Excuse Me!
An analysis of Pardon Moi - »Power to The People«
Profet's Ronni Arturo asks himself what a statement such as »Power to The People« really does mean today, as he listens to the Pardon Moi single that goes under that name.
There are no excuses to Pardon Moi, nor to their beat crushing single »Power to The People«. The title of the song goes in a completely different direction than the name of the group performing it, making its message more entertaining. The timidity of a band name such as Pardon Moi suggests material that is easily surpassed, a song title like »Power to The People« does not. Sure, those for words have been thrown around and tampered with for decades now, so much that uttering them doesn’t even really mean anything anymore. Claiming power to the people is like saying you want to fight for your right (to party or whatever it is you want to keep on having the right to do).
Do you know what your right is? Do you know real power and are you aware of what it means to have it? Power in its purest form is the possibility to lead your own life without submitting to the rules and boundaries of others. If a society where the people themselves were capable of knowing their own value would be imaginable, we would be able to redeem the true power, and to seek a way to get along without the control of a higher, governmental force. As members of the Nation of Islam breakout group Five Percent Nation say, the power that the people is in dire need of is Knowledge of Self. Without that knowledge, there is no way of seeing the world around you and realizing what needs to be done. Without that knowledge, you don’t know what you need for yourself. Without that knowledge, you are perfectly happy living within the shackles of the limited power that a modern world citizen is given through the right to vote. Do you feel like your voice really makes a difference in the wild stream of others shouting at the top of their lungs? A shout has lost its loudness, and a cry for power has lost its hopefulness. Well, hope is never gone, as long as there is thought there is hope. The correct statement would be to say that a cry for power has lost its forcefulness, a grand disaster that requires instant adjustment.
So, what needs to be done to bring the power back into a slogan like Power to The People? When the majority of the world’s population has learned Knowledge of Self - and used those learnings to build respect for fellow beings - the idea of power can actually return to its original setting. Then, and only then, the people will be ready to even comprehend what the words »Power to The People« mean, and what the consequences of a power shift can be. I feel like the benefits of a more collectively governed world would be substantial, if only The People would be on board with stepping into a more conscious mind-set. Shouldered by many, the ruling of the world is more precise and accurate to the needs and wants of the masses, considering that is what the masses crave. Possibly, most parts of The People are perfectly happy with handing The Power over to a selected few, blissfully going along with decisions that affect everyone.
I wonder what Pardon Moi really means by naming a song »Power to The People« in a time when those four words matched together is more likely to be seen on a tacky T-shirt than written on a sign held up in a demonstration. The song in itself is fantastic, quite dystopic and beautifully sad underneath the merciless beat, perhaps fit for rides in luxury vehicles according to some people but not to me. The message is not clear, but the title does in fact make thinkers of thoughts think more thoughts and that will hopefully make the makers of change try harder to make some change.