Three things I know of usually start with good intentions: holidays, religion and music. And like most things that start with nothing but good intentions, they tend to accumulate a lot of baggage that dilutes the original message. These three things collided last week for me, on that High Holy Day (see what I did there?) for college students, 4/20.
It all hit me as I was walking back to my apartment that afternoon. I happened to see a proudly displayed red-yellow-green flag with the image of Bob Marley’s face on it hanging from the balcony of a nearby apartment. This is nothing out of the ordinary for a college apartment to have, let alone on 4/20 itself. Despite its innocuousness, I couldn’t help but feel a little bit of disdain while looking at it.
Reason being, that because the celebration of 420, marijuana, Bob Marley, reggae music and Rastafarianism have gotten so jumbled together in America, no one knows what they’re supporting or celebrating anymore. So when I see a flag like the one I saw last Monday, I can’t help but lament the probable woeful ignorance toward the true meaning of those colors.
Of course, I’m completely biased toward knowing the history because, way back in ninth grade, I did a completely over-researched paper on the impact of the events of World War II on the development of Rastafarianism. I was a weird kid.
Basically, as a quick search on Wikipedia will tell you, Rastafarians believe that the late Emperor of Ethiopia, Haile Selassie I, previously named Ras Tafari, was/is black Jesus incarnate, who will come again one day to save Zion (righteous Rasta society) from the oppression of Babylon (Western society). And of course, the religion includes the belief that consumption of ganja is indeed a sacrament.
Because of this, I have a hard time believing that all of this is on the minds of people who walk around saying “Jah love” and flying their Pan-African flags on 4/20. It has become a weird form of cultural bandwagonism in which wanting to be a part of the Rasta “vibe” becomes paramount, if only for one day.
I can deal with 4/20 itself. It’s only one day. Although if you partake, it might feel like two. However, the sad thing is that reggae music has been pulled into this whole cultural debacle. At least for me, it’s gotten to the point that I’ve eschewed buying any Bob Marley albums in favor of less famous reggae artists, for fear of living the cliche of the college student who loves Bob because the music is just “so chill, you know?”
The question is whether this says more about how Bob Marley and much of the rest of reggae canon has been cheapened, or my inability to be unaffected by real or imagined social pressures while buying music.
In my opinion, I can’t seem to shake the fact that reggae is being co-opted by opportunist stoners who want something that is easy to listen to and feels culturally appropriate while high. While it is true that the meaning behind a lot of the songs is peace and unity, some of it is a call to action against oppression, which is hard to recognize if you’re baked out of your gourd. On top of that, do you think the guy next door to you blasting “Get Up, Stand Up” knows who Haile Selassie I is? Definitely not.
At the same time I have these thoughts, I realize how incredibly elitist they are. That premise suggests that in order to “properly” consume music, you have to have extensive background knowledge of that genre or artist. This premise is, of course, entirely untrue, at least from my perspective. That rule appeals to me because I’ve frittered away days of my life reading up about music trivia, so I don’t want to have it go to waste.
However, while there is no right or wrong way to consume music ““ or any art for that matter ““ isn’t it possible that enjoyment, understanding or appreciation is increased with greater background knowledge? I guess it all comes down to whether you believe in media literacy (what up, Prof. Kelly?), in that there are levels of appreciation and understanding for media.
Again, part of me wants to believe this, but I can’t, in good conscience, say my level of appreciation is “higher” than someone who likes a song just on the surface level of rhythm and melody.
But at the same time, I hope that arcane knowledge of the religious beliefs underlying pop music help me and others who are so inclined get something out of it, because I know there’s not going to be a category on the Five-Percent Nation on Jeopardy.
E-mail Ayres at jayres@media.ucla.edu.