I honestly thought, before reading this article, that an essay on the social relevence of pop music was somewhat trite. I guess I had taken freedom of speech in our media for granted, being that I’ve lived with it my entire life, it just seemed natural that people had a selction of what they could listen to and what music spoke to them. I’m very pro-capitalism for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that anything sponsored by the government almost always seems to be horrifically substandard to those sponsored by a private enterprise, and the idea of any government bureaucracy being in charge of media and entertainment seems completely dismal. To know that the people in the Middle East are now gaining access to the same blessings I’ve enjoyed all my life is a tremendous relief, because there are so many different possibilities and viewpoints that media entertainment presents to us. I know there is a great deal of strife between the nations of the Middle East, and I like to think that citizens having access to the music of other countries, whether allies or enemies, might give them common ground, an appreciation or a better understanding of their neighbors. Some may view the process of voting and free choice with regards to music a sort of distration from the things that really matter, and I believe that it would be detrimental to the people of the region if they simply let the process of free choice end and be confined to entertainment venues. However, I strongly suspect that this is simply a beginning point for more democratic societies in the region, where power will be more equally balanced. It will take time, and effort, and probably a loss of life, but I do believe it is within reach.
