{"id":738,"date":"2011-06-01T23:20:59","date_gmt":"2011-06-01T21:20:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/fascinating-america.com\/blog\/?p=738"},"modified":"2015-05-11T15:31:04","modified_gmt":"2015-05-11T13:31:04","slug":"the-poet-of-the-revolution","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/fascinating-america.com\/blog\/the-poet-of-the-revolution\/","title":{"rendered":"The poet of the revolution"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every revolution needs a poet.<\/p>\n

The civil-rights<\/span> movement was won not by people marching in the streets or setting fire to their neighborhoods, but by the eloquence<\/span> of their leaders, who opened the ears and minds of the establishment. Martin Luther King talked about the problems in his neighborhood, but his dream was a dream for everyone. He made civil rights a matter of human rights.<\/p>\n

King, Malcolm X<\/a> and other leaders did not live to see their work carried on by Gil Scott-Heron<\/b>, a spoken-word poet who could be considered the inventor of rap.<\/p>\n

In 1970, while most of the nation was still celebrating the first moon landings, Scott-Heron said these were an escapist distraction<\/span> from real problems here on the ground.<\/p>\n

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“A rat done bit my sister, Nell, with Whitey<\/span> on the moon,” he complained over the sound of bongo drums. “Her legs and arms began to swell, and Whitey’s on the moon. …
\nThe Man just upped<\/span> my rent last night, ’cause Whitey’s on the moon. No hot water, no toilets, no lights, but Whitey’s on the moon. …”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The influence of dialect (“done bit” as the present perfect, and various double negatives<\/a>), along with the perfect delivery<\/span>, made the message strong and believable. A chastised<\/span> nation canceled the last three Apollo<\/i> missions<\/a> and spent the money on social programs instead.<\/p>\n

“Whitey” wasn’t Scott-Heron’s only target, though. On the same album, he railed against<\/span> the laziness of many African-Americans who themselves sought escapism in drugs and television. He implored<\/span> them to get up and do something about their situation.<\/p>\n