Listening to NPR's Weekend Edition, I caught an interview of singer/songwriter Dar Williams. She is a genius. I make this conclusion based on the songs introduced during the interview and her sources of inspiration which include museums and academic research.
I found the song "Buzzer" to be particularly powerful. The song is about a participant in Stanley Milgram's obedience experiments. The buzzer in the song refers to an electric shock participants in the Milgram experiments were asked to give students who answered questions administered to them incorrectly. Participants continued to shock students even after they pleaded with them to stop.
Williams forces the listener to consider how people acquiesce in systems of power. The buzzer is a metaphor for complicity. If I don't agree with unfair working conditions, cruelty to animals, energy waste, etc. what does it mean if I continue to buy clothes manufactured in eastern lands under unknown conditions, consume dairy products produced by animals in filthy, cramped and otherwise unsavory environments, and drive my personal vehicle when I could use public transportation?
I think I have pressed the buzzer too. We all do.
The link to Dar's interview includes a written synopsis, three songs you can listen to including "Buzzer", and of course her full interview. The lyrics to buzzer can be found here.
I found the song "Buzzer" to be particularly powerful. The song is about a participant in Stanley Milgram's obedience experiments. The buzzer in the song refers to an electric shock participants in the Milgram experiments were asked to give students who answered questions administered to them incorrectly. Participants continued to shock students even after they pleaded with them to stop.
Williams forces the listener to consider how people acquiesce in systems of power. The buzzer is a metaphor for complicity. If I don't agree with unfair working conditions, cruelty to animals, energy waste, etc. what does it mean if I continue to buy clothes manufactured in eastern lands under unknown conditions, consume dairy products produced by animals in filthy, cramped and otherwise unsavory environments, and drive my personal vehicle when I could use public transportation?
I think I have pressed the buzzer too. We all do.
The link to Dar's interview includes a written synopsis, three songs you can listen to including "Buzzer", and of course her full interview. The lyrics to buzzer can be found here.
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