I listened to the lyrics of this song a couple of weeks ago, as I was heading out the door in the morning. Caught it again today, and looked them up to check. And yes, Black Eyed Peas – Where Is The Love is nuts….
“What’s wrong with the world, mama
People livin’ like they ain’t got no mamas
I think the whole world addicted to the drama
Only attracted to things that’ll bring you trauma
Overseas, yeah, we try to stop terrorism
But we still got terrorists here livin’
In the USA, the big CIA”
The CIA are terrorists? This may be chatting about various cold war stuff, in which case we’re in well charted regions of politics, fine, let it slide. But the context makes me feel much more suspicious that we’re talking crack epidemic/September 11th/Oklahoma conspiracy theories
“The Bloods and The Crips and the KKK
….
It just ain’t the same, always unchanged
New days are strange, is the world insane
If love and peace is so strong
Why are there pieces of love that don’t belong
Nations droppin’ bombs
Chemical gasses fillin’ lungs of little ones”
Other than tear gasses etc, which can be dangerous but which don’t come from bombs normally and aren’t intended to be fatal, what chemicals have been used as weapons recently? (I include Russian use of sleeping gas). Last use of chemical weapons I know of by a nation state was by Iraq, over a decade ago…
“With the ongoin’ sufferin’ as the youth die young
So ask yourself is the lovin’ really gone
So I could ask myself really what is goin’ wrong
In this world that we livin’ in people keep on givin’
in
Makin’ wrong decisions, only visions of them dividends
Not respectin’ each other, deny thy brother
A war is goin’ on but the reason’s undercover
The truth is kept secret, it’s swept under the rug….”
Did I mention conspiracy theories?
There’s other stuff in there too that seems a little suspicious. But it strikes me that odd facts and at least hints at conspiracy theories are on the play list at Radio 1 (and I think high in the charts, though the catchiness of the tune may be a factor there….)
Can you imagine how ludicrous R1 would have looked if it had banned the number 1 single from its playlist because it wasn’t entirely accurate about the political situation?
This sort of post (rather like Anne Frank below) undermines any real case you might have against the Beeb.
Or is the problem that the BBC reflects British people’s tastes, views and politics a little too faithfully…?
if this is the british people’s views then they’re much dumber than i thought they were
You can only point out the BBC’s bias so many times until you need to post something a bit off topic. People listen to this? Toss a good beat behind some guy talking with marbles in his mouth and it’ll sell I guess.
PS
Anyone who thinks like that is a complete dumbass. Thank God for freedom of speech, it lets you identify the morons easier.
Of course, whatever the rights and wrongs of this single, the BBC really does shamelessly push suitably anti-western stories even after they’ve been debunked. Take this story ‘Looting clampdown urged’ (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/uk_politics/3103660.stm)
Second sentance in: “The problem was highlighted by the looting of thousands of artefacts from Iraq’s national museum during the Gulf war earlier this year. ”
Ahem.
To say the least, it’s questionable whether there were thousands of artifacts stolen. Equally, such robbery as there was, appears to have been an inside job. Certainly not ‘looting’ in any normal sense.
Don Cruickshank debunked the looting myth in his documentary on the fate of Iraq’s heritage after the war.
Cruickshank’s documentaries have on Ground Zero, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Israel, have been superb; impartial, unbiased and with a genuine compassion, which is more than can be said for the BBC.
It’s stupid, and frankly I think it sucks as far as songs go, but you can’t say it’s evidence of bias.
Our ABC (aussie BBC) is just as biased and you’ll no doubt here the same song a bit, but I call it biased because of what the presenters and newsreaders say. I think that is the real test.
John B and Pedro are right; this isn’t evidence of bias. And, whatever their political sensibilities, Black Eyed Peas make some pretty fine tunes.
However…
Radio 1 routinely blacklist Christian bands, no matter how popular they are, so we know the playlist does contain a political bias. Anti-war songs may get played because they’re good tunes, but I would be willing to bet that a pro-war song, no matter how good, wouldn’t get much airplay.
Mind you, Radio 1 seems to be the only bit of the BBC that isn’t obsessed with anti-Americanism.
In all fairness, the Beeb, like most sensible people, is not likely to seek any meaningful political comment in rap “lyrics”. Or, indeed, any coherent thought at all.