History: War Protest Music - Essay Example

Calley. Of these, perhaps the most negative reaction to war protestors and those who object to sending American soldiers abroad to fight a war which might be considered alien to America, is given by Merl Haggard. He certainly paints the war protestors in a light which is less than flattering and that becomes clear from the opening line of the song where he says that people in Muskogee don’t smoke Marijuana (Haggard, 1969). The second line makes an even greater accusation since Haggard mentions the taking of LSD which is followed by burning draft cards.

The popular image of the war protester shines through as a person who is sexually promiscuous, has shaggy long hair just as the hippies in San Francisco. In comparison, the city of Muskogee in Oklahoma is a place where squares have fun and remain patriotic even if they are not like the modern hippies in other places (Haggard, 1969). Perhaps the most pointed comment made by Haggard about the war protestors is that they are protesting war by waging war on America. The situations that developed across college campuses in America during the Vietnam War meant that the police and the protesting students were often placed at odds which each other.

Picture and videos from that era still remind us of incidents where the police fought against the very citizens it was supposed to protect and pitched battles were waged on campus grounds (Haggard, 1969). As opposed to those war protestors, the natives of Muskogee, Oklahoma remain close to conservative values which become evident from the men wearing proper shoes rather than roman sandals. In the campus, the only battles which take place are the ones which take place on the football field while educators and individuals who have a position of authority are respected as it is their due (Haggard, 1969).

However, from the other music created by Haggard, it seems that Haggard was not for the war itself,