Johnny Cash is woke?

[voicecrying]

The Masculinity Debate Needs Johnny Cash - Christianity Today

America’s young men are disaffected and lonely. But lack of manliness is not the problem.

www.christianitytoday.com

"But Cash throws a wrench into the politics of American manhood. He is not tame or domesticated—after all, he cultivated an outlaw image. But he also didn’t toe the party line, and by contemporary definitions, he would likely have been considered woke. His music reflects a deep compassion for those on the margins. It’s almost as if knowing his own faults made him slow to judge the struggles of others."

 

[Dr. Huk-N-Duck]

The Masculinity Debate Needs Johnny Cash - Christianity Today

America’s young men are disaffected and lonely. But lack of manliness is not the problem.

www.christianitytoday.com

I can see him being quasi-woke. Willie Nelson definitely has been for a long time, and I’d put Cash somewhat in that vein.

 

[AverageJoe]

The Masculinity Debate Needs Johnny Cash - Christianity Today

America’s young men are disaffected and lonely. But lack of manliness is not the problem.

www.christianitytoday.com

It's possible. I knew Johnny, and he did like to assist the "underdogs" of society. In his days with "The Highwaymen", he was leaning ever more to the left. He wasn't totally onboard but had he lived longer, he might have been.

 

[Ransom]

From "Man in Black":

I wear the black for the poor and the beaten down
Livin' in the hopeless, hungry side of town
I wear it for the prisoner who is long paid for his crime
But is there because he's a victim of the times

I wear the black for those who've never read
Or listened to the words that Jesus said
About the road to happiness through love and charity
Why, you'd think He's talking straight to you and me

Well, we're doin' mighty fine, I do suppose
In our streak of lightnin' cars and fancy clothes
But just so we're reminded of the ones who are held back
Up front there ought to be a Man In Black

I wear it for the sick and lonely old
For the reckless ones whose bad trip left them cold
I wear the black in mournin' for the lives that could have been
Each week we lose a hundred fine young men

And I wear it for the thousands who have died
Believin' that the Lord was on their side
I wear it for another hundred thousand who have died
Believin' that we all were on their side
​

It's a 1971 protest song against poverty, the indifference of the rich, neglect of the elderly and downtrodden, and the Vietnam War. Cash would almost definitely be a part of the evangelical Left. He's writing about social justice issues (back when "justice" meant something more substantial than the latest leftist talking points).

Would he be "woke"? Perhaps in its original sense ("woke" meaning awakened to the reality of societal injustice, particularly racism). But he died 20 years ago, and a lot of the issues that now fall under the umbrella of "wokeness" (especially gender ideology, apart from gay rights) weren't even on the radar back then.

 

[aleshanee]

so... if johnny cash was woke..... what was the song "delia" all about?...... an attempt to
comfort a condemned prisoner who had murdered a girlfriend?.....or could it have been
encouragement for anyone who didn;t like a girlfriend to go ahead and murder her too?....

....... to do her "like delia got done"?....

come to think of it..... with the modern leftists supporting criminals the way they do....
maybe johnny cash was woke......

 

[Dr. Huk-N-Duck]

From "Man in Black":

​

I wear the black for the poor and the beaten down​

Livin' in the hopeless, hungry side of town​

I wear it for the prisoner who is long paid for his crime​

But is there because he's a victim of the times​

​

I wear the black for those who've never read​

Or listened to the words that Jesus said​

About the road to happiness through love and charity​

Why, you'd think He's talking straight to you and me​

​

Well, we're doin' mighty fine, I do suppose​

In our streak of lightnin' cars and fancy clothes​

But just so we're reminded of the ones who are held back​

Up front there ought to be a Man In Black​

​

I wear it for the sick and lonely old​

For the reckless ones whose bad trip left them cold​

I wear the black in mournin' for the lives that could have been​

Each week we lose a hundred fine young men​

​

And I wear it for the thousands who have died​

Believin' that the Lord was on their side​

I wear it for another hundred thousand who have died​

Believin' that we all were on their side​

​

It's a 1971 protest song against poverty, the indifference of the rich, neglect of the elderly and downtrodden, and the Vietnam War. Cash would almost definitely be a part of the evangelical Left. He's writing about social justice issues (back when "justice" meant something more substantial than the latest leftist talking points).

Would he be "woke"? Perhaps in its original sense ("woke" meaning awakened to the reality of societal injustice, particularly racism). But he died 20 years ago, and a lot of the issues that now fall under the umbrella of "wokeness" (especially gender ideology, apart from gay rights) weren't even on the radar back then.

Like many people from his generation in the South, my grandfather (a WW2 veteran) was a lifelong Democrat to the day of his death. His views on everything from race to gay people (he died pre-gay marriage) were very complicated and sometimes seemed contradictory. Although he leaned left (at least compared to his region and certainly his generation), I do absolutely believe he would not have supported the modern woke agenda. My point, a “liberal” or Democrat from fifty years ago is certainly not what a liberal is in today’s context. I think that’s true of Cash.

 

[aleshanee]

Like many people from his generation in the South, my grandfather (a WW2 veteran) was a lifelong Democrat to the day of his death. His views on everything from race to gay people (he died pre-gay marriage) were very complicated and sometimes seemed contradictory. Although he leaned left (at least compared to his region and certainly his generation), I do absolutely believe he would not have supported the modern woke agenda. My point, a “liberal” or Democrat from fifty years ago is certainly not what a liberal is in today’s context. I think that’s true of Cash.

.
it;s hard to tell sometimes.... some people among entertainers, that i imagined were solid conservatives .. (like arnold schwartzeneggar)... .... turned completely woke in the last couple of years... then others who i never would have guessed ..(like jon voight)... came out as strong christian conservatives.... even trump supporters.... which just goes to show you can;t always judge entertainers by the songs they sing or the movies they make.... ....... but i can tell you one thing... my natural sister was murdered right in front of me when i was 10... and the first time i ever heard the song "delia" by johnny cash it terrified me to no end... i thought he was giving a real account of something he had really done..... it took hours to talk me down and that image of him was hard to get out of my head... ..so i;m not much of a johnny cash fan these days... .... just hearing the voice reminds me of the song which reminds me of the event.... if we as christians will be held to account for all our idle words then i believe entertainers will be held accountable for all they have chosen to entertain us with..... some will have a lot to account for... ..

 

[Dr. Huk-N-Duck]

.
it;s hard to tell sometimes.... some people among entertainers, that i imagined were solid conservatives .. (like arnold schwartzeneggar)... .... turned completely woke in the last couple of years... then others who i never would have guessed ..(like jon voight)... came out as strong christian conservatives.... even trump supporters.... which just goes to show you can;t always judge entertainers by the songs they sing or the movies they make.... ....... but i can tell you one thing... my natural sister was murdered right in front of me when i was 10... and the first time i ever heard the song "delia" by johnny cash it terrified me to no end... i thought he was giving a real account of something he had really done..... it took hours to talk me down and that image of him was hard to get out of my head... ..so i;m not much of a johnny cash fan these days... .... just hearing the voice reminds me of the song which reminds me of the event.... if we as christians will be held to account for all our idle words then i believe entertainers will be held accountable for all they have chosen to entertain us with..... some will have a lot to account for... ..

Like many average everyday Democrats, I think in their hearts, many entertainers are probably against the woke agenda, but to come out publicly against it is career suicide. I’ve met many folks who have fled New York, California, etc., and they say they had to keep their views in the closet or they could literally have a woke mob at work trying to get them fired.

 

[aleshanee]

Like many average everyday Democrats, I think in their hearts, many entertainers are probably against the woke agenda, but to come out publicly against it is career suicide. I’ve met many folks who have fled New York, California, etc., and they say they had to keep their views in the closet or they could literally have a woke mob at work trying to get them fired.

.
true.... entertainers make a living pretending to be all the things they are not.... ...so it;s probably easier for them to keep personal beliefs secret than it would be for the rest of us..... ...and yet playing the parts they are given they often have enormous influence on the popular culture that they might not be aware of... democrats have used entertainers for decades now to become the dominate influence on the culture.... ... even the church.. which at one time was able to exert it;s own influence on the culture... has itself become influenced to the point that many churches feel they can;t exist unless popluar culture is given a stage to perform on right next to the pulpit..... ....

 

[Ekklesian]

Practically no one from that era in entertainment was woke. Compare 'The Man in Black' above with 'Myra Breckinridge' from the same era. Myra Breckinridge is what woke means. It was fringe then.

 

[Ransom]

Practically no one from that era in entertainment was woke. Compare 'The Man in Black' above with 'Myra Breckinridge' from the same era. Myra Breckinridge is what woke means. It was fringe then.

There have always been deeply progressive Hollywoodites. The HUAC hearings were proof of that. But on the whole there was also more diveristy of viewpoint, and hence a greater number of openly Republican movie stars.

 

[Ekklesian]

There have always been deeply progressive Hollywoodites. The HUAC hearings were proof of that. But on the whole there was also more diveristy of viewpoint, and hence a greater number of openly Republican movie stars.

This is true.