(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Top Comments: Billy Bragg's Response to 'Rich Men North of Richmond' [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-08-20 Here at Top Comments we strive to nourish community by rounding up some of the site's best, funniest, most mojo'd & most informative commentary, and we depend on your help!! If you see a comment by another Kossack that deserves wider recognition, please send it either to topcomments at gmail or to the Top Comments group mailbox by 9:30pm Eastern. Please please please include a few words about why you sent it in as well as your user name (even if you think we know it already :-)), so we can credit you with the find! First, a report on Tropical Storm Hilary from northern San Diego County: It’s been raining pretty much constantly since I got up this morning. Right now, the rain volume is moderate to heavy. There is no significant flooding around here, but there have been items on Twitter showing flooding in the desert east of here, as well as in Los Angeles. Thus far, there hasn’t been much in the way of wind; that may change as the eye of the storm moves toward us from the south. Just to make things more Biblical, there was a modest earthquake in Ojai, Santa Barbara County, to the north. Portmanteau word of the day: Hurriquake. (We didn’t feel it.) Anyway, we’re staying home at least until the rain stops. Now to the main topic of this diary. By now, I expect the well-informed people who frequent Daily Kos are familiar with the song “The Rich Men North of Richmond” by Oliver Anthony, which essentially repeats all the right-wing tropes of why poor white people feel powerlessness and “economic anxiety” (motivated by more than a soupçon of racism). The song went viral with a fair amount of promotion on right-wing media. Billy Bragg was moved to write a song in response. (On Twitter, he said her heard Woody Guthrie whispering in his ear.) Here it is: x YouTube Video The principal message: If you’re tired of poor pay for your work, join a union. Don’t blame other poor people for your predicament. Instead, unite with them to achieve fair wages and a better standard of living. Of course, “The Rich Men of Richmond” is disingenuous. While Anthony might be open to labor unions, there’s no way he would join forces with poor Black or brown people for any purpose, even to defeat a common enemy. I expect Bragg’s song won’t attract as much attention as Anthony’s song, but I admire his determination to point out where the real problem is. Comments are below the fold. Top Comments (August 19-20, 2023): No nominations or highlights tonight. Top Mojo (August 18, 2023): Top Mojo is courtesy of mik! Click here for more on how Top Mojo works. Top Mojo (August 19, 2023): Top Photos (August 18, 2023): Thanks to jotter (RIP) for creating it and elfling for restoring it. Top Photos (August 19, 2023): [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/8/20/2188550/-Comments-Billy-Bragg-s-Response-to-Rich-Men-North-of-Richmond Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/