Reading and learning about Woody Guthrie and everything he stood for made me think a lot about the current state of the United States and how disappointing it would be for him if he were alive to see Donald Trump elected president. Woody was a man who truly represented the average American citizen. His story from being born into a middle class family to losing it all during the Dust Bowl and finally becoming a legend is inspiring.
All Woody’s songs, regardless of their content, have this optimism and brightness to them. This line in the reader from Woody struck me, “I hate a song that makes you think that you’re not any good. I hate a song that makes you think you are just born to lose…I am out to sing songs that will prove to you that this is your world…”(59). Perhaps that’s why his rendition of ‘Red River Valley’ is more upbeat.
Hearing him sing “This Land is Your Land” tugs at my heart. Despite all the time that has passed since his passing, many immigrants and immigrant families still aren’t welcome or accepted by this land. We don’t feel that is “our” land. The visual differences between us and the white population of the United States makes it easy to isolate and scapegoat us. It feels so melancholy to only know one land as your home your entire life and yet still not be accepted as a native of that land. I sometimes feel lost, not accepted by the culture I was born into and yet not connected to the culture of my ancestors. It's a debate I have with many people to this day; who gets to call themselves "American"? What connects all "Americans" if there is anything at all? How can we live peacefully in a country where there are some people who still consider other people inferior due to their race, sex, etc? Perhaps the only thing we can all agree on is the desire to make better lives for ourselves and the desire to make America some place we can call home.
It's like we all live in our own bubbles and only branch out to attack each other with labels. It's so frustrating, but it's also frustrating to deal with racist and ignorant rhetoric from the same people you're trying to level with. Perhaps taking a page out of Woody's book and experiencing life at all levels and with all types of people is the only way to stop this insidious spread of divisiveness across the country. A divisiveness being made worse by President Trump.
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