West Side Story and Sowell's "A Conflict of Visions"
Jan 1, 2022
26:30
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Quick takeaways
Thomas Sowell distinguishes between the tragic and utopian visions of human nature, with the former acknowledging human imperfections and the need for social institutions to compensate for selfish impulses, while the latter believes in the inherent goodness of humans and strives for perfecting social institutions to create a better society.
The songs 'America' and 'Gee, Officer Krupke' from West Side Story exemplify the clash between the tragic and utopian visions, with 'America' exploring themes of personal freedom, racial discrimination, and the complexities of living in America, and 'Gee, Officer Krupke' presenting contrasting views on crime, delinquency, and the root causes and appropriate responses.
Deep dives
Conflict of Visions: Tragic vs Utopian
In this podcast episode, the host discusses Thomas Sowell's concept of the tragic and utopian visions of human nature. According to Sowell, the tragic vision recognizes human imperfections and acknowledges the need for social institutions to compensate for selfish impulses. On the other hand, the utopian vision sees humans as inherently good and believes that perfecting social institutions will lead to a better society. The host explores this conflict through two songs from West Side Story which exemplify the contrasting views.
Song Analysis: 'America'
The first song discussed in the episode is 'America' from West Side Story. It portrays the conflict between the Puerto Rican women who embrace their new life in America and the men who criticize their new home while nostalgically longing for their idealized memories of Puerto Rico. The lyrics capture the trade-offs and complexities of living in America, touching on themes of personal freedom, racial discrimination, and the allure of a wealthy society. This song epitomizes the clash between the tragic and utopian visions.
Song Analysis: 'Gee, Officer Krupke'
The second song analyzed is 'Gee, Officer Krupke' from West Side Story. It addresses the issue of crime and delinquency, presenting the contrasting views of the tragic and utopian visions. The boys arrested in the storyline plead that their criminal behavior is a result of a bad environment and upbringing, seeking empathy and therapy. However, the tragic vision recognizes the inevitability of crime and emphasizes swift punishment, while the utopian vision blames social arrangements for criminal behavior and calls for leniency and rehabilitation. The song highlights the ongoing debate regarding the root causes of crime.
NEW NEWS THAT'S NEWSWORTHY: Basic Books (Sowell's publisher) is teaming up with The Genius of Thomas Sowell Podcast to offer listeners a chance to win 4 Sowell books. Enter at SowellBooks.com for a chance to win!
In this episode we explore the music from Steven Spielberg's new film "West Side Story" and how the themes playing out in the film are explained by Thomas Sowell's classic book "A Conflict of Visions."
In particular, we analyze the lyrics to two songs:
• "America," and • "Gee, Officer Krupke"
This episode can best be appreciated by listening to the full songs and reading along with the full lyrics, links to both are provided here:
Gee, Officer Krupke on Youtube HERE Gee, Officer Krupke lyrics HERE.
Trailer to the new Spielberg film HERE (highly recommended you see it in the theaters on the big screen with booming sound).
POST IT NOTES STILL AVAILABLE Alan reminds listeners that he is offering a limited edition Post It Note pad with 50 different Sowell quotes free of charge to anyone who emails their name and mailing address to WolanAlan@gmail.com. You can view the quotes HERE and feel free to print out and use these designs as you wish.
LIVE BOOK CLUB Alan is hosting a live Zoom "bookclub" on January 5, 2022 at 7:30PM PST to discuss Sowell's "A Conflict of Visions." If you would like to participate in this free event, email us at WolanAlan@gmail.com and we'll try to find a spot for you in the meeting.
• Find me on X (Twitter) at @alanwolan • Email me at WolanAlan@gmail.com • Support the show at https://www.patreon.com/SowellGenius • Purchase podcast merch at https://www.etsy.com/shop/GeniusSowell • See all my links at www.alanwolan.com
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