Raffi's new songs about kids, climate emergency, and Greta Thunberg

Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2019/09/23/baby-beluga-2-pt-0.html

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As much as I appreciate Raffi and Greta, now that my children are grown I do not want to hear another Raffi song.

Edit: I wasn’t trying to disrespect Raffi. The problem is entirely mine. It’s just that I appreciated him almost every day for 12 years. I thought others might have had a similar experience.

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I may have been a few years too old to intersect with Raffi but I could never stand his music.

Raffi: “Well everyone, I’ve got a couple of songs now about saving our planet and the youngsters that are lea-”

Self-important olds: “Get off the stage, boo, your music makes my ears hurt”

Two things (at least) that Raffi taught me:
1- If you haven’t got something positive to say, don’t say it. His music isn’t about you, it’s about young people that are actually doing something. Why take shots at him?

2- Never forget that inner kid who sees a world of possibility. I listened to Raffi all the time as a kid, and I’ve rediscovered him as a grown up with kids of my own. It’s a daily reminder to be courageous and positive.

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If you haven’t got something positive to say, don’t say it.

Nobody’s called Raffi a self-important old.

His music isn’t about you, it’s about young people that are actually doing something.

There’s plenty of bad music that is more about me than Raffi’s music is. I don’t like that either.

I’m glad some people like Raffi’s music. It’s all to the good.

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Greta let 'em have it, today, in her speech. She gave the Chosen One dagger eyes as he walked right by her.

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I dunno about that. Positivity is more pleasant, for sure, but in certain circumstances, civility == docility and positivity == blindness. And we’re in that circumstance.

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I think you might be missing the point of my comment. I wasn’t calling Raffi a self-important old. The message in his music is more important than whether any individual, particularly an adult, likes the music. When people bother to comment on the latter, it detracts from the former.

Positivity ≠ civility or blindness in this circumstance though. I am not sure that anyone would say the youth standing up to world leaders at the UN are docile, but they certainly believe in their ability to bring about change. But again, my comment about positivity wasn’t directed toward Raffi or the strikers. It was to people who claim to be supportive but offer pointless ridicule from the sidelines.

My point - to put it in the clearest way possible - is that if one supports doing something about the climate emergency, why bother making negative comments on Raffi’s music when he is trying to support the same goal? Does it really matter whether a grown up likes his music or not?

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Raffi himself is a “old,” at this point. As to his sense of self-importance, I couldn’t comment on its extent.

I think you might be missing the point of my comment. I wasn’t calling Raffi a self-important old.

Of course you weren’t. You were calling me and others who say Raffi’s music isn’t pleasant to listen to self-important olds, which seems like a violation of that “if you haven’t got something positive to say, don’t say it” lesson to me.

My point - to put it in the clearest way possible - is that if one supports doing something about the climate emergency, why bother making negative comments on Raffi’s music when he is trying to support the same goal? Does it really matter whether a grown up likes his music or not?

If Sarah Huckabee Sanders releases an album of kid-oriented songs about environmental issues, and it is awful to listen to, are we still having this discussion? Somehow, I doubt it.

Raffi is awesome. I also went to one of his concerts when I was about 5 or 6 and remember it better than many future concerts. Of course, I did fewer drugs at Raffi’s concert.

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