just so I know somebody’s said it
John Lennon had a lot of poorly-expressed, poorly-thought-out, extremely privileged and just plain terrible opinions. “John Lennon said/did/thought/peed on it” is not an a priori defence of anything. His being dead does not magically erase his privilege or yours. Get a fucking grip and learn better critical thinking skills than a parrot.
#also that song is terrible and so is ‘Imagine’ #bland meaningless white liberal platitudes for beginners #i cannot even with this entire debacle
Tumblr, I love you, but WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK.
If you grew up post-Vietnam you actually have NO IDEA what you’re talking about. Sure, he may have been privileged, but he was a musical genius and I can’t even believe I have to make that point to a generation that thinks Lady Gaga is changing opinions. You know why a lot of pop music sounds the same these days? It because they’re borrowing all their ideas from the Beatles. The Beatles made music unlike anything anyone had ever heard before. They literally changed the face of music, with Lennon at the helm (not to discount Paul, George or Ringo, they did their parts as well, but this post is about John.) He mobilized an anti-war movement THROUGH MUSIC. He didn’t have to. Learn some musical history guys. I know we all like to live in this post-idealistic politically-correct land but to completely discount what this man did with music is just an enormous insult. I don’t like Michael Jackson, but I’m not going to pretend he didn’t have an impact on music just because I like being difficult. “John Lennon said it” is, of course, not an excuse for anything. But the point is he is more than just John Lennon, he’s a legend.
And for the record? It doesn’t matter what he was like as a person. That should have no bearing on what he contributed to music. It’s not like Johnny Cash, Elvis, or Ray Charles were saints either. Their lasting impact on music transcends their personal flaws. No one refers to them as the men they actually were, but as the legends they became.
but nobody insults john lennon’s talent in front of me and gets away with it
Actually, no one insulted his talent. No one denied his impact on music. That last paragraph you wrote, “It doesn’t matter what he was like as a person”, that’s where you started to actually argue the actual points laid out. The charges were that Lennon had and expressed privileged opinions, which are sometimes evident in his lyrics. It’s not the end of the world to recognize that. No one is telling you to go throw away your Beatles albums. And no one is saying that Lady Gaga is superior to John Lennon. You just have to realize that Lennon, while a “legend”, is not infallible, and “Well John Lennon said it!” is not a valid defense for anyone who holds privileged opinions.
