Video: “System Of A Down” Singer Uses Kids And Military Coffins For Anti-War Video
Or something akin to an anti-war video. It’s a weird one. Seargent Welsh of YA fame asked me to post it, so I did. What do you think? I’ve only watched it once. The band has been notriously and vocally anti-war. Seargent Welsh is not, btw.
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Yeah, I remember back in ‘05 when this chalk-faced douche and his shitty, no-talent band released B.Y.O.B. So fuck all of them.
December 5th, 2007 at 10:22 amPolitical commentary aside, why are all these so called ‘hardcore’ bands anti-war?
I would think if a band wanted to be “shocking” and “metal”, they wouldnt give a fuck about bullets, death, and war (shit they sing about anyway).
December 5th, 2007 at 10:27 am^ Cause they’re all phonies, and all cowards at heart. We all know what the real men, the real bad asses do for a living. Besides, I like vintage metal much more (i.e. Van Halen, Metallica, and Iron Maiden)!
December 5th, 2007 at 10:30 amTypical example of pretentious, elitist, leftist propaganda. Exploiting children and those who have the courage to serve something greater than themselves and have made the ultimate sacrifice in that service. He has a song called “Unthinking Majority”, just to dispel any doubts about how he views the world. Serj sounds like the bastard offspring of Kermit the Frog and Jello Biafra of the Dead Kennedy’s. Empty Walls? More like Empty Heads.
December 5th, 2007 at 10:37 amFor all you anti-military, anti-American scum, I have a Christmas poem for you. I highly doubt your smart or deep enough to consider whom you mock when you think yourself clever…
A Soldier’s Christmas Poem
The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light,
I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight.
My wife was asleep, her head on my chest,
My daughter beside me, angelic in rest.
Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white,
Transforming the yard to a winter delight.
The sparkling lights in the tree I believe,
Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve.
My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep,
Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep.
In perfect contentment,or so it would seem,
So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream.
The sound wasn’t loud, and it wasn’t too near,
But I opened my eyes when it tickled my ear.
Perhaps just a cough, I didn’t quite know,
Then the sure sound of footsteps outside in the snow.
My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear,
And I crept to the door just to see who was near.
Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night,
A lone figure stood, his face weary and tight.
A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old,
Perhaps a Marine, huddled here in the cold.
Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled,
Standing watch over me, and my wife and my child.
“What are you doing?” I asked without fear,
“Come in this moment, it’s freezing out here!
Put down your pack, brush the snow from your sleeve,
You should be at home on a cold Christmas Eve!”
For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift,
Away from the cold and the snow blown in drifts..
To the window that danced with a warm fire’s light
Then he sighed and he said “Its really all right,
“I’m out here by choice. I’m here every night.”
“It’s my duty to stand at the front of the line,
That separates you from the darkest of times.
No one had to ask or beg or implore me,
I’m proud to stand here like my fathers before me.
My Gramps died at ‘Pearl on a day in December,”
Then he sighed, “That’s a Christmas ‘Gram always remembers.”
My dad stood his watch in the jungles of ‘Nam’,
And now it is my turn and so, here I am.
I’ve not seen my own son in more than a while,
But my wife sends me pictures, he’s sure got her smile.
Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag,
The red, white, and blue…an American flag.
I can live through the cold and the being alone,
Away from my family, my house and my home.
I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet,
I can sleep in a foxhole with little to eat.
I can carry the weight of killing another,
Or lay down my life with my sister and brother..
Who stand at the front against any and all,
To ensure for all time that this flag will not fall.”
“So go back inside,” he said, “harbor no fright,
Your family is waiting and I’ll be all right.”
“But isn’t there something I can do, at the least,
“Give you money,” I asked, “or prepare you a feast?
It seems all too little for all that you’ve done,
For being away from your wife and your son.”
Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret,
“Just tell us you love us, and never forget.
To fight for our rights back at home while we’re gone,
To stand your own watch, no matter how long.
For when we come home, either standing or dead,
December 5th, 2007 at 10:38 amTo know you remember we fought and we bled.
Is payment enough, and with that we will trust,
That we mattered to you as you mattered to us.”
you’re/your…sorry for the pedantic, libby types looking for errors.
December 5th, 2007 at 10:38 amD-bo:
They’re anti-war because they’re morons. Intellectually lazy. As far as they can think is, “Well, in order to be cool and “Rock and Roll” during Vietnam you had to be anti-war, so I guess I have to be anti-war now too - especially if I want to keep selling records”
In addition, a lot of young guys are “anti-war” just as “getting laid” insurance, since young, head in the clouds teen and college-age chicks skew anti-war.
December 5th, 2007 at 10:39 amTypical liberal infantile horseshit, ‘everything we need to know we learned in kindergarten’. It’s a refusal to grow up and see the world as a mature adult and face its dangers. It’s too scary for liberals.
Thanks, ‘Downers’ for at least being honest and setting your protest inside a kindergarten, we enjoyed the reminder that liberals refuse to grow up.
December 5th, 2007 at 10:39 amSystem of a Down is a part of the Axis of Justice, a non-profit organization formed by band member Serj Tankian (along with Tom Morello) that is dedicated to bringing together musicians, music fans, and grassroots political organizations to fight for social justice.
Serj Tankian (lead singer) was born in Beirut, Lebanon in 1967.
Two days after the attacks on September 11, 2001, Serj Tankian posted an essay on System of a Down’s official website, which seemed controversial at the time. It was promptly taken down by Sony, the band’s record label. Sony’s opinion was that Tankian had tried to justify the terrorist attacks and that his claims were unfounded. Others have noted that Tankian’s essay, which called the 9/11 attacks “brutal”, explicitly stated that the need to understand the motivations of terrorists “does not mean that we should not find the guilty party(s)..and..try them [in court]” words cited to suggest “it is impossible to say that Serj tried to justify the 9/11 attacks” [2] in his essay, which “advocated peace and the research and development of alternate fuels” and went on to say that “By initiating peace, we would have already shaken the foundations of support for Bin Laden.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serj_Tankian
My opinion? He has GREAT Vocals. Other then that, Shut the fuck up and sing.
December 5th, 2007 at 10:44 amNatalie, Thanks so much for that beautiful poem.
December 5th, 2007 at 10:46 amI should have given credit to the one that deserves credit for the poem. He has requested that we pass it along. Salute to you Mr. Giles. You earned it!
LCDR Jeff Giles , SC, USN
December 5th, 2007 at 10:50 am30th Naval Construction Regiment
OIC, Logistics Cell One
Al Taqqadum, Iraq
Not sure about the song, I would have to read the lyrics, but the video has a very over all punchline. I am not video critic or anything, and I sure would hate to put words in the mouth of the artist, but the image I get is that all these kids have been doing all day is playing war.
Playing war as they see it on TV. Truck bombs, forced entry into houses, wonderfully tactful guerrilla tactics, etc. But then playtime is over and they are faced with the real face of war. They stop cold. They have the faces that only those who see something for what it really is have.
I think the video is telling us something different than the song itself. I don’t necessarily consider the video to be “anti-war”, because that is not what I got out of it. It speaks more about the apathy of the American culture in the face of what is going on around the world to me than being “anti-war” for the sake of that.
Perhaps it is in fact not “anti-war” but “anti-warrior”. I guess the case could be made that the artist is saying that all of your pain, sacrifice, and death is for nothing, because we as America do not care. Sure, Americans care, they watch the news, play war and intellectual in their discussions, but in the end, we don’t care about you. But I think that perspective could go both ways. I see it as a condemnation of America and her culture, not the warrior. But I guess like everything else, that is perspective driven as well.
cl
December 5th, 2007 at 10:53 amI clicked. I saw. I heard. I promptly lost my will to live.
December 5th, 2007 at 11:04 amHate this band . . . but adore that nice young Seargent Welsh . . . God Bless him . . . what has he been up to? Pat - we would love to know what the guys in YA are up to - they are our heros and not Hollyweird or this stupid band.
I hope he is not smoking any blunts back home with those MTV pukes!
(It is a protective mother thing . . .)
When my nephew (Army) and his friend (Marines) came to visit Texas last year, they both said that is the first thing they get from friends and people in bars - “How many f-ing people did you kill” . . . As far as I am away in my pathetic life from what our military heroes do, when I saw the YA intro I thought - yep, that is what the young folks say . . .
God Bless you Sargeant Welsh and the rest of the stars of YA.
December 5th, 2007 at 11:44 am
I know they are not Mormon. But in any case what BS!!!
December 5th, 2007 at 11:56 amYeah, cute.
But I thought, “Say! That sort of looks familiar … Now, where did I see that before? Hmmm…”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WHdWgES-Uw
Now, the difference IS the kids in the music video are ACTING … The kids in the video link I have provided … ARE NOT!
The band could have just saved themselves some bucks and production time and spliced themselves in with the video in my reply.
`nuff said, MTV mutha fuckers.
December 5th, 2007 at 12:00 pmThat dude look’s eerily similar to the soup nazi.
But at least the soup nazi’s soup was good. Regardless of the message (intended or not) this dude’s music is cafeteria grade.
Good catch Drill,
December 5th, 2007 at 12:33 pmacumen
To natalie-nice poem, I liked it. To counter this video go to youtube.com and type in “citizen soldier” by three doors down. made a video for the national guard. very inspiring.
December 5th, 2007 at 12:45 pmPat,
lol. I guess your right. Ive been on a huge dry spell since I’ve been back in college.
On side note, I was asked to speak in a peace studies class because of my veteran experience. The totally didnt expect me to be pro-a-war I deployed twice for. And I totally didnt get any numbers from the chicks in the class, lol
December 5th, 2007 at 1:30 pmI prefer my Dokken.
December 5th, 2007 at 1:55 pmDbo-
It speaks volumes about how so very fucking many are brainwashed by the whole Vietnam era lefty talking points that thrive to this day, given the assumption that you would be anti-war based on your deployment experience.
It’s very hard for lefties to change stripes for social reasons probably more than even ideological ones. All of a sudden, they find themselves at odds with friends and family.
December 5th, 2007 at 2:12 pmwhat gets me is that these “antiwar” activists are so completely oblivious to the fact that this war is going to continue if we pull out of iraq or not. if we withdraw that war is going to continue, just without us there to help the guys who desire a country not dictated by mullahs or bin laden wannabes. they can cry stop the war all they want, but in the end war will still be raging and innocent people will be dying in exponentially increasing numbers. i dont understand how those who say they care can live with that. since someone posted a poem, i figured i post one too. i wrote this a few months ago. i call it Rally Cry, its not that great, but i just wish someone would send out a clear message to all those of like minds to take to the streets en masse.
“Rally Cry, Rally Cry
O Great warriors of heart
Let thine words be gunsmoke against cowards dark
Whose eyes are rotting and ears are dead
Whose hearts are empty and courage fled
Stand Strong!
O brave sons,
Whose fathers are buried from wars long gone
Their swords still ready and hands still strong
With voices that pierce like heavenly song
Let slip from young tongues the cries of old
Shouted in battle by warriors bold
Whose knees never bend and spirits never shake
Once spears are rattled and fighters awake
Rally Cry, Rally Cry
O Great warriors of light
Who stand against the darkest night”
Cpl. Phil Alexander
December 5th, 2007 at 2:47 pmUSMC 2000-2004
MWCS-38 MACG-38 3D MAW IMEF
I was prepared to not even consider this an antiwar video until the last few seconds… I saw my uniform and that made me mad… other than that not too bad… the song sucks… but the video if it is antiwar… didn’t try enough… anyone remember their song “War”… there is a version of that song that starts out with Serj saying: “Praise the Lord, Pass the ammunition. God wants us to go to war.” Although that came out long before I would have thought to connect it to radical Islamic views I thought it was a pretty good song. They should drop the politics and go back to plain old music…
December 5th, 2007 at 5:01 pmMan shit face must be running out of money cheap video it looks like. Fucking assholes all of them and to use this with kids is even worse. God there was I reason I never liked them.
December 5th, 2007 at 6:37 pm“”James Hooker I clicked. I saw. I heard. I promptly lost my will to live.”"
You kill me! So funny!
“”Greg M God there was I reason I never liked them.”"
You know I find this too. When I cannot figure out why I feel something is wrong or evil or just plain dont like someone or thing when there seems no reason……..sooner or later the reason shows up and then I am like so thats it..and I am thanking G*d so much for saving me from the crap.
December 5th, 2007 at 7:11 pmLMcG-
Welsh is doing great. We have a few projects up our sleeves.
December 6th, 2007 at 1:06 amI didn’t know Saddam Hussein was actually a big teddy bear. Thanks though, Serj, I’ll bear that in mind.
December 6th, 2007 at 3:41 amOff all the people, SOAD members begging for another Caliphate with their leftist dribble? Seems they didn’t learn the lessons of the previous one despite their Armenian roots.
December 6th, 2007 at 9:29 amIn the begining of the video, one kid knocks over two towers of blocks with a toy airplane.
I came very close to punching out my screen.
As to hardcore in general, it’s an offshoot of punk. It’s full of idiots living in their mother’s basement in the suburbs. They think being able to scream makes them tough.
I always thought being able NOT to scream showed you were tough.
Most of them are basically emo-kids with delusions of masculinity. Read the lyrics. Everything is always somebody else’s fault, the world owes them a living, who are you to demand they get a job and support themselves, can’t you see their being oppressed by the expectation that they should sober up, get off the couch, and do something with themselves?
My kid brother is a particulary depressing example of this. I grew up worried about having my head bashed in, getting carved up, or if the guy walking towards me is about to pull a gun on me.
He grew up worried about whose turn it was to do a beer and weed run. The little punk dropped out of college, still lives at home, and won’t get a job.
I’ve been (usually for not having enough melanonin in my skin) beaten into oblivion, stabbed, mugged, shot at and missed, shit at and hit, and left lying in my own blood, in a school hallway while our betters in the education establishment walked by and ignored me. After all, I deserved it for being a white male oppressor.
Those same betters also said I was ‘anti-social’, and that I’d wind up in a cell or on a slab. Obviously, I haven’t (at least not yet; a few more weeks of non-stop holiday music and I make no promises
)
As for my brother, he got into a few fights over whose favorite band was better. He and his friends punch each other in the head to prove how tough they are.
Me and my friends never needed to do that. We proved how tough we were by standing together against all comers. At one point, I only had one guy I considered a friend. Everyone who turned and ran were, at best, aquaintances.
Getting back on topic, about the only ‘hardcore’ I’ll listen to is Hatebreed. You gotta love ‘Kill An Addict’:
****
“You’ve made excuses for the fucked up things you’ve done but everyone’s heard them before.
Your lying and stealing to feed your addictions won’t be tolerated anymore.
I tried to help you but you spit in my face, so now you’re on your own.
I see your life slipping away, you brought it on yourself . . .
GO!
Those I’ve hated are the ones I’ve held so close,
and those who use betrayal will be the ones to suffer,
the ones to suffer the most.”
****
Blood For Blood (who did the song in the trailer) is more for comedic value than social commentary. Listen to “So Common, So Cheap” for the best break-up song EVER. The first time I heard it, I laughed so hard my lungs nearly collapse. Although I have to give them credit for the intro to “Ya’ll Still A Paper Gangster”.
I think it went something like this:
****
“Alright, listen, I’ve had enough. Pull up your pants, turn your fucking hat around. Why you talk like that? Why you walk like that? What, you think you’re Ice Cube or something? This isn’t about your fucking fantasy, it’s about my reality. Why don’t you go put on a pair of Dockers and listen to some REO Speedwagon like you’re supposed to do, you fucking suburban nerd!”
****
Can’t really fault that sentiment, even if most of their songs are about how society didn’t hand them mansions and BMWs full of nubile cheerleaders. They think it’s tough growing up in Boston? Try the Bronx. Shanty Irish fucks, don’t even have the sense to take the dishes out of the sink before they piss in it. As for society, they keep electing Kennedy and Kerry. Anyone that dumb deserves everything they get.
Of course, my senators are Comrades Clinton and Schumer, so maybe I shouldn’t complain. And my govenor’s Spitzer, my mayor’s Bloomberg…
Fuck. I miss Guiliani, D’Amato, and even *shudders* Pataki.
December 6th, 2007 at 7:03 pm