The American Spectator

At Large

Twenty years after the original debuted, a new crop of British pop stars has re-recorded "Sir" Bob Geldof's 1984 hit "Do They Know It's Christmas" and the pro-Africa relief song once again sits atop the British charts.

The news surrounding the song's re-release, which American Adult Contemporary radio stations have already begun to play ad nauseam, calls to mind some old frustrations I harbor over the lyrics, not to mention the motives of the artists who sing them.

Make no mistake, I believe strongly in the idea behind the song. There is no better way to celebrate the birth of Christ than to help the less fortunate around the world. But "Do They Know It's Christmas?" is perhaps the least culturally literate tune in memory. Moreover, dripping with indignation, it comes off like a John Kerry for President speech put to music, all designed to make regular Americans feel bad so uppity British pop stars can feel good.

First, let us consider the lyrics. The second stanza reads:

p> em>There's a world outside your window br> And it's a world of dread and fear br> Where the only water flowing br> Is the bitter sting of tears br> And the Christmas bells that ring there br> Are the clanging chimes of doom. /em> /p>

A heart-rending sentiment at first glance, but only if one has never been to Africa. My wife spent two-and-a-half years in Chad. With a per capita income of 1,100 per year, Chad is one of the most impoverished countries on the Dark Continent. Her experience leads her to share my frustration with these puerile lyrics. To begin with, folks like the people in Chad have never lived in the West or in America and therefore have developed a completely different value system than we have. For example, not having a Christmas goose to dig into every 25th day of December would not constitute "a world of dread and fear" in Africa the way it would in, say, Tiny Tim's London circa 1843.

Nor does the lack of a Christmas celebration bring "the bitter sting of tears." In fact, my wife's Chadian friends dressed in their best clothes at Christmas, attended church and then danced to American music until sun up. So while they celebrated differently -- their mud walls were not decked, and no visions of sugar plums danced -- it would be inaccurate to say they clang "chimes of doom."

topics:
Trade, Islam, Africa