The song Fortunate Son was released in 1969 at the height of the Vietnam War, when most young men in America faced the scary prospect of being drafted into a war many of them thought was unjust. It was widely acknowledged at the time that men who had a decent amount of money and/or a high position in society could finesse their way out of the draft. The average man didn't have that luxury, short of running to Canada. The song acknowledges this injustice; the "fortunate son" refers to men who could get out of the draft. The song is sympathetic to the every-man who was essentially doomed to go to war, speaking for them: "It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no fortunate son". It's also important to keep in mind that opposition to the war was largely an unpopular opinion at the time, although it doesn't seem like that in hindsight. This means that the song was powerful because it spoke for the young men who maybe didn't have the courage to speak out against the draft for themselves.
I think that this song presents a great deal of kyros because it is presented to a very specific group of people at a very specific time period. Because this was an unpopular opinion at this time and the average man had no way of avoiding the draft, the song must have brought comfort and courage to the men who couldn't vocalize these thoughts himself.
ReplyDeleteCreedance Clearwater Revival is one of my all time favorite bands. This song a great Anthem for the working class of America. It presents a real problem for those who could not afford to dodge the draft.
ReplyDeleteI think you made a really good point to recognize how the song time with the anti war protest was a way for young men in America to express themselves in a nonviolent way.
ReplyDeleteEek! It's "kairos"!
ReplyDeleteEek! It's "kairos"!
ReplyDelete