OK, so a middle aged white guy likes rap. Please just stop. But its true. I've always had a thing for rappers who are considered socially conscience artists, like KRS-One and Lupe Fiasco. Of course we all know that The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy's 1992 album: Hypocrisy is the Greatest Luxury -stands in a class all by itself! I have the cassette tape some place...
Macklemore's fame is a result of his pro marriage-equality song, 'Same Love.' It received tremendous airplay, precisely striking the American cultural zeitgeist with regards to gay rights.
'Same Love' contains both tragedy and truth.
Macklemore sings of truth....
'Gay is synonymous with the lesser
It's the same hate that caused wars from religion
Gender to skin color, the complexion of your pigment
The same fight that led people to walk outs and sit ins
It's human rights for everybody, there is no difference!'
Violence and discrimination for people because of their sexual orientation should have no place in any society. All are created in God's Image and therefore possess the same dignity, rights and worth. 'Human rights for everybody' should extend from the not-yet-born -to the rapper feted at the Grammys.
Yet the tragic element of the song is what struck me...
'And I can't change
Even if I tried
Even if I wanted to'
This chorus is repeated throughout the song, and is sung as a justification of same-sex attraction. At its heart is a tragic world-and-life view. This view affirms that we are pre-determined along a set course in life and lack the ability to change. This fatalistic view states, 'this is how I am and I can't be anything else.' In my opinion this is a tragic and depressing way to experience life. There is no hope, no possibility of change, no opportunity for course-correction.
The Christian world view claims that change is possible, that decisions that we make here-and-now can actually lead to a new and different life. The Bible relays the stories of women and men who experienced true and radical life-change. Our churches are filled with those whose faith in Christ allowed them to start again in life - to experience life as it was meant to be.
For me this is personal. For years I battled anger with a short-temper fuse. I disliked how I was; but am certainly glad that true-life does occur. The hope that is found through submitting to Jesus is one that can produce an authentic change...
In this way, Macklemore's song, 'Same Love' contains Tragedy wrapped in Truth.
1 comment:
If a person could not change, at best I would be in jail, at worst I'd be dead and "enjoying" hell. On this page there's a place that says "prove you're not a robot". If people couldn't change, isn't that what we would be? Programed unthinking hardwired robots. Thru the grace of God and the sacrifice of Jesus, we are free willed and have the power to change for the much better. I'm eternally grateful to my Creator/Savior for this. I'm FAR from perfect, but take it from a man who has changed in drastic ways...you can change
Mark Greenholdt
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