The following above tweet from Bandcamp managing editor Jes Skolnik references lyrics from “Paranoid Chant” off of the Minutemen’s 1980 debut EP Paranoid Time. Living up to their name, the seminal punk trio blasts through 7 tracks in just under 7 minutes. The entire EP addresses Cold War era paranoia.
The tune which was originally recorded while Cold War tensions still exists, takes on renewed resonance in recent times. There is so much Russia hysteria it is sometimes hard to sort out facts from bullshit. Of course Russia and Putin are guilty of several human rights violations, but critics also hypocritically overlooked the USA’s track record on human rights both foreign and domestic.
Are we on the brink of World War III or is it just paranoia? Of course there are very real issues that need to be addressed and fought against. If we ignore these issues then World War III could become a reality. The balance is realistically confronting issues without buying into propaganda based fear mongering.