MIA

The recent uproar over the MIA-Lynn Hirschberg interview in the New York Times is yet another in a long line of public demonstrations that musicians of all genres, from rock and roll to hip hop, are some of the worst representatives of so-called "revolutionary" views (a personal favorite demonstration of this genre is Mos Def's discussion with Salman Rushdie and Christopher Hitchens on "Real Time with Bill Maher (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsGUYnFAvdY)). Despite the hypocrisy and ignorance of the aforementioned musicians, some public intellectuals continue to maintain that music can be "revolutionary." For reasons why this isn't so, see this conversation between two intelligent and engaged people, John McWhorter and Ta-Nehisi Coates (http://bloggingheads.tv/diavlogs/14636). I want even get into the insufferable views expressed by Bono.

This is not saying that musicians should not be politically engaged. Rather, it is only to say that if musicians want to offer their opinions on world events, they should bother to at least look at all sides of an issue. This would necessarily involve reading a lot of work that is often dry. It is much easier, it is true, to sample the Clash and shout your revolutionary credentials while living with your billionaire husband in Beverly Hills.