week 7

I believe that popular music can indeed achieve genuine political change.  While it cannot directly affect a nation’s government, popular music with political undertones or a political message can influence and change listener’s minds.  One may learn something that they did not know from the music or they may be inspired to act because of it.  Pop music can group people together for a political cause.  For example, Rite Aid and USA for Africa used song to encourage people to donate money to hotlines and raised millions for Africa, specifically Ethiopia.  Political popular music can also make the government aware that the people have an important opinion.  People could chant or sing out their distress, which seems to carry a stronger message than the yelling of concerns.  This political music does raise criticism that artists are doing it for the money and popularity, but if it helps people, then should that really matter?