Rush was no ordinary formula rock band. Alex Lifeson, Geddy Lee, and Neil Peart captivated generations of progressive metal-loving teenagers with their unique expansive sound and unusually honest lyrics about the benefits of freedom, self-reliance, and the evils of totalitarianism.
Like Sting from The Police, the Canadian band’s late Lyricist Neil Peart was a voracious reader and for a time the words of philosopher Ayn Rand echoed through their music. Songs like Anthem, Something for Nothing, and their 2112 concept album released in March of 1976, were all heavily influenced by writer/philosopher Ayn Rand.
Their breakthrough 2112 album featured a song of the same name broken up into many different songs that comprised the entirety of side one on vinyl. The theme of the song is that the world has been taken over by an authoritarian Orwellian regime that controls every aspect of society — especially the culture. Everything must be approved by a handful of “priests” AKA experts. The following lyrics explain the dire situation of the populace:
We’ve taken care of everything
The words you hear, the songs you sing
The pictures that give pleasure to your eyes
It’s one for all and all for one
We work together, common sons
Never need to wonder how or why
Sound familiar? This is exactly what is happening right now in Western civilization under the guise of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies being enacted either by their own volition or by the intimidation of Larry Fink’s diabolical ESG policies. It is undeniable that self-appointed cultural elites have infiltrated every form of entertainment and work tirelessly to insert the message into every form of art & entertainment for the good of humanity.
So, here we are 48 years later and our world is perilously close to Neil Peart’s dystopian world from 2112. From the WEF to the United Nations, there is talk among the anointed elites of a one-world government being the solution to all our “problems” — problems that they created. Many cultish think tanks such as Ray Kurzweil’s Singularity University and others preach the same prescriptions: guaranteed income, free health care, eating insects, climate change, mass immigration, etc.
Perhaps the biggest threat to Western civilization and the world is the growing attack on free speech. Many previously “free” European countries have all but eliminated the right to free speech. Free speech that the elites do not like is called hate speech. The rise of hate speech laws that prohibit criticism of the powerful is everywhere. Powerful Islamic and Jewish pressure groups are hell-bent on silencing and jailing anyone who dares to criticize their false religions and evil ideologies.
Attacks on free speech are primarily coming from the campuses of most universities and colleges around the world. Harvard, once the most prestigious university in America now ranks at the very bottom of FIRE’s free speech ranking!
Tyrants of all stripes and ideologies realize that the easiest way to win an argument is to silence your critics.
Canada is one of the biggest offenders in the world for their stance on free speech. Justin Trudeau is behaving like a dictator and is proposing to amend the criminal code: The FreeSpeechUnion on has a great writeup on this insanity:
Justin Trudeau’s government has proposed a draconian new law that risks weaponising the concept of ‘hate speech’, enabling judges to put those suspected of harbouring hateful thoughts under house arrest, and establishing a free-to-use compensation complaints scheme that will incentivise woke scolds to target for bankruptcy any Canadians who dissent from progressive orthodoxy.
According to the Liberal government, the legislation intends to make the internet safer for children, but Bill C-63 – also known as the Online Harms Bill – goes much further than cracking down on cyberbullying and child exploitation, targeting what it describes as “hate speech”.
Last week at Toronto’s stately Massey Hall, Rush’s Geddy Lee talked about his new book “My Effin Life” with bandmate Alex Lifeson. Here’s the video courtesy of the CBC:
Although Rush has never been known for their politics outside of music, I found it strange that they could be so calm and indifferent while Canada is about to become a soft police state that can jail someone for saying something on social media that someone doesn’t like.
More than anyone, artists rely on robust free speech for their living. If Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee were to speak out about Trudeau’s repressive law, I believe many Canadians would be behind them. Courage begets courage.
It’s maddening to see rockstars who have made millions of dollars over their careers lack the intestinal fortitude to stand up for the basic human right of free speech. Of course, they are rich and they’ll never be silenced, they can afford lawyers, and they can leave Canada if the shit hits the fan, but the average Canadian who has to choose between prescription medicine, food, and housing cannot.
Given the prophetic message of their classic 2112 magnum opus, it seems hypocritical of them not to realize that they are fiddling while Prime Minster Justin Trudeau burns their own Charter of Rights and Freedoms so he can stop so-called “hate”. This is the very same politician who wantonly violated the rights of Canadian protesters during the Trucker Freedom Convoy.
Conclusion
From the Bible to Orwell to Solzhenitsyn to Neil Peart, many of warned humanity of a terrible fate that awaits us if we allow tyrants and despots to seize power. In 1976, the band Rush gave us a warning that someday a totalitarian government would eventually rule over us. This is coming true before our very eyes.
Was Rush’s concept piece 2112 some kind of joke? Was it merely a piece of disposable pulp science fiction that we can sweep under the carpet?
My simple conclusion is that bassist Geddy Lee and guitarist Alex Lifeson are either cowards, blissfully out of touch, or even worse agree with what the Trudeau regime is doing. To see them fiddle-faddling on stage like two old Vaudeville comedians babbling away about inconsequential matters while Trudeau threatens Canadians with imprisonment for saying the wrong things is depressing. To whom much is given, much is expected.
To his great credit, fellow Candian Jordan Peterson is not a silent coward. Here’s what he said about free speech:
During the 2013 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Awards, where Rush was finally inducted, drummer Neil Peart fittingly referenced Bob Dylan in his acceptance speech:
The highest purpose of art is to inspire. What else can you do for anyone but inspire them?
Rush inspired me when I was growing up. I’ve seen Rush about 10 times over my life. Their insightful lyrics blew my mind and made me want to learn more about the world and start reading authors like Ayn Rand and J.R.R. Tolkien. Now I would like to return the favor and hopefully inspire Rush to stop the navel-gazing, man up, and stand up for freedom for their fellow Canadians.
–Wolfshead
