Joshua
Allen
1/12/15
TMA 112
Benjamin
Thevenin
Paramore’s “Now” Music Video as
an Expression of Compassion Conquering all Evil
Upon first listen, Paramore’s song “Now”
gives off an arrogant and bratty tone inducive to violent behavior to get what
one wants. The lyrics, “there’s a time
and a place to die, but this ain’t (sic) it,” and “if there’s a future we want
it now,” (Williams, York) present some interesting ideas to the listener, such
as one deserves or even has the right to certain things. The music video adds a whole new vision to
the song. Instead of an arrogant and
survivalist view of death, the desperate struggle to live long enough to do
good in the world is what the artists wish to express. The music video for “Now” is essentially
trying to communicate the importance of showing compassion to all people
because compassion trumps all other emotions, including hate and anger. Adherence to this communication would make
our world a more peaceful place.
In the video, lead singer Hayley
Williams is seen crossing a battlefield towards an enemy soldier who appears to
have some kind of authority over his army.
Blood is represented by bright colored powder, which explodes around
Williams as she is struck and captured by an enemy soldier near the end of the
video before reaching her target. As she
looks around and sees fellow band members Taylor York and Jeremy Davis captured
by the enemy, the lieutenant of the opposing army moves forward to strike her. Williams makes one final attempt at reaching
him, and instead of attacking him, she hugs him. The battle ends and both sides rejoice
together as the lieutenant returns the gesture.
This is a clear depiction of love stopping a war, or more figuratively,
erasing hate. “Now” is not the first
song or music video that Paramore has created that has expressed the importance
of love; for example, “The Only Exception,” “Hate To See Your Heart Break,” and
“Brighter” all express the effect that compassion can have on negative
situations. All three of these songs
paint a picture of a tormented soul who, no matter his or her problems, finds
peace through compassion. If we as human
beings reached out in love to others (as Williams did) instead of judging or
hating them for who they are, we would all be able to find joy together despite
our differences like the two armies in the video.
Many viewers of this video have made
the connection that compassion is what puts an end to evil. One Youtube user, Sam Williams, wrote “When she hugs him, for me it's a (sic) example of love
and kindness. That maybe if we would just accept people how they are, without
judging or killing over religion, government…MAYBE peace could be real.” Many other users commented saying that the
video made them smile or that it was really touching. Clearly, many people think that emulating
Hayley Williams’ actions in the video would make the world a better place for
us to live.
In today’s culture and society,
there seems to be a constant battle to gain the upper hand in moral and
political issues. The fight against discrimination
based on race, sexual orientation, religion, etc. is, in a way, its own war. The legal battle over gay marriage is particularly
controversial and difficult today. Many
activists condemn religious people for their “hatred” towards homosexuals while
many religious people do, in fact, show hatred towards homosexuals. In the “Now” music video, it is not expressly
stated who is good and who is bad. It is
not even clear what the fighting is about.
If our society, including both sides of this moral war, learned to
accept the others as human beings, there would be no need for contention. Neither party is innocent of hatred, but it
is possible to show compassion for someone who does not agree with you. The simple solution to the problems
concerning the battle of gay marriage is clear in this music video: hug the
opponent. Showing love and acceptance
despite disagreements would end all negative feelings. It is not necessary for either side of the
debate to compromise their beliefs. We
just need to show kindness and compassion towards those who oppose us.
Of course, there are certain
elements in the video and in life in general that oppose this idea. In the video, Hayley Williams releases a gas
to slow down the opposing army.
Therefore, it could be argued that her actions were not necessarily
without some form of violence. However,
the gas was not fatal, and many of Williams’ opponents put on masks to withstand
the gas. Sometimes love is tough. Williams cared about the whole army, not just
the lieutenant. She needed to slow down
her opponents because the only way she could stop the fighting was through the
leader. Also, in regards to the
aforementioned argument on gay marriage, one might ask: would showing love to
the opposing side really rid us of all animosity? Perhaps not.
But it’s a start. The goal cannot
be reached if there is never a first step.
It requires bravery to show compassion to the enemy, but if Hayley
Williams’ example is followed, we will soon discover that the real enemy is not
a person, but hatred itself, and that showing compassion for another person
will rid us of hatred.
Works Cited
Williams,
Hayley, and Taylor York. Now. Paramore. Fueled by Ramen
Records/Atlantic, 2013. CD.
Williams, Sam.
Review. n.d.: n. pag. Youtube. Web. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G133kjKy91U>.
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