember if you plan to stay
Those who give can take away
Don't bite the hand that feeds you
Just one time I'd like to be somewhere
Where none of your clever lies fill the air
I'm tired of your frozen smile and your voice of tin
Just might all gang up on you, turn the knob and do you in
Remember if you plan to stay
Those who give can take away
Don't bite the hand that feeds you
This never ending power play
'Tween jealous greed and vicious hate
Is grinding us like giant millstones
But it can't be our only fate
It's time we got our heads together
And let 'em know that we're awake
Those in the dark, you know they're no longer blind
They're breakin' from your strangle hold on their minds
Those who can see don't need no one to cross the street
Be careful who you're pushin' round, they just might find you obsolete
Remember if you plan to stay
Those who give can take away
Don't bite the hand that feeds you
What gives you the right? Hey
To stand there and tell me what to do
Tell me who gave you the power?
To stop me from livin' like I do
Remember if you plan to stay
Those who give can take away
Don't bite the hand that feeds you