COLUMN: Freedom to speak, freedom to sing

From Mark Fiore's, "The Right Stuff," Fall '99 From Mark Fiore's, "The Right Stuff," Fall '99This ain't comin' from no prophet Just an ordinary man When I close my eyes I see The way this world shall beFrom Mark Fiore's, "The Right Stuff," Fall '99This ain't comin' from no prophet Just an ordinary man When I close my eyes I see The way this world shall beWhen we all walk hand in hand From Mark Fiore's, "The Right Stuff," Fall '99This ain't comin' from no prophet Just an ordinary man When I close my eyes I see The way this world shall beWhen we all walk hand in handWhen the last child cries for a crust of breadFrom Mark Fiore's, "The Right Stuff," Fall '99This ain't comin' from no prophet Just an ordinary man When I close my eyes I see The way this world shall beWhen we all walk hand in handWhen the last child cries for a crust of breadWhen the last man dies for just words that he saidFrom Mark Fiore's, "The Right Stuff," Fall '99This ain't comin' from no prophet Just an ordinary man When I close my eyes I see The way this world shall beWhen we all walk hand in handWhen the last child cries for a crust of breadWhen the last man dies for just words that he saidWhen there's shelter over the poorest headFrom Mark Fiore's, "The Right Stuff," Fall '99This ain't comin' from no prophet Just an ordinary man When I close my eyes I see The way this world shall beWhen we all walk hand in handWhen the last child cries for a crust of breadWhen the last man dies for just words that he saidWhen there's shelter over the poorest headWe shall be free Instead, the opposite perception prevailed. While many embraced the powerful song, others questioned what gave Garth the right to act as a preacher. They viewed the lyrics as an affront to their own values, a challenge to what they had always believed. They didn't want to hear something so provocative, so different, so extraordinary. But in typical Garth fashion, the country crooner didn't back down. He has defended the song to this day. "'We Shall Be Free' is definitely and easily the most controversial song I have ever done," Garth writes in the jacket to his album The Hits. "A song of love, a song of tolerance from someone who claims not be a prophet but just an ordinary man. I never thought there would be any problems with this song. Sometimes the roads we take do not turn out to be the roads we envisioned them to be. All I can say about 'We Shall Be Free' is that I will stand by every line of this song as long as I live." When the last thing we notice is the color of skin And the first thing we look for is the beauty within When the skies and the oceans are clean again Then we shall be free When we're free to love anyone we choose When this world's big enough for all different views When we all can worship from our own kind of pew Then we shall be free While seven years have passed since the release of "We Shall Be Free," the initial reaction to the song uncannily parallels the current atmosphere on the Penn campus. At an institution that is supposedly liberal -- used here in the philosophical, not the political, sense -- different points of view should be accepted without question. Though individuals need not always agree with other perspectives, they must at the very least respect such differences. Yet such acceptance rarely occurs. The same individuals that preach free speech hypocritically cry out against beliefs that oppose their own. They seek not to create a healthy debate but to stifle views that may be less popular. And on this largely liberal campus -- used here in the political sense -- the more unpopular views typically take a more conservative tone. As such, anyone who dares speak out against, say, welfare, will likely face personal condemnation instead of an intellectual, productive conversation. Of course, not all such debates come down to the conservative-liberal binary. Administration-student clashes occur almost as frequently, among others. The point remains, however, that members of the Penn community won't be free until the West Philadelphia "world's big enough for all different views." Garth carries the message of tolerance even further in his song. Though he has always refused to label himself either a Democrat or a Republican, his views tend to be conservative-libertarian, an outlook reflected in his beliefs on such topics as race relations and sexual preferences. "When the last thing we notice is the color of skin / And the first thing we look for is the beauty within," Garth sings of racial differences. As such, "we shall be free" when all forms of prejudice -- from racial discrimination to affirmative action -- are eradicated and when differences in skin color are cherished but not exploited. Freedom will also come "when we're free to love anyone we choose." Indeed, who is anyone to judge how others act in a matter so private as personal relationships? "Tolerance is an important issue to me," Garth told The Los Angeles Times in 1992. "Just like we might today ask our grandparents how anyone could have ever judged a man by his skin, our grandkids will say, 'How could anyone ever think someone's sexual preference affected how their mind works?" And when money talks for the very last time And nobody walks a step behind When there's only one race and that's mankind Then we shall be free