Folk singer Bob Dylan is making headlines for stating that the United States will never be able to extricate itself from its slave past. In a Rolling Stone magazine interview to promote his new album, "Tempest," Dylan remarked that the U.S. was "founded on the back of slaves." He went on to say, "If slavery had been given up in a more peaceful way, America would be far ahead today." That's because the U.S. Civil War remains the nation's deadliest, with an estimated 750,000 casualties.
Dylan says that black Americans today can't overlook the extreme measures that some whites took to maintain the peculiar institution known as slavery. He said black people know that some whites "didn't want to give up slavery" and this knowledge would "hold any nation back."
Dylan went on to say that today race relations in the U.S. are tense and that Americans are "at each other's throats just because they are of a different color."
The singer-songwriter wouldn't say if he believed that the election of Barack Obama to the presidency had resulted in change.
"You have to change your heart if you want to change," Dylan said.
What do you think of Dylan's comments? Is he right? Is the ghost of slavery holding the nation back?
Comments
I RESPECT BOB DYLAN FOR THIS POWERFUL TRUTH.KEEP ON KEEPING ON BOB.
HARD RAINS ARE GONNA FALL- IF AMERICA CONTINUE TO DISRESPECT AND REJECT IT’S BLACK FOUNDATION CORNER STONE–ONE-THAT PROVIDES IT WITH SUCH SUCCESS .
LET NOT EVIL PREVAIL OR HYPOCRISY REMAIN-LET IT NOT BE FOUND TO BE BLOWING IN THE WIND .
BOB, YOU KEEP RIGHT ON TELLING IT LIKE IT IS.
ONE LOVE -ALL HUMAN BEINGS-ONE CREATOR——-THAT NAME———- ABOVE ALL NAMES-WHOSE NAME IS J-E-S-U-S.
OSRICK THORNE (THE OSRICK BAND) GOOD NEWS SONGS.
Once again Americans alway bury themselves in the cesspool of dishonesty. Whenever anyone speaks truth to evil most of us get an allergic reaction. Thank you Mr. Dylan for injecting some integrity into a wicked delusional place. Your comments certainly gave my heart a smile this week.