12/02/2014
Re: Pat Buchanan’s article Libya, Isis, Rioting In Kiev: Hagel Didn’t Start the Fire
From: An Annoyed Reader
Perhaps nothing better illustrates the degree to which the cultural revolution of the past fifty years has cheapened public discourse better than the fact that a Patrick J. Buchanan column on an outlet dedicated to defending traditional American culture now comes appended to an MTV video.
By James Fulford writes: I’m afraid this is my fault. Pat’s title was “Hagel Didn’t Start The Fire”, a reference to Billy Joel’s 1989 song “We Didn’t Start The Fire.”
I added the references to Libya, Isis, and Rioting in Kiev partly to give readers who only see the headline a better idea of the column’s subject — necessary in a webzine, in a way it isn’t in the newspaper — but in conscious imitation of Joel’s lyrics, which rhythmically cover American history from the 40s to the 80s
Einstein, James Dean, Brooklyn’s got a winning teamDavy Crockett, Peter Pan, Elvis Presley, Disneyland
Bardot, Budapest, Alabama, Khrushchev
Princess Grace, Peyton Place, Trouble in the Suez
Pat would not only know what all that is about — there are websites and a Wikipedia article devoted to explaining the cultural references to the younger generation — but he actually lived through it.
Having added that to the title, I thought it worth adding the video. There’s a case for saying that the song is not only about American culture, but after 25 years, it’s become part of it.
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