Springsteen Discovers Human Rights, Decades After Chile and Nicaragua
Bruce Springsteen, the 'working-man's hero,' has finally spoken out against government overreach, specifically ICE deployments and the killing of Renee Good, in a move heralded by the NYT. It’s certainly timely for the victims. Yet, one might recall the 1970s and 80s when the U.S. government actively supported Augusto Pinochet's brutal regime in Chile, or armed the Contra death squads in Nicaragua
– both well-documented instances of state violence against civilians that drew little, if any, denunciation from rock's supposed conscience. The cheers now feel a little… selective, don't they? While his current outrage is welcome, it raises questions about the selective moral compass of public figures and the media that amplifies them. Where was this passionate solidarity when the victims weren't
on American soil, or when the perpetrators wore different uniforms? It seems some injustices only rate a song or a statement when they fit a particular domestic narrative, allowing the uncomfortable historical context of U.S. foreign policy to remain conveniently unheard.