Rodney King once asked “Can we all get along?” It was a question meant to bring people together peacefully after a horrible incident in the early 90s where King was treated very unfairly by Los Angeles cops. The police were basically all acquitted and that’s when the riots started. But King wanted a peaceful end to the destruction. The sentiment of racial harmony (or lack thereof) is echoed in Tom MacDonald’s Tom MacDonald’s new video for “Race War.” He joined forces once again with Adam Calhoun. Take a look then scroll down for more thoughts…
Treat Every Man As My Brother. This phrase in the lyrics is what it’s all about. I remember growing up, actually I should say it this way… I DON’T remember growing up thinking about anyone’s race at all. It wasn’t until adulthood that Washington politicians started reminding me and my generation that race matters. Of course, they don’t say it plainly but they’re always around to keep people divided. It’s sick.
Pro-American. One thing that Tom does very consistently is hold up the banner of being an American. Part of Adam’s lyrics in this one go like this, “I ain’t pro-black, I ain’t pro-white, I’m pro-American.” We’re on the same team but the mainstream news doesn’t really want us in harmony. There are ratings to think about. There’s money to be made in division.
Whites and Blacks Are All The Same. For as much as I love most of the lyrics in these songs from Tom, this phrase is not one I totally agree with, although I think we probably see eye to eye on what he’s saying from a zoomed out perspective. But I love the diversity of races. There are qualities of the black race that you can’t find anywhere else. Same with white people, Hispanic people, Asian people. As DCTalk once put it, “There’s joy in diversity.” When I lived in Nashville, I was on the side of town with lots of diversity. Income, race, gender, age. I loved my side of town because I got to see different cultures as close as a few houses down or a few streets over. To say I, as a white man, was just like my neighbors who were Mexican would be a missed opportunity to celebrate the great parts of each of our cultures.
You Against Me. Something’s going on in America, and it’s not good. Our foundation is being shaken and if we don’t come together with calm minds and peace as the goal, the evil powers-that-be are going to tear it all to pieces. They want us to keep fighting against each other, to stay divided. We absolutely cannot let that happen. We’re at the point where we must ask ourselves, “If not now, when?” The time is now to let go of our rigid stone-cold stances on things. To open our eyes to ugly people who only want power. Reject them and come together as Americans. It’s time to get along.
-Out of the Wilderness
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Out of the Wilderness 