Bushonomics

Researching Cornel West, I was surprised to find a man who was so accessible to the ‘younger’ generations. His upbeat personality makes you want to listen to him, and though you have full freedom to disagree with his opinions, he makes you want to hear what his views on the issues are. He is someone who you want to hear talk, rather than just feel you should. And if listening to a lecture is not your style, well the man collaborates to create hip hop music. His song ‘Bushonomics’ is the song I chose to look at because I found the lyrics entertaining. You can listen to the song at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FauNFa9epc, and read the lyrics at http://lyrics.wikia.com/Talib_Kweli_%26_Cornel_West:Bushonomics. The first five lines of West’s song act as it’s thesis statement, “revolutions require participation/ but sometimes people be hesitating/ the government must respect the will of the people/ the government serve the people/ the people don’t serve the government”. The song is almost in essay style with the thesis stated, the lyrics continue to act as backup for the thesis with mention of education, heath care, weapons of mass destruction, the environment, and the very apparent oil issues of today. Cornel West is very critical of the government both under Bush, and of Obama, as can be seen in Fault Lines’ interview with him (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVl8QFhnadY)