Yesterday we were treated to the sight of a major party nominee at what was supposed to be a town hall meeting suddenly stop taking questions and just dancing (badly) for the better part of an hour. A mere 20 years ago, well within living memory, less than five seconds of screaming were enough to end Howard Dean's political career. My, how times change.
But the truly astonishing thing, the real elephant in the room, is not just that Trump could swing his hips for 39 minutes and still have a shot at becoming President of the United States of America, it is that one of the songs on his playlist was YMCA by the Village People. I wonder if anyone in his audience has ever paid attention to what that song is actually about.
Here are the lyrics to the first verse and chorus for easy reference:
Young man, there's no need to feel down, I saidIn case it's not obvious (and apparently it isn't) this song is about young men going to the YMCA to have promiscuous sex with other men. That is what they are celebrating. That is what Donald Trump has led them to, almost certainly without himself even realizing it. Trump is so clueless, and his followers are so clueless, that they can't even decipher "You can do whatever you feel" when sung by a group of men dressed in homoerotic iconography.
Young man, pick yourself off the ground, I said
Young man, 'cause you're in a new town
There's no need to be unhappy
Young man, there's a place you can go, I said
Young man, when you're short on your dough you can
Stay there and I'm sure you will find
Many ways to have a good time
It's fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.
It's fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.
They have everything for young men to enjoy
You can hang out with all the boys
It's fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.
It's fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.
You can get yourself clean, you can have a good meal
You can do whatever you feel
Maybe if more people pointed this out to them the scales would start to fall from their eyes? Probably not, but a boy can dream.
UPDATE: Heh, I just noticed that Trump has a telling Freudian slip just before he calls for YMCA to be played. He tries to say, "We're going to make the country great again" but he slips and what actually comes out of his mouth is "We're going to make the country gay..." just before he catches himself and stops mid-aphorism. So maybe deep down he does know.
What a condescending and elitist opinion you hold. You assume that Trump, and Trump supporters, are somehow less cultured or informed because they don’t interpret the song in the same way you do.
ReplyDeleteJust because you interpret "YMCA" in one way doesn’t mean everyone else must share your view. People can appreciate the energy and spirit of the song without delving into -- or needing to endorse -- any deeper cultural associations you believe are "obvious."
For many people, "YMCA" is simply a fun, energetic song that brings people together in celebration. The lyrics talk about finding a sense of belonging and community, which can resonate with anyone, regardless of their political or cultural background. The claim that it’s "obvious" that the song is about promiscuous sex is itself an assumption that dismisses the diverse ways people have embraced and enjoyed the song over the years.
The fact that "YMCA" is a gay anthem is pretty obvious. There's nothing elitist or condescending about pointing out this or any other fact. People are of course free to interpret this song, or any other work of art, in any way they choose. I just think it's pretty ironic to adopt a song that was obviously intended by its creators to be a gay anthem while at the same time making gay-bashing a core part of your political identity. I'm just wondering whether this is ignorance or hypocrisy, because it really does have to be one or the other.
Delete