*sigh*

[Yrrek]

Ray Charles, arguably one of the greatest musicians of our time, has passed away at the age of 73. Brother Ray was one of my favorite musicians, I will miss him greatly. :(

[Artega]

I mourn the loss as well, Yrrek.

Truly, he was one of the greatest musicians of our time.

[Saxywoo]

And sadly as they say, deaths come in 3s.

I am a bit disappointed that there was *NO* coverage of Brother Ray's death. Not that anyone's death is more or less tragic than another's, but I think that Brother Ray had more of an effect on people than Reagan did.

Who remembers "You got the right one, baby...." and what it that line (sung by Brother Ray) came from?

5 points to the first one with the correct answer.

-SaxyCorp

[JustAGuy]

You're honestly saying that Ray Charles had more of an effect on people than Ronald Reagan? While I greatly admire Mr. Charles' work, the late President had much greater an impact on people's lives, simply because he literally directly impacted them during his time in office. The economy went to hell, and in effect, so did all of North Americas'. Everything got better, because of Reagan, and that had an effect across the world. Not to mention the whole Cold War and Berlin Wall things... I doubt many Berlinites know who Ray Charles is.

[Saxywoo]

You're taking my perspective too cut and dry. I'm not saying that Reagan didn't have an effect on people's lives. He did. But in that respect, you're thinking that the effects by politcal action are greater than effects of musical influences.

I personally don't attribute the Fall of the Berlin Wall to be an achievment of Reagan's. It was destined to happen, whether Reagan had said anything about it or not. Every form of economy runs in a cycle. But you couple an crumbling economy with a corrupt government that can't pay for anything, and pro-democracy/pro-capitalism movements gaining more and more support you WILL get MAJOR governmental and political changes. Reagan was there at the right time, so people will attribute that as one of his victories. Reagan also said "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall." But it wasn't the Russian troops or even Russian citizens that were tearing the wall down. It was the people of East and West Germany. Reagan was just there at the right time. The same thing applies to the fall of Communism and the collapse of the USSR. Are we going to also attribute the Challenger disaster to Reagan? That happened during his tenure in office...

Music doesn't have borders, must like politics does. Ray Charles has been extremely influential to many, many artists around the world. R&B and all it's derivatives come from the fusion of musical styles that Ray Charles was responsible for. But regardless, music has a more broad effect on people. You can find music for any situation, to fit your every mood. Politically, you're Democrat, Republican, liberal, ignorant, indifferent, a foreigner, or may as well be a foreigner.

People will associate themselves with a type of music far more readily than they would a political party. Which do you more readily admit to - the music you listen to (even if it is Disco, etc.) or a loyalty a political party?

What my real point is that it's WRONG to put more value on one person's life than another. My grandmother died 5 years ago. But had she died last week, just the value of what she meant to me would overshadow either of their deaths. It doesn't mean that I would be placing more value on my grandmother's life; it's just that it's more important to me. You merely think that Reagan is more important to you.

Simply flaming someone for saying that they are disappointed with the lack of attention that a very influential musical figure got, and looking at the whole thing from a different perspective than you are, makes me want to say things here that clearly wouldn't be appropriate. Welcome to the World Wide Web, people think in ways different from you. Get used to it. Tear down the wall.

I'm done talking about this here, lest this thread get too heated. If you want to take this further, I suggest that you PM me.

-SaxyCorp

[Nystul]

But in that respect, you're thinking that the effects by politcal action are greater than effects of musical influences.


It's certainly not that cut and dry. But from World War II on, U.S. policies directly influence just about every person in the world, and the president obviously has as big of a role in that as anyone. Very few individual musicians have influence that wide in scope, in my opinion.

I personally don't attribute the Fall of the Berlin Wall to be an achievment of Reagan's. It was destined to happen, whether Reagan had said anything about it or not. Every form of economy runs in a cycle. But you couple an crumbling economy with a corrupt government that can't pay for anything, and pro-democracy/pro-capitalism movements gaining more and more support you WILL get MAJOR governmental and political changes.

How many more years before real reform happens in China? I agree that the Iron Curtain was doomed to fall, but it could have taken a lot longer, or involved a *lot* more bloodshed. It's hard to know exactly where to give credit without a wide perspective from the Russian side of the story, which I have never heard much about. But I tend to think that Reagan and Gorbachev both deserve a lot of credit for what happened, even though it didn't happen during Reagan's terms and it led to Gorgachev's ouster.

Reagan also said "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall." But it wasn't the Russian troops or even Russian citizens that were tearing the wall down. It was the people of East and West Germany.

It was Gorbachev too. Do you think the Germans would have bold enough to do that during the peak years of the Soviet Union? If they had tried, would they have succeeded? If so, at what cost? The chain reaction that happened was not triggered by the Germans, although they seized their opportunity and moved forward quite successfully.

Music doesn't have borders, must like politics does.

That's debatable. If you look, for example, at music that makes a popular impact in the U.S., not only is it mostly American artists, but most of the foreign exceptions are British, Canadian, or Irish. Not to mention, listening to east coast rap in Compton could probably get you killed. (Do we have Ray Charles to thank for gansta rap and it's descendants?)

What my real point is that it's WRONG to put more value on one person's life than another.

The problem is, you were the one who started the comparison by saying that Ray Charles was more influential than Reagan. Then when someone tries to dispute that claim, you go this route.

I'm done talking about this here, lest this thread get too heated. If you want to take this further, I suggest that you PM me.


I never understood the whole "this is my last post on the topic" bit. You could have PM'd him instead of making this post. Instead you refute his points in public and expect him to respond privately. In that case, expect the thread to keep going with or without you.

[Omega]

Who remembers "You got the right one, baby...." and what it that line (sung by Brother Ray) came from?

Diet Coke commercial. Or diet Pepsi. crap.

[Saxywoo]

Which is it? Diet Coke or Diet Pepsi? You have a 50/50 chance...... You're so close! :D

[Urza-DSF]

Heh, just remembered an old comic from Crono Trigger Rip-Off:

God is Love...

[Butch27]

Pepsi-I know it was Diet Pepsi. Right?

[Saxywoo]

We have a winner..... 5 Points to you, good sir...