Amidst all the vitriol and condemnation and verbal attacks – from both the Democratic and Republican parties — some song lyrics from the 1960s keep popping into my mind. The song was called “State of the Union,” and recorded by Chicago Transit Authority (later, “Chicago”). It was rather intense for a girl my age and dissimilar to the jazzy, upbeat songs of theirs I was more familiar with, so although I memorized the lyrics, I soon relegated them to my musical vault. Never would I have imagined that the rhetoric of the turbulent sixties would circle back to us much like fashion and classic cars have.
The song begins, “I was talking ’bout the State of the Union; how there’s no one now in power thinking of me. I was thinking how we ought to try and fix it — find a leader who is not afraid to be …”
These words seem so prescient, and yet I am saddened that our country is still/again in such a precarious position. At least in the ’60s, there were plenty of reasons — the Vietnam War, civil rights, the feminist movement — to protest and, in many cases, mobilize and unify our citizens. But now? We — neighbors, friends, co-workers, fellow congregants, even family members — are pitted against one another, condemned and threatened for our viewpoints, and divided unlike I have experienced in my lifetime.
Back to the song… The lyrics that followed, “Then a voice came out of the darkness, saying ‘tear the system down,'” were a call to a movement, not an insurrection. The group wasn’t censored, or demonized, or targeted as domestic terrorists. Eventually, wounds were healed, progress was made, and Americans were proud again. With each passing day, I am losing hope that that will happen this time around.
Allyson Hogan
Park City