It's Not The Poor Folk (Original Song)...A Response To "Rich Men North of Richmond"
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- Опубликовано: 29 сен 2024
- It's Not The Poor Folk (Original Song)...A Response To "Rich Men North of Richmond"
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I wrote this song, "It's Not The Poor Folk", also known as "Proletariat Rising", in response to a song that has gone viral called "Rich Men North of Richmond" by Oliver Anthony which has been hailed as the next great working class anthem. It starts out great commenting on the plight of working folk and the indifference of greedy politicians, but then he turns to admonish other poor folk for eating "fudge rounds" while on welfare. For someone who doesn't want the government to have any control, I find it odd that he wants to control what poor people can and can't eat. And while he identifies the problem, long hours for not enough pay, he doesn't call out private corporate ownership. Those greedy capitalists who will suck you dry to maximize their profits. His solution is to lower taxes and gut social welfare programs. Not sure how those "folks in the street, [who] ain't got nothin' to eat" will get anything to eat without help. Gutting welfare programs without addressing the underlying problems won't do any good for the poor people that literally don't eat without those programs because privately owned institutions get away with paying them less than subsistence wages. There is far more abuse of public money at the top than the bottom. Other poor folk are not your enemy. I agree that modern governments aren't great and in fact, I think the modern institutions of power that utilize charismatic politics, esoteric knowledge, and a monopoly on violence as forms of domination ought to be dismantled and replaced by grass-routes mutual aid and voluntary, uncoerced work that benefits everyone so that we may once again enjoy the three fundamental freedoms outlined by David Graeber and David Wengrow in their book, "The Dawn of Everything" (2021), those being 1) the freedom to move or travel away from despotism under the auspices of universal hospitality for refugee and vagabond alike, 2) the freedom to disobey arbitrary power, and 3) the freedom to shift and negotiate social relations. But private corporate ownership of the means of production needs to be dismantled as well. Under feudalism, peasants served lords to gain access to their ill-gotten land. Under capitalism, workers serve employers in a similar fashion, renting themselves out to "earn" access to the bare necessities of life, all of which have been commodified. Even if the government is gone, you would still have to "sell your soul" to Walmart in order to eat. We cannot let the bourgeoisie divide the working class. Rise Proletariat, and make them cower.
Lyrics:
When the music starts to play
And the words sound about right
Sayin’ man how the rich ought
To be made to fight
For what they stole
For what they embezzled
Not just the politicians
But those bourgeois devils
Well, then the voice it turns
To echo those rich men
To admonish the poor
blame them for the rich man’s sins
So you want to take away
What little they’ve been given
While rich men watch and laugh
As you speak on their behalf
For it's not the poor folk who’s allowed some extra bread
Who is making you toil till you drop dead
No it is not the food stamps or new and different people
The obese and elderly or those who are disabled
I say all are your brothers and none are your enemies
So long as the rich men they suffer no penalties
Freedom is not your traditional values
Crafted from bigotry and classist realities
Freedom is freedom to move and disobey
To rely on one another to keep would be kings at bay
Say none of us can stand alone against their power
We must stand together, and make them cower
For the laws of this land have us used and abused
Owned and subordinate to our patriarchal roots
I say it's high time we reinvent this whole operation
To make mutual benefit our sole occupation
Because Freedom is freedom to move and disobey
To rely on one another to keep would be kings at bay
Say none of us can stand alone against their power
We must stand together, and make them cower
(here we go)
Yes, Freedom is freedom to move and disobey
To rely on one another to keep would be kings at bay
Say none of us can stand alone against their power
Rise proletariat, and make them cower
About half a month ago I stumbled on Oliver Anthony's song "Rich men north of Richmond". Today I found your song "It's not the poor folk", good sir. Cannot hold hold myself back and not through in a penny. Hope I will not sound naive or detachted:
Due to the sins of a rich man
World apart is torn.
Those who could stand together
Are at each others throats.
Gays fight for right to marry
Workmen - for right to eat
None of it really matters
In the rich man's spit
Sitting on bag of dollars
Sucking on fat cigar
Beef among folks is a bonus
For rich men to stay where they are.
People could be united,
But bitterness narrows sight:
When every day is a nightmare,
With woe eyes may come blind.
But stay true to your ideals,
In those you love seek worth:
Don't trust lies of puppeteers
The self-proclaimed kings round the world.
I've had this on repeat for an hour now
These lyrics are take my breath away. I swear this epitomizes 2023.
Excellent. Its full circle that the country's people sing about the corporatism being lived. Moving on to justice, freedom & love like the Hammer song is easier now. 🎉
Keep up the good work, comrade. You speak for more of us than you know
Unfortunately yes he does, and you are all the biggest useful idiots.
Holy shit that's an awesome song dude!❤❤❤
would it be possible to find the chords for this somewhere
It's in the key of G and and can be played with just G, C, D and Em.
Speak truth to power comrade!
Thank you soooo much!!! I recently retired out a few yeas early due to an on the job injury, I've always been left leaning, but as I found out several years ago after my injury, and time on my hands, that an American moderate of left leaner was sitting on the sidelines, happy with the status quo, and right of center in any other country on the planet. Fast forward 5-6yrs, I've claimed land and firmly planted my flag in southwest region of the left, by most international standards. Living in a Midwest flyover red state, and a town located between the suburbs and "when the hell is there going to be an exit so I can pee!", hasn't been the best, but I've learned there are more lefties in rural and semi rural areas than I ever thought, but boy oh boy is everyone in love with Oliver's song, and I'm the only one in my town calling BS on it's intentions, and the dog whistles. Started to feel like maybe I had a bad take on this one, with all the flack I was getting, but seeing a couple articles today, and now this song, this beautifully written and performed song, I feel a great weight off my shoulders, glad I could rely on you, you can rely on me anytime!!
Glad to hear it!
Well said
Seth. The problem is the common man no longer has the means of production. The real economy is distributivist, not capitalist=socialist. Read Pope Leo XIII Rerum Novarum and Pope Pius XII Quadragessimo Anno.
It is still very funny how easily you put on an irish accent when *singing but your speaking accent is so thickly american. Speaking and singing are different skills I suppose.
Nah it's both
Love this ❤
A bit academic, but the juxtaposition of these two songs and some of the debate going on in this comment section is one of the oldest arguments in leftist political discourse. Are the rural poor (peasants, in Marxist terminology) hopelessly conservative? Or with some convincing can they become a vanguard of change? Back in the day, Marx and Engels would have pointed to events like the War in the Vandee during the French Revolution as an example of why those seeking change and social justice should press on without rural support. Bakunin argued that the rural poor's interests were actually closely aligned with the proletariat, but leftist politics needed to avoid attacking their religious beliefs and avoid doctrinaire political language that alienates these folks. Having followed you for a couple years, Seth, I'm pretty sure I know which side of this debate you fall on. ;)
Having lived in rural America, I've had plenty of friends whose political convictions sound very similar to Anthony's. Based off my interaction with them, both the critique of that this song misses Anthony's point about corrupt politician and Seth's counter that the Anthony is overly harsh on welfare recipients and needs to focus more on greedy capitalists are true. Rural American conservatives see a "welfare system" and corrupt D.C. politics as inextricably linked while completely ignoring corporate greed and corruption that do them greater harm. It is one of the most counterintuitive political outlooks I've ever seen. If we ever want to bring these folks' politics into alignment with their interests, there's an educational gap that needs to be bridged. For my two cents, words like "proletariat" and "bourgeois" tend to be counterproductive in this regard. They have been so deeply manipulated that the very things which should be their rallying cry scare them away. Its a gap we need to learn to bridge.
Well said.
Well done! Definitely going to share this elsewhere
Way to completely miss the point. The song isn’t a critique of welfare. Its a critique of our politicians and their screwed up priorities.
Long time listener here. All the way back from Athenry. This is good too. Said that to say there's no animosity here.
But this is why the fascists won the spanish civil war
Care to elaborate?
A far superior sentiment to the original one (and a great song too)
Can you sing the Irish volunteers? An Irish American civil war song?
Have done!
Your song is very pretty and your voice is amazing but I still think Anthony’s song was better
Because Seth Watkins is a good singer spewing Communist lies.
I would encourage you to read my description to better understand what I really think. "Communism" is just a word that has different meanings to different people. I am not a fan of top-down government and I am not a fan of a tyrannical private sector.
@@sethstatonwatkins would you define yourself as an anarchosindicalist?
@@pauvilreutov2975 The most literal interpretation of Communism is the practice of commune, or place of community. That can mean a lot of things to different people, and just like any other belief used by politicians who have picked it up, those politicians often lie about what it means. The difference between them as I see it though is a place of a community puts power in the community members hands. A place of capital put power in the hands of those who hold the capital.
@luisfilipe2023 yes.
Great song, but to me your start just sounded very jealous by basically saying, "he's wrong and I'm right", by saying "It's corporate kings, not social welfare that is keeping you down." Why does anybody have to be wrong? Why can't it be one man did a great job covering one fault of society and here I'll cover another equal fault?
I think "Jealous" is an odd word to use here. I wanted to keep the intro brief and as result, I'll grant you, it lacks some nuance. But I give a more in depth analysis in my description (and the song of course). Hope it helps.
Meh
I'm guessing you didn't know about corporate welfare... Billons of dollars to corporations from the government. Same root problem that social welfare has. The government is keeping us all down.
Comrade Seth Staton Watkins?
"To make mutual benefit our sole occupation."
Words to live by.
As someone pointed out, "Rich Men North of Richmond" delves into the pain of our circumstances. But it does not delve into any solutions. Your piece does.
Keep writing and singing.
And thus the discussion is held in song. I love it.
Edit: Great, now I have another song to go on repeat for who knows how many times.
Great song! While Oliver's lyrics mean different things to different folks, I didn't feel he blamed welfare. Instead, I see the "Rich Men" song addressing the dichotomy of a failed welfare system, and also the powerful and tyrannical political and corporate entities that play a significant role in shaping that system. It portrays a system in crisis; a system that is edging towards a 2 tier economy. It would be great if more songwriters followed your lead of responding with their art, as I believe it would create a cultural shift in music emotionally, and with a message for the new century.
Well said.
he just doesnt want the government taking a giant chunk out of his check and wasting it, which it does constantly. i cant' look at my gross without wanting to organize another revolution.
All of this
That's how I took the original song as well. Very well said my friend.
considering it was, and still is, heavily boosted and astroturfed by american oligarchs (it was literally played during the recent republican debate), i don't believe that for a single second. rich men is a subtle propaganda piece.
'Freedom is not your traditional values [...]
Freedom is freedom to
move and disobey
To rely on one another to keep
Would be kings at bay'
SO GOOD :)
Great song, as someone with cerebral palsy thanks for looking out for the vulnerable.
Same here with the cerebral palsy brother the way I see it neither Oliver nor Seth missed the mark their aiming to solve the same problem but they're aiming their sites at a different source Oliver is most concerned with those in power making the laws and playing us like fiddles as opposed to Seth who is more concerned with the rich men behind the actions of the rich man north of Richmond and the politicians Seth is going after the money and his logic is we deprive the tyrants of resources and we win as opposed to Oliver who wants to aim his gun directly at the tyrants instead of Simply depriving them of resources they're both aiming for the same goal with different methods
"not just the politicians, but those bourgeois devils" second favorite line.
"Rise Proletariat and make them cower!" Favorite line
yes
Whole heartily agree here, both songs are amazing but I agree with the message that you put forth more.
Nope. Social Welfare is the problem. Oliver Anthony is better.
@@TheSupaman98 There is no "nope" to what someone's opinion is lmfao.
Pete Seeger would be proud! ❤
this is a good song, tho i disagree with your interpretation of some of Olivers lyrics, though i will not sit here and say that my way of interpretation the lyrics are the right one either, but im thinking these are the lyrics you are talking about in your song
(Lord, we got folks in the street, ain't got nothin' to eat
And the obese milkin' welfare
Well, God, if you're five-foot-three and you're three-hundred pounds
Taxes ought not to pay for your bags of Fudge Rounds
Young men are puttin' themselves six feet in the ground
'Cause all this damn country does is keep on kickin' them down)
the way i see these lyrics, are that some off the biggest problems in america today, is obesity, homelessness and folks never being able to afford a place to live on their own No matter how hard they work, and when he says "Cause all this damn country does is keep on kickin' them down" i think he means both the hard working folks and the obese, and homeless people, the reason i think that is because it has become a business for Corporations and dirty politicians to keep obese and homeless people, homeless and obese, there are an insane amount of money involved and so they keep the people homeless and obese by "kicking them down" instead of taking care of the problem also he doesn't mention anything about disabled people either like you do in your response, another thing is that Corporation greed and the rich getting richer is exactly the thing he is singing about both in this song and in alot of his other songs hence the name "rich men north of richmond", he is singing about how corporations own everything in america and they do, they own the wealth the resources the land and yes even the "welfare" it is a place of pure corruption and everybody knows it but nobody can or will do anything. anyway that's my rant.
Great job! You embody the true spirit of Irish folk as it echoes through the whole world.
What key is this in? I need to learn to play it!
It's in the key of G!
Wonderful, Fabulous, Lovely, and Inspiring ...lifts my mind and my soul. Thank You dear Seth ... Thank You.
"Rise Proletariat and make them cower!"
Grandpa Marx would be proud.
No hate to Anthony. He is an amazing artist and I sympathize with his song but I personally felt he missed the mark on this one.
Why should my money be taken from me to support others who have made bad decisions that I have not. It's bad that some are in the those positions and need help, but it's none of my business and its being forced upon me. Freedom to disobey you say, I can think of nothing more free than telling the government to shove it when they're taking my money under threat of force.
But yeah, greedy capitalists are bad. That part's common sense.
Social safety nets are very important for a welfunctioning society
Considering I’m without insurance here till the 1st of September and I have disabilities but still paying $120-340 per Doctors visit as I’m still recovering from a wreck and surgery from this year after loosing my last job. Yeah he did miss it. But to many here in America there’s so much political motivation for things people don’t understand where to actually place the blame for things.
@@ting4758 For the same reason its taken to support infrastructure like roads, the military, First responders, libraries, etc. if you don't want to pay your taxes, then don't use any of the infrastructure it supports. Don't drive any vehicles you own, on any of the roads, use the internet that you're currently using, or the power, and move off the grid and stop interacting with society, as these are all services that are subsidized by the government that you pay a premium to use. However if you are still choosing to interact with society in any meaningful way that means you have to pay into it.
Seth, thank you for this song. It is beautiful and powerful.
I am disabled, my brother is an injured gulf war veteran.
Your song really resonates with me regarding our relatives, who are part of the capitalism you sing of. Thank you for singing truth!
Hallelujah! What a song. And I hope you have more original songs in you, because you'll have a big impact with your marvelous voice and great musicianship. 🤩🤩
I need the chords please 🙏 been playing guitar for 20 years but still cant play by ear 😢
I like how the end doesn't get way too aspirated and overdone but also it doesn't sound flat.
Your song hits it perfectly. Our corporate overlords, which really have wound up not much different than fuedal lords when the people have no choice but to fall in line or wind up homeless and dying, have done such a good job of directiong the peoples anger towards the wrong groups. Yeah, the vast majority of politicians have done a terrible job of passing laws and funding programs that help and support us, the people. Theyve gutted social safetey nets and programs to help the poor, the sick and infirm.
But the CEOs, the Board of Directors and the rich men who own these companies claiming record profits year after year are the real enemies. They are the ones forcing people into long hours for terrible pay. They dont provide a living wage while they pocket millions hand over fist. They tell you to blame inflation, blame the politicians, to blame the poor.
But they are the problem. Not your fellow man. Your corporate masters run the show. Blame them. Cause its their fault.
Well said.
Why should Galen Weston be paid $10 million a year for doing nothing and why should they be able to arbitrarily bring up prices because of "operating costs"
Why do celebrities want us to donate to charity when they themselves have the money
Heck, Elon Musk could literally end world hunger for at least a decade.
Rise proletariat and make them cower!
Thank you. It's scary, how everyone latched onto the pain in that song & never stopped to question the decision to kick down.
Because there was no kicking down. He was singing about a ridiculous inefficient system that allows people who are fully capable of taking care of themselves become dependent on it, when there are others who truly need help but aren't getting it. Obesity is a problem in this country especially among the poorer among us and while the system should be able to help those in need it should not make problems worse instead on better. The term, "kicking/punching down" is a nonsense propaganda term to make you argue over nonsense and completely ignore a real problem. You should stop swallowing that stuff.
@@acady5164 Bullshit. In a song about the ravages of poverty from the "rich men north of Richmond," he still took the time to attack SNAP recipients with the classic poor-hate of "taxes ought not to pay for your bags of fudge rounds" to blame the people even worse off than him, then immediately pivots to talking about how kicking down causes suicide. That one line did more to undermine his overall message than any hot take, and the people trying to defend it are doing the same damned thing, because it's what the rich men in DC tell you to do about it.
I don't think it was deliberate, but it was telling. You don't even have the excuse of carelessness.
@@acady5164 Who are you to decide who is "fully capable of taking care of themselves" or not? ESPECIALLY in an economic system the REQUIRES a permanent underclass of under- and unemployed, aka the reserve army of labour.
Free each according to ability, to each according to need. PERIOD.
"We were born of the night. We live in it. We will die in it. But tomorrow the light will be for the most, for all those who mourn the night today, for whom the day is denied, for whom death is a gift, for whom life is prohibited. For all the light. For everyone everything. For us the pain and anguish, for us the joyful rebellion, for us the denied future, for us the insurrectionary dignity. Nothing for us."-Fragment of the 4th declaration of the lacandona Jungle
underrated
So many haters here😞😞😞 sigh…
Perfection
This is a good song but you're purity spiraling a bit. Your only disagreement seems like that one line about welfare, which isnt even the main focus of the song
Wait, you're American? I thought you were Irish
He might as well be 😄
Keep it up Irishman
well yes....but how do a lot of those politicians come to power...corporate backings....
Yes, that is the point of the song..."not just the politicians but those bourgeois devils"
@@sethstatonwatkins agreed, they all need to go.
RAISE THE SCARLET STANDARD! SOLIDARITY! ✊✊✊
Hell yeah. This is what I am talking about
Are you American ? Im so sorry for not pickingupyouraccent earlierif so (and if so wow you kinda screwed me wit ya irish rebel music lol still love your voice no matter what race you may be)
The more I liszen to this, the more I love it ❤ Really a great song with a great message.
My sister is on welfare. She has a rare form of epilepsy that is resistaint to therapy and surgery. She has 1 or 2 seiziures a week.
She cant hold down an entry job when she cant realible work a full day (not her fault).
She looks like a healty young women.
But she gets disapproving looks from strangers when they see her EBT card.
The vast majority of wellfare recipients are not cheating.
Exactly.
@@sethstatonwatkins
Love your music.
Have you thought about doing Corb Lunds "This is my Prarie"?
I have only met two cheaters in my life... I support you💜💜💜 and I’m on welfare too-two jobs and couldn’t make ends meet even then… down to one because the company laid everyone off in every state… major shutdown. I wouldn’t have my lifesaving medications (MH support) were it not for welfare atm… so many good and deserving people use welfare the honest way-like your sister-and they don’t deserve to suffer💜💜💜 hugs💜💜💜 May she continue to get the support that she needs.
Much love & support for your sister. Sadly there are people that judge others in society without knowing their personal circumstances and some people even assume they know another person’s circumstances by appearance alone. My mom has a heart condition that she has had since childhood and thankfully as long as she takes her medications and follows Doctors orders she lives a somewhat normal life. Her physical abilities are limited so she qualifies for a disabled parking permit. When she was younger . My mom looked healthy. You couldn’t tell she had a heart condition and when she would use disabled parking sometimes people would stare at her and some even accused her of using someone else’s disabled parking permit and taking the disabled parking from others who really needed it and would get quite mean. You cant judge a book by its cover.
Thank goodness your sister has you. Good bless.
乐声中充满难以掩饰的悲怆，夹杂着对未竟的事业的遗憾，还有一丝飘渺的希望。
While I liked rich men and it was refreshing to see a political country song not just shit on the left, the welfare and 300 lb verses really sat poorly with me. Thanks for making this. Some of these responses in the comments are a big oof though, if not unexpected.
OOF indeed! I can’t stop reading tho…
is there piano sheet music for this?
It's so awesome to hear an original Seth! This song is beautiful! Well done mate! ❤🎉
✊️✊️✊️
Thank you!
This feels forced and it's nowhere near as soulful. Granted the oliver song has flaws, but this has so many more.
I will concede that this song is a bit intellectual, as other people have astutely pointed out. And it's not filled to the brim with the simple played-out adages you hear from every far-right commentator that I will concede again are, nonetheless, very popular. It would seem there are some people who just want to hear the same shallow rant over and over again.
Hear! Hear! My fellow workers!
My coworkers can't even work more than 64 hours without them taking out so much in taxes that the check is worth less than what it was with less hours. Sorry but I think a lot of it is the government that's keeping us down. That's not to say that there's not corporate laundering as well in fact that's another big part of what's corrupting our government
I'd suggest your coworkers look into that. That sounds like someone is scamming him. It is always better to work more with the taxes systems in both Canada and the USA. Other than municipal taxes, everything is a progressive taxes, and not flat percent tax. It can become less worth your time, but you should always be making more unless you are trying to qualify for welfare. Then it is the means testing that will bite you.
Keep it up!! Culture is such a huge part of any revolutionary movement. Love this so much.
Well said!
Best since the great Luke Kelly
FYI, this is what the UK Guardian newspaper had to say about "Rich Men North of Richmond" on Wednesday of this week. Unfortunately most non-RUclips weblinks vanish into black holes, so here's the text:
In Rich Men North of Richmond, Oliver Anthony, a bushy-bearded former North Carolina factory worker, sings passionately about working hard for “bullshit pay”.
Armed with just a guitar and his powerful voice, he identifies the source of the problem: “rich men north of Richmond” - federal politicians - who “want to have total control”. The song laments homelessness - “folks in the street ain’t got nothin’ to eat” - and a national suicide crisis: “Young men are putting themselves six feet in the ground / ’Cause all this damn country does is keep on kicking them down.”
So far, so resonant: the song has collected more than 12m views on RUclips alone, and on Tuesday afternoon, it sat at No 3 on Spotify’s Top 50 - USA list.
But things start to feel a little less empathetic when Anthony starts complaining about “the obese milking welfare”, reasoning that “if you’re 5-foot-3 and you’re 300 pounds / Taxes ought not to pay for your bags of fudge rounds”. We can all agree that politicians have caused many of America’s problems; it’s harder to argue that our country is being destroyed by short, overweight chocolate enthusiasts. He also rails against taxation, which he says means “your dollar ain’t shit”.
The supposed welfare abuse sounds like a rightwing talking point, and Anthony doesn’t appear to have considered that the nefarious fudge rounds might be feeding the very people he mentioned with nothing to eat. But Anthony claims to “sit pretty dead center” when it comes to politics, according to a video filmed in his car the day before the video was released. “I remember as a kid the conservatives wanting war, and me not understanding that. And I remember a lot of the controversies when the left took office, and it seems like, you know, both sides serve the same master.”
Still, a reference to politicians “looking out for minors on an island somewhere” - apparently a reference to Jeffrey Epstein’s ties to elite figures - has also prompted speculation that Anthony could be nodding to QAnon, the far-right conspiracy theory positing that Democrats and Hollywood stars are drinking the blood of children. In the car video, Anthony claims child trafficking has become “normalized”, though what he’s referring to isn’t clear.
Jason Aldean’s Try That in a Small Town sums up the delusions of the right wing
.
It’s no surprise, then, that the song has been an enormous hit among the loudest rightwingers: Kari Lake, former candidate for Arizona governor, calls it “the anthem of this moment in American history”. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene calls it “the anthem of the forgotten Americans who truly support this nation and unfortunately the world”. The far-right activist Jack Posobiec can’t “even remember the last time a new song hit me like this”.
The rightwing commentator Matt Walsh, meanwhile, claims the “song is raw and authentic … Everything around us is fake. A guy in the woods pouring his heart over his guitar is real.” Wait till Walsh hears about Bon Iver in 2007, or Ed Sheeran busking in a train station, or pretty much anyone at a New York open mic on a Wednesday night.
Still, these politicians and provocateurs have helped Anthony rise from obscure singer-songwriter to darling of the right in record time - sparking questions over how authentically viral his rise has been.
On Twitter, Jason Howerton, who advertises himself on LinkedIn as having “helped grow media companies and political influencers grow their social media footprint exponentially”, has been a major proponent of Anthony’s work, sharing the musician’s life story in a thread, offering to finance an album - which the rightwing country singer John Rich apparently agreed to produce - and announcing the musician had just joined Twitter. It does feel remarkable that Anthony decided to share his life story on RUclips a day before releasing a video that went viral.
But Howerton denies any claims of astroturfing - in which powerful figures orchestrate supposed grassroots campaigns - and, as Chris Willman writes in Variety, there’s no clear evidence of it. And whether or not it was promoted by outside forces, the song has clearly struck a genuine chord with listeners. There are many unknown performers who can work wonders with just a guitar, and who are equally deserving of a platform, but there is no denying Anthony’s voice packs a punch.
Compared with the likes of Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis and the rightwingers sharing his song, he also seems to have a modicum of empathy. Granted, the standards are incredibly low. But it’s difficult to imagine any of those figures offering listeners a sign-off like Anthony’s: “I hope wherever you are in the world listening to this, and whatever it is that you’re trying to do with your life, I hope that you succeed.”
It would be nice if he’d apply that apparently heartfelt philosophy to his own lyrics. Winston Marshall, formerly of Mumford and Sons, compared Anthony to Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie - but if either of them ever recorded a song mocking the poorest of the poor, it’s been lost to history. If Anthony wants to keep moving upward, he should aim his punches in the same direction.
Postscript: Somewhat ironically, at a time when poverty is increasing here at the fastest rate for decades, we have a Prime Minister who lives, well, east of Richmond, Yorkshire, and is the richest PM this country has ever had, being (in US$ terms) a billionaire.
And the whole title of the song is a Confederate dogwhistle. Richmond being the former center of power of the CSA during the Civil War and DC being North of that. I think that's something not a lot of people are talking about either. Granted, cornfedrate apologia is fairly common in post Civil Rights era country music.
Great song! I just think you kind of missed the point of Anthoney's song
The song talks about government overreach and addreses the corruption of the current system, making politicians and their corporate friends richer at the cost of the working class being oppressed. The only refrence he makes to wellfare is his disaproval of people who are obese and able to work but have through their lifestyle become a burden on society. He never says anything against anyone who needs wellfare due to actual medical conditions or circumstances they have no control over.
Just thought I would add my 2 cents
I love your music Seth. Keep en coming😂
He intentionally missed the point to push a narrative.
Brilliant.
Common Seth W
So what are you trying to say in the verse about “I say all are your brothers and none are your enemies so as long as the rich men they suffer no penalties”? Are you saying that the “corporate Kings” or “rich men north of Richmond” (aka politicians which is what I think he was referring to) should suffer no penalties because in both songs you’re blaming a higher power which should be more to the point than anything else in either song
Corporate kings are owners of capital (the owner of the coal mine for example), not politicians. Politicians are largely symbolic at this point and they don't pay your wages. Your boss pays your wages and he is the one responsible for the "bullshit pay". Oliver's song doesn't mention them for some reason. Probably because they have done such a good job redirecting our anger toward the politicians (primarily those on the left). And that lyric is saying that workers should not demonize each other while the rich go unpunished. "All are your brothers" as in even obese people on welfare (they might be disabled, or a military vet, or suffer from severe mental illness...Oliver doesn't know their story yet he feels comfortable passing judgement). They are still less of a burden on society than corporate vampires. All of the poor and disadvantaged must unite against their oppressors. Not fight over the scraps. So my song is entirely on point. Oliver's deviates a bit.
@@sethstatonwatkins ok it makes more sense now, I’m a Midwest farmer and I am my own boss essentially and I make a wage decided my the Chicago board of trade that decides how much I sell my crop for and it ain’t right that I buy everything for my farm at retail prices and sell my end product which is grain at wholesale price and I don’t decide the price either way, then I pay taxes to the government for stuff that ain’t necessary and I don’t have a say in where it goes either
@@sethstatonwatkins and another thing if you haven’t read charley Reese’s final column for the Orlando sentinel look it up and tell me what you think
@markstoll7179 yours is a tough situation and a better example of a failed system. As for the column I sympathize but I think he lets corporations off the hook. When you build an entire social fabric around monetary gain, and allow limitless money into the halls of justice, corruption is inevitable. Remove the corrupt politicians sure but they will just be replaced. Remove those who corrupt them, and things might actually change for the better. Politicians don't actually make very much money from our taxes (around 0.003% of the budget goes to their salaries) so that isn't why they are taxing us. They make their money from private donors and in exchange they do their bidding, some of which is using our tax dollars to buy private sector goods (think military contractors and private medical providers...private companies that are paid billions with our tax dollars because they paid a few million to some politicians). If you make it impossible to accept that kind of money while in office, and create term limits, that office will only attract genuine public servants from each successive generation, and not career politicians who are only there to build their wealth. My two cents anyway.
@@sethstatonwatkins i agree 95%, my taxes my not go to their wallets directly they go to over paying to build a bridge and a company get rich and then that company’s stock price goes up and the politician just happens to buy it a week before it goes up so what goes around comes around, and I am not saying big companies should be left alone while we put all the blame on politicians I think they should both be held equally accountable, and yes term limits for politicians should definitely be a thing look at Senator feinstein 90 years old and just signed power of attorney over to her daughter and yet she’s still allowed to vote on stuff that ain’t right
If that's what you got from his song, then you weren't listening very well. Europeans love their welfare state, but actual working Americans hate every part of it. The rich men in DC, and the degenerates on the dole are equally loathed. Non Americans don't understand that, but that's your problem, not ours.
Well put.
Humm, as an American, and a professional that works with poor children, let me just say they would be dead without it. Especially Medicaid. Some of their parents are working two or three jobs to make ends meet. No health care and minimum wage ( which is a joke). They are the working poor! And our FEW safety nets are literally life savers.
@@Rrss369 you speak of the exception, not the rule. Try to catch up.
Not true! Catch up! And if the rich payed into taxes there would be plenty! Trumps tax cuts for the rich is disgusting! And raising ours! Catch up. And get off your sound bites, please!
@djw8212 and you just outed yourself as a commie. Glad we got that out of the way.
Well, this isn't exactly a response because it is directed at a completely different audience. If you think Oliver and the millions of people who this song speaks to lean communist or socialist or gravitate to terms like "proletariat" and "bourgeoisie", you are very much mistaken. That's a completely different crowd. To me it's like saying, "I'd like to respond to the song 'Chattanooga Choo Choo' with the song 'Casey Jones' ". They share some similarities but are utterly different. Oliver objects to the abuse of power, not to the wealth. He wants to be taxed less so people like him can keep more of the money they earn. His dollar isn't shit because the politicians along with the Fed have deflated the currency and cause massive inflation by spending trillions on programs that amount to a bunch of nothing. He's tired of subsidizing the shitty dietary choices of people who could be working but instead sit around and milk the system, knowing that the resulting diabetes they'll incur means he'll also get to pay for their complicated heath care needs to boot. He's tired of seeing the opioid crisis claiming young men because government is running interference for Big Pharma and DC refuses to close the border thus allowing tons of fentanyl easy entry into the US. I'm sure he's got nothing against the millions "rich men" all around this country that start businesses, pay a ton in taxes, employ people, or otherwise manage to accumulate 2.2 million dollars (the current definition of rich) in assets over time - cause he's soon going to be one of those people. Obviously, the song is titled this way because it sounds more musical than the "Politicians, lobbyists, autocrats, and deep staters in DC".
Anyway, love your music.
Completely agree.
Glad you like the music. But I'm confused...it sounds like people like Oliver want the government to back off and let these rich men keep "their" money. But how are these rich men earning said money? How do you differentiate between them? How many of them own a McDonalds franchise, or work in Big Pharma, or otherwise spend billions of dollars on marketing campaigns to sell the very same poor dietary choices or lethal drugs people like Oliver attribute to fat lazy poor people or the border? Why not call out the Sackler family? How many of these rich men vote against politicians that would seek to raise the minimum wage at the request of their constituents or curtail said efforts to sell their shitty products? And then how many work in private healthcare, either for insurance providers or private hospitals? Surely those individuals who make their living off sick people have an incentive to create more sick people. Do you see how there will always be, at some point, a fundamental disconnect between the imperatives of employers and employees, between private capital owners (these rich men) and the average citizen? For these are the same rich men that employ people, pay some taxes, and manage to accumulate more wealth than 98% of their fellow Americans all while pretending they earned every cent (i.e. as much as 400x more than those they employ).
Let's continue. What happens when the people on welfare get that job at one of those McDonalds franchises, perpetuating the distribution of poor dietary choices which they then consume because they aren't paid enough (a vicious cycle of exploitation). What about the millions of Americans who simply can't afford to live on their current wages without welfare? What about those that physically cannot work? Letting the rich men keep "their" money by getting rid of taxes that fund social programs does nothing to address these legitimate concerns. Sure it might disabuse the 0.9% of abusers but the 99.1% of legitimate users are left behind. People say getting rid of welfare will force companies to pay more but then who are these people starving in the streets for whom Oliver expresses sympathy (and rightfully so)? Why aren't they employed by these rich men who just want to make an honest living and why aren't they getting paid enough to keep themselves off the streets? Are we just sad about it or do we intend to help them? They aren't on welfare, otherwise they'd be eating their fair share of fudge rounds, right? And then if they were, we'd just tell them to get a job, right? Does it not compute that most of the people on public assistance would be more people starving in the street without said public assistance? It doesn't make sense to express sympathy for a condition that is alleviated by the institution you then criticize. I think it has been well established that most people on public assistance have no desire to be in that situation. There is not a substantial number of people who make it their life goal to live in poverty on subsistence wages from the government. It's a myth and a distraction and therefore not worth bringing up. He gives it a place in his song so as to suggests an equivalence between the rapacity of the rich and the poor that does not exist.
To conclude, paying workers fairly addresses these concerns (and we achieve fair wages by allowing workers to unionize and fight for fair wages...and electing politicians who will fight for them). Having social safety nets (paid for via graduated income and revenue taxes) for children, the elderly, the disabled, and anyone else who cannot work a full-job addresses these concerns. Both are only temporary solutions in my mind but for now, they can do and have done some good. So, the question is, would Oliver and people like him support the McDonalds franchise owners and their right to accumulate as much money as possible? Or would they support the politicians trying to fight for better wages on behalf of their working constituents, and social safety nets for those that can't work, that yes, some people will abuse on a small scale (again it's like 0.9%)? I think I know the answer but I hope I'm wrong.
@@sethstatonwatkins Man I'm not trying to argue economic theory right now. Whether you like it or not almost all country listeners are devout capitalist.
@sethstatonwatkins You literally asked 17 questions (albeit a couple of them rhetorical) in your response - all valid subjects to discuss and debate, but are tangential to the central point I was making in my previous post. These two songs are talking PAST each other in terms of their target audience. They appeal to different constituencies. What @williamjenkins4913 said so well and succinctly "whether you like it or not almost all country listeners are devout capitalists." In CURRENT times, the audience in the song you rebut with hits the G-spots of anti-capitalists, impressionable students taking questionable degrees ending in "studies", Bernie Sanders and AOC speech writers, and University Faculty lounge dwellers. Those people (and the self-identifying elites at places like the Lincoln Project, Bulwark, and NYT) hate and attack Oliver's song because they know he and his audience come with the life and value perspectives of a different tribe they loathe - the “deplorables”, the “clingers”, the “irredeemables”, or on your side of the planet, the “Gammon”. Evidently, he reads scripture before his concert. It doesn’t get more “clinger” and vile than that in the eyes of his detractors.
I’m not making the case that Oliver’s song is a classic anthem for a generation. Who knows if anyone will be listening to it in five years time? But if you divorce the lyrics from the music and apply a LITERAL interpretation to the words vs. a figurative reading, then you certainly can pick apart (deconstruct as “smart crowd” says) the song and completely miss that the sum of the parts deftly captures the zeitgeist of a particular moment in time. This highlights the power of music (and oratory as well). I could deconstruct the Straubs “Part of the Union” song and paint a very harsh and disagreeable picture via a pedantic, word by word analysis. But I accept and acknowledge the song should be taken figuratively. I’ll do the math and accept that there are valid grievances and history to back up the anger that this simplified, short-hand, pop song version (which, if read literally) barely rises above an adolescent temper tantrum on the page. I’d apply the same standard to your song “It’s Not the Poor Folk” and “Rich man North of Richmond” - the sum is better than its parts. There are very few actual Nihilists walking around wishing to live with the realities of civilizational chaos that would ensue should that philosophy be put into practice. But there are masses of people that will happily sing along and tap an approving toe to John Lennon’s “Imagine”, which is perhaps the best anthem to nihilism I’ve ever heard. Such is the power of music, for good and for ill.
Lastly, to you or anyone else reading this far believing that I’m ignoring the list questions you posed -- 15 years ago I would have probably gone down the list and spent a paragraph or two trying to thoughtfully answer each one. But having gone down this road multiple times, I’ve learned that the most reliable response is to have the responses I’ve made ignored and then be presented with a host of new questions that I’m expected to respond to. Honestly, I would probably have answered if limited to one or two points to rebut, but at the end of the day I just stand by the point I made in my second sentence. Be well.
@yoyopg123 Respectfully, your entire response is set against a straw man and that is likely because you didn't address the questions raised. Those "17 questions" weren't in response to Oliver's song or his art but to the narrative YOU crafted to generalize people like Oliver and his fans. If you aren't going to take the time to analyze that narrative, maybe it shouldn't have been crafted to begin with. You can say that all country listeners are devout capitalists, but what does that even mean? Does it hold up when you start asking questions like those I posed to you? Would Oliver support the business owner or his fellow wage laborers? I think it likely that answers will vary in which case we have a nuanced situation with nuanced actors that could then begin to discuss and debate these subjects that are supposedly "tangential to the central point", for they are only tangential because instead of addressing them, you would sit here and categorize all people in this debate as rigid anti-capitalists (and all of the derogatory and politically motivated terms you used to describe them), or rigid capitalists (those the anti-capitalists would supposedly call "deplorables" though I have only ever heard that from Hillary Clinton who most certainly is not an anti-capitalist), rather than dissecting their thoughts and feelings to determine what they actually believe beyond the shallow definitions most people hold in their minds. I would have them engage the nuances behind the ideologies rather than simply identify with this or that term without a second thought. If someone can't describe to me why they are a devout capitalist, they very likely aren't a devout capitalist but I would be interested in asking them questions to determine what they do believe.
Also, I find your needless jabs (such as "impressionable students taking questionable degrees ending in 'studies'") distasteful and not unlike those jabs you attribute to Oliver's detractors. They betray your bias for I think you referenced terms like "deplorables" to present the people you identify as my primary audience as generally condescending but that falls flat when you then condescend those people in the same manner. People are allowed to study what they wish, and unless you wish to sit in and engage with those students and their professors, those "university faculty lounge dwellers" - as if to suggest they do nothing else - you are simply commenting on that of which you willfully remain ignorant.
Finally, John Lennon's song "Imagine" isn't about nihilism (in my opinion as that is primarily all we can attest to here). In fact it is likely the opposite. Taken at face value, it is what its parts suggest, a world where the things that divide us don't exist and therefore, a world where we are completely united as one human community. Or even better, as Lennon put it himself: "'Imagine', which says: 'Imagine that there was no more religion, no more country, no more politics,' is virtually The Communist Manifesto, even though I'm not particularly a Communist and I do not belong to any movement." I can see why perhaps a devout catholic might wish to present it as nihilism, but it would be naive to recognize such an interpretation without also recognizing the catholic as holding convictions that the song threatens to undermine (those being faith in their god and their particular religion). It would seem in this instance you have betrayed your biases once again, in that you would give credence to the catholics' interpretation of Lennon but not the leftists' interpretation of Oliver. And that's when leftists aren't even criticizing the entire song, just the parts of it that you would have us believe need to be taken figuratively. In my opinion, if Oliver's song gives a conflicting message, and therefore can't be dissected or taken literally, it probably isn't a song with a strong message. More just a rant against various groups of people and nothing which hasn't been said many times before. That is not to say he isn't talented. He is very talented and he gave a very compelling performance nonetheless.
Anyway, be well yourself.
This is brilliant. x
Absolutely based 10/10 song
First Yet Again! ❤🎉
I am reading all of your responses, Seth-I hear you; and I’m listening…
💚💚💚
I always took Anthony as talking about the people who abuse the system both corporate and welfare. I worked in welfare for a while- it's a sad truth that it is a system that is very abused and unfortunately it hurts the folks who need welfare the most. One thing you learn on the job is you can't take it personal because it will kill you. But seeing many fall through the cracks and other's fly by on welfare out of laziness, resulting in good kids turning to drugs and crime to get by, then I hear folks say "it's the hood kids were born bad and some bull'"...oh I get Anthony's cynical thoughts on it.
The real abusers are the people who created and maintain an economic system that requires a permanent underclass of poor and under/unemployed to function.
From each according to ability, to each according need or GTFO.
awesome song and a great way to make your point. I thin
k you have a talent for writing songs and should do more of your own songs. Thank you for introducing me to the music of Oliver
I have just listened to his song and my take on it is a common complaint about
welfare louts and governments not doing enough for the worker. I have also enjoyed your comments in response to the comments section most entertaining and insightful.
Thank you!
Down with Coporate Kings!🔥
Beautiful song! A big fan as always!
Love your music and agree with you normally but it's weird because outside of a single line everything is talking against the actually rich. Like i get your issue with the song but no one seems to acknowledge the rest of the song that also exists
I'm pretty sure that's he's calling out both corporate and government bullshittery
Thank you for this Seth! Pointing out it’s the corporate greed that is keeping us down and not the poor. Stand together is the only way we can make change!
When did Oliver say it was the poor’s fault?
@@connorlanglais5651 he blames the 300 pound woman on snap benefits with fudge rounds and says nothing about corporate greed.
Heck yeah!
Perfect
I know most of your listeners are socialist, but to me as MAGA, 95% of your song is gold. It is time to end worker exploitation, let regular people own houses, and provide for the homeless. Just remember that most of the exploitation is done by those against whom we have no redress. I worked hard to improve, then quit my factory job and am better off now going to drive truck. I will never be able to beat the tax machine like that.
Please think on this:
Very few corporations could give workers a universal fifty percent wage increase just by cutting out the grease at the top.
The government complex could give workers a universal fifty percent wage increase by cutting out income tax.
Politicians need the money even less than CEOs. If they had really wanted to fix homelessness and poverty, they could have done it with the budget they have. But they never will, so its up to us, the workers, to do it ourselves. And until our taxes lower, the politicians make it too difficult to feed ourselves, let alone our neighbors.
I get where you're coming from, but there are some major problems with this.
1. Income tax for typical working class people is not that much in the US. To get to the maximum, you have to earn almost 600.000 a year (if you're single). And even then, you're only at 37%. A typical US worker is only at around 22% income tax. And that doesn't even apply to the whole amount. For someone who earns 80k a year and is single, income tax only adds up to roughly 16% of their income. Cutting that out would make a difference, but it is very far away from 50%. And if you earn less, the difference would be even lower than that. If you earn only 40k a year, you only pay 11%.
2. Taxes are used for far more than paying politicians. Do they get too much? Absolutely. But there are a lot of public services that wouldn't work without being paid for with taxes.
I am always on board with changing the government to help poor people. But getting rid of income tax wouldn't change that much for poor people. I would suggest closing loopholes for rich people and increasing the minimum wage.
@@Dhorannis 1. Where do you live? Looking at my paychecks (factory and road work), I lose roughly 30% of my gross to either income tax or a mandatory retirement plan which I have no choice in. That means the working class people get 2/3 of their income. Adding that extra third back is basically a brand new 50%. Factoring the retirement out, I only lose about 1/5 of my money- but that means an extra 25% to my paycheck. No CEO earns 25% of all their workers combined. Let alone the self-employed people plagued by the same taxes.
2. Sure, more than paying politicians. Paying excessive soldiery, paying IRS agents, paying agency bureaucrats, paying inefficient road workers, paying 6-figure university professors/administrators, paying insurance companies, paying welfare fraudsters, paying child abusers in public school, paying lawyers for nonsense cases, paying retired people who would have made more money saving on their own, paying everybody and their brother whenever they feel like dangling a carrot to control.
Obviously, some taxes are needed. Some programs are necessary. Sure, get rid of rich peoples' loopholes. But high taxes will always affect those who are working first. Statistically, working class people are the most likely to give to the poor. Take away their money, and you throw them into poverty, preventing them from giving to those who really need it.
Finally someone who fuggin gets what those lyrics meant.
Brother I'm gonna disagree and agree with you, it's both that steal from the hard working men! If we get our govt that is suppose to be for the people instead of beholden to corporate interest our society would make a big leap forward. If a politician is caught taking money from corporate interest and pushing laws to help that corporate interest, jail time no excuses!
While I don't mind our tax dollars helping someone that is down on thier luck but it shouldn't support them for a lifetime unless they are physically unable to do so for themselves. If you are able body get your ass to work like the rest of us.
While I agree with some of your points, I disagree that welfare should not support you forever… the system traps so many of us into needing welfare for much longer than we’d like to be… your statement “if you’re able bodied get your ass to work” doesn’t resonate well for a few reasons.
1. Many people have debilitating illnesses, such as mental health struggles, that make them appear able bodied while still preventing them from working steadily or safely… what you are saying does have some merit, I agree, but it is not true of all cases.
2. Much of the downturn of our luck is written into the system, and the government in many ways prevents us from being able to turn that luck around… I was working two jobs and still couldn’t make ends meet, forcing me to go on welfare-now inflation and due payments and my wages are preventing me from doing better, as I would be absolutely hopeless without welfare. I am absolutely working, and I cannot afford to live because of so many facets in the system… my “sister” (friend) is also on welfare and works 60+ hours a week. Insurance rates and deductibles-not to mention food, gas, rent, debt, bills, and other prices-have gone through the roof, and it’s to a point where even someone toiling with two jobs cannot live without welfare. If we keep the current system, some hardworking people such as these will need to be on welfare their entire lives, and it isn’t fair to say they should lose that because they have been trying for years and overworking themselves for too little pay, only to still be unable to make ends meet their whole lives… as long as you’re trying, or need help such as the elderly and disabled (both of which my grandparents fell under) I will happily provide my tax dollars to support you in a heartbeat… I would never want someone to go hungry or without just because they can’t make ends meet for a number of years.
@menyou1443 if you are working 40 hrs a week and are still qualifying for welfare then me personally I wouldn't have an issue with you continuing to get it. On the mental issue part I can see that ad well but also believe that would end up getting abused. I'm all for helping someone as long as they are trying to help their self but you and I know to many people take advantage of that system. Hope things get better for you!
@@charliecrowley1070 thank you, and fair enough! I agree that there should be screening so you can at least have some proof that you qualify for disability on the mental health front. Otherwise, as you said, so many people could try to get out of it. I’m more thinking of people who were like me in the first months post-trauma, who were having mental breakdowns for a month or more straight and had to take tranquilizers (frighteningly called as needed “antipsychotics”) to even half function without a breakdown at work or from a simple colleague interaction. I do know many people who invalidate my MH struggles because of people who absolutely abuse that and overplay their symptoms when they aren’t actually mentally ill, but just whiny. Perhaps if we have some solid procedure and COVERED psychological testing available so mental health professionals can confirm and assist the process, it would be more appropriate to assign those MH disability labels.
@menyou1443 Hoprfully we will get our economy back and that will help you with locating a better paying job.
@@charliecrowley1070 I actually make good enough money-maybe when they think about what they are doing, they’ll decide that it can now equal a l*ving wage…
No gods no kings
I mean i really enjoyed your song. Though i am scratching my head. I dont know why this is considered a response as the messaging in both is similar. In the other song the message is that the rich men caught up in corporate and political greed in D.C. want to keep the popualtion down. And they have multiple tools of doing that. And in the American system at least which the song is primarily talking about though can be extrapolated elsewhere. One of those primary tools used is the bureaucratic mess that is the welfare system. Hes not balming poor people hes blaming the system that is keeping those people down and not encouraging any sort of movment, econmically which has kept everything stagnet econmically particularly for the poor working class. While everything around them is now changing becuse of preassure by the rich men north of Richmond. So like i said i enjoyed your song but i am left scratching my head.
They would rather use our income as a source of natural selection than actually pay a living wage…
Disagree with this one. Welfare is forcibly taken from the working man's pocket, and we have every right not to approve of what its going to. I wouldn't approve of my tax dollars funding someone's drug addiction either, it's the same thing. Really think you need to self analyze if that's the only thing you got out of that song, it seems more like you are looking for something to hate on it for. It addresses so many of the everyday mans concerns which is why so many people like it
I have given Oliver plenty of credit where it is due. Some would say too much and I would be inclined to agree as he never actually addresses the private capitalists who are responsible for his "bullshit pay" and long hours and instead lazily places all the blame on politicians. I wrote this song not to address the parts I liked in his song (his song already does that) but those I didn't like and to present some new ideas entirely. Why is that so difficult for people like you to wrap your head around? I would say you likely need to "self analyze" if you get this offended by people who point out obvious shortcomings such as these undeniably tone deaf lyrics:
"And the obese milkin' welfare
Well, God, if you're 5-foot-3 and you're 300 pounds
Taxes ought not to pay for your bags of fudge rounds."
As I've said before, where in Dante's nine circles of hell does he get off thinking he can just blanketly decide that all obese people don't deserve SNAP benefits? As if 2/3 of all American adults aren't obese or overweight. And most working-age SNAP participants do in fact work and they primarily use SNAP to supplement criminally low wages and support themselves when they are between jobs. Should these working folk just starve? Obesity is a problem, sure, but it is a problem that arises in a society that values profit over health. We do nothing to curtail greedy corporations who saturate the market with endless high calorie, low nutrient snacks and then condemn poor people for eating those high calorie, low nutrient snacks that are more readily available than healthy alternatives.
In my song I am suggesting that instead of needlessly punching down at these people with just their weight in mind, making an enemy of fellow workers, we should all unite to demand better wages and working conditions from corporate oligarchs. I am not saying we shouldn't help people get off welfare but welfare isn't the reason people are on welfare. People were poor and in need of aid before welfare programs were created and they remain poor for one primary reason: low wages. Make corporations pay workers higher wages and less people will be on welfare. If all you do is get rid of welfare (which is already such a small portion of your tax dollars), without addressing rampant poverty wages juxtaposed with record corporate profits, millions of people who currently rely on it will suffer needlessly before anything changes. In fact in 2022 an analysis by CBPP, utilizing Census data and the Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM) which considers government benefits and taxes, revealed that economic security initiatives (welfare) raised 34 million individuals above the poverty line in 2019, including 6 million children. I care infinitely more about those 34 million lives than the measly 1% that comes out of my paycheck to keep them out of destitution. Oliver's own lyrics exemplify his ignorance on this topic as he expresses concern for people starving in the street without realizing that the programs he then demonizes for feeding obese people are the safety nets keeping those working individuals off the street with food to eat. This is why sound bites about taxes and welfare fraud infuriate educated people. They are patently false and will always do more harm than good and they don't belong anywhere near a so-called working class anthem.
My two cents (for what it's worth as a faceless voice on the internet): I don't believe Anthony's lyric, "Lord, we got folks in the street, ain't got nothin' to eat
And the obese milkin' welfare," is about blaming social welfare for the country's problems. It's about how welfare was been misappropriated and abused. As a right-leaning centrist, I agree with points from both songs, and I think this song is very well-written. Well done, Seth.
That lyric is nonsense and bizarre. Don't defend it. It's saying that people are poor because... other poor people accept what little help our society offers? That makes 0 sense. The lyric is blaming poor people for being poor while also using them as a prop for why our society needs to offer them even less assistance.
@@wadeh777 Nice, classic reactionary stuff: when you have no argument you just resort to threats and violent fantasies.
The poor are not 300 pounds eating fudge rounds. They can't afford them.
Like many other people of a certain ilk, it flew over your head.
People on welfare are kept from being poor, to play the part of being "the poor" so people can feel good about themselves, and profit immensely, while not actually helping the poor. "I support this party, policy, celebrity, politician, influencer, musician, song... so I'm helping the poor." Sure there are poor on welfare systems. Some come and go as intended due to domestic violence, separations, death, etc... but for most they grew up there, and they have zero intent on leaving, or real reason to.
I grew up in that lifestyle. I had a cell phone, xbox, and spent most of my time playing MMOs on a high end PC, among other hobbies. Hated the end of the month when we survived on the foodshelf and macaroni etc... but loved the first week of the month where we got new toys and ate like kings.
Just like the homeless issue. It is too profitable for them to exist, for those kings and queens you sing about, to actually help them. The only difference is, those kings and queens have a legit reason, that is how they make money, as disgusting as it is, but you have no excuse in supporting such a evil and disgusting system... well I guess that depends on how good your song does.
It may very well be profitable.
Resorting to ad hominem attacks against my character, arguing a strawman, and claiming an anecdote as evidence of widespread abuse are all well known logical fallacies. Let's address the anecdote. While YOU may have abused the system, out of every 10,000 households engaged in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), approximately 14 were found, through a 2018 report by the Congressional Research Service, to have contained a recipient who engaged in fraud after investigation. Within the realm of SNAP, for every $10,000 distributed in benefits, around $11 is identified by state agencies as having been excessively disbursed due to recipient fraud. By way of comparison, the IRS approximates that out of every $6 owed in federal taxes, $1 goes unpaid as a result of tax evasion or fraudulent activities. People need SNAP benefits to feed their families because they can't afford food on a normal wage from private business owners. I never said that we shouldn't help people get off welfare. I said explicitly in my song to make the rich men pay. As in make the private owners of capital, your boss, pay decent wages so that people don't need welfare. If you just get rid of welfare, and do nothing else, millions of people will needlessly suffer before anything changes.
I mean this in love but I think most of you missed the point. Oliver (Chris is his real name) wasn't against well fair. He was against the obvious people who take advantage of the system without needing to work. While our young men kill themselves because our culture pushes them down. To say in your song that he is speaking on the governments behalf was a harsh and misleading thing to say. He wasn't blaming the poor at all, that song was for the poor and working class that keep this country afloat. I like the rest of the song and agree with most of it but i hate to break it to ya. Mutual benefits will never work. Thats what the socialists in this country believe. But the sad truth is, there will always be some one on top call the shots while others suffer and no revolution or loss of life will change that. I wish it weren't true and i know im going to get hate for saying all this and thats ok but historical evidence shows that it wont work.
As a nation, we absolutely CAN grow past our history… are you the same as you were 10 years ago, or 20? There might be “historical evidence” for what you can and can’t handle, ways you will behave or react, etc. and you likely have grown past that time and shouldn’t be held to or judged by who you used to be… America is the same. We need to try new things: grow, change, improve, and be allowed the time and space to make new systems work and give them a try… just because historically we couldn’t doesn’t mean we can’t now. As I said to someone of parenting methods then and now, “so, we’re not allowed to grow and change and learn better, just because it used to be [that way]?”
I absolutely agree that many people are not open to this change yet and are still clinging to the past and its ways, and that this would impede our success. There would be many opposers, rioters, and enemies of a new system-absolutely; and the changes this would call for would likely not be well received by many… not at first, at least…
There is indeed, for the reasons you have cited, no easy way to introduce a radical new system (and it’s not technically “communism” as we know it, because that effectively puts all the power in the government’s hands rather than the workers’-what he’s calling for is much closer to socialism, where the working class has enough and has control over their own sector, as opposed to the government and rich folk attempting to run our lives as much as they are currently; it places the power where it belongs rather than all at the top) to a polarized people, especially the rich and currently powerful-I will not argue that there is…
All I’m saying is… it IS possible. We’ve overcome history so many times to get to where we are today, and we can continue to do so… as long as we are actually motivated, empowered, and standing together…
@@menyou1443 thank you so much for your kind response. I pray you are right. I just don't see much hope in the change, I hope to be proven wrong. I want it so bad. I just can't see it working.
@@sirrabbitthered8496 I pray that we do have it in us, too… I agree with you completely about the difficulty of this and I hope that good will e’er prevail (it does not in my own life, and I am punished for being good, so I know the hopelessness that comes with ne’er seeing nor tasting even the faintest of the fruits of good and right). I know it’s hard to keep up hope, and often feel that, but I try to remind myself how medicine, mental health, gender and race inequality, and the like used to be-we have far to go and room to grow, absolutely… but we used to not even be free… like Ireland. We used to oppress all those who were different, k*ll them, and put them all in circuses or camps or shock therapy, and more… and now at least we have a healthcare system, modern medicine (pain meds, anaesthetics, cancer treatment, mental health meds, and the like), mental healthcare, infant care, sick treatments, and all ilk of aide we’d not have dreamed of in their lifetime… we have education for all (who choose to accept it) and knowledge now, and most of us don’t have to go without that… there is respite for children and adults (sometimes) who are h- and a-ed, there is care for many of them, there are kitchens, there are shelters… all of these are far from in their perfect state, of course-but they are here where they would not have been before… hell, we even put three men on the moon! Followed by many more, and many more studies and achievements…
Moral is, these things were possible back then because some (often, at heart, hopeless) instigators like ourselves challenged the status quo; society as was; the notion of impossible-and without them, possible would not continue to evolve today and pass the bounds of what it used to be… we wouldn’t be here in a better version of this country had they not stood up against “impossible” and made it possible-and neither will our children… we owe it to them-and us, and those who were all martyred for our lives today-to keep trying…
Brilliant
Any song that inspires the people moves my heart keep up the good work
As someone who lives in the Appalachians, someone who was born in Welch West Virginia and the granddaughter of a coal miner this song tells the truth where Anthony mussed the problem with his. And this song musically is better
You actually agree with Oliver Anthony more than you know. We actually all agree. Time for Revolution!!!