Blowin' in the Wind

Post Reply New Topic

"The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind"
- Bob Dylan

There's an old saying that if you stand for nothing, you fall for everything.

Applying this simplism to everyday life, you begin to see a disturbing pattern in the role, especially the evolving role, of politics world wide. People, often those smart enough to never actively involve themselves in politics, I wished I'd been that smart when I was younger, see very little difference between the two sides of politics, when not taken to extremes but various, so-called Green parties, or their 'no regulation' Right-wing counter-balancers.

I was wondering, would the people here prefer a leader who when they said something was wrong in government, believed it still when they lost government over that issue? Would the people here, similarly, prefer a leader who said something was wrong in opposition, held that view when elected and chanced losing government over the very reform they see as legitimising their election?

Put simply, I suppose, would the people here prefer politicians who stood for something, more than one thing, even, and for more than one day? Maybe then the voting public could make informed choices and a debate could last more than a twenty-four hour news cycle.

Any thoughts that won't descend into one side of politics bashing another? I'm looking for the informed debate the people on this forum lambast politicians for not mounting in their own defence, not simple-minded, Right is better than Left - my own opinion - self-flagellation.

I would gladly have someone if possible explain mw what that "answer is blowing in the wind" line means. It has bothered me since the song came out; no meaning I can possibly twist it into fits the way it is used. The gentleman is to me troublesome, though my wife has in her day been into his stuff.

Be that as it may:

I strongly believe a member of the government should be principled, stand up and vote his conscience whatever the outcomes. Not acting to gratify the people, not acting to please the party, changing directions when he sees he is wring but not otherwise. Politicians should stay out of government. But so should schoolmasters.

I think a hundred honest idiots are far less dangerous than an oscillating, lying politician. It's impossible to vote on the basic of lies (so maybe I should vote american-style on the basic of how "nice" the guy seems?...)

Nice will not cut it.

I know all too well it is not true for everybody, but I have a pretty good record detecting at a distance certain kinds of jerks and frauds. I knew Clinton for what he was the first time I saw him on thee telly - and I was not "disappointed". Mr Obama I recognized as soon as I saw him - though I only got the basic character, I did not get a full sense of the weakness.

That is what I vote on, more than policies - which are not really in his control much as he might wish it - or his niceness.

I don't know, people voting on "character" seems to be the poison which has killed democracy. If people voted exclusively on the basis of policy, and on the feasibility of those said policies, then we can remove the "man" himself from politics. The solidity of ideas, and not subconscious cues should guide us if we choose to vote.

Which would be very fine - until you hit the point, the candidate who promises, Can he and Will he deliver on the promises?

The candidate who proclaims a policy, Does he in fact believe what he is saying and Will he in fact advance those policies?

A candidate can "read my lips" as much as he likes, and may convince many. But what is the good if after announcing a specific policy on, for example, overseas military activity, he does nothing about it? THAT is where we need to judge character.

And if given a choice, I will vote for a wise, discreet, honest, thoughtful person I disagree with over a jerk who SAYS he agrees with me.

Im not a knee jerk worshipper of every Dylan song but:
You've gotta be joking if your claiming that you cant decier the meaning.
The song is about war and injustice and the like.
When will it all end? The answer is "blowing in the wind."

Like most poetry its ambiguous- it could mean "no one knows when", or "the answer is up to you the listener [to take action to make it end]", or other meanings (pessimistic or optimistic).

Actually - 'blowin in the wind" is not the classic rock song I would pick for this topic.

I wouldve picked the Kansas song "Dust in the wind... All we are is dust in the wind" if your talking about politicians untethered by convictions. Lol!

Ah, mon ami, I jest not. Not in the least.

It has been me a sore pain these many weary years.

That the song is about a string of essentiaslly rhetorical questions - yes, tht much was and is clear.

But your very answer agrees with me - there is NO way to decide what - if anything = Mr Zimmermann [and I don't care for Dylan Thomas either and the Big Z choosing to associate himself with the Welshman did not make him more congeniasl to me] may have meant.

The readings you suggest I saw as possible, and other things were possible, and HIS answer is not even blowing in the wind, and I HATE that type and degree of ambiguity.

The problem there would be in a voter's thinking from the bottom up rather than from the top down. For example:

It would be easy for a voter to support a politician who might be "standing up for family values" as the voter might believe best, but then the politician would nevertheless later find himself or herself unable to actually deliver while being politically over-run by "the village" ... and then the voter's initial desire to have home-schooling protected, for example, goes right on out the window.

It is indeed important to recognize that standing up does not mean you will not be forced to sit down.

One department bigtime issue years back, I was the ONLY member of the department who did not cave. We made a UNANIMOUS decision - unanimous, mind you. And the dean called us together and very sweetly said he would like it if we reversed our decision. And everyone but me kowtowed. And my standing up only registered that I was not going to waffle my standards.