[Editor's note: Following Chris Bertolet's self-imposed hiatus, announced last month, we realized it was time to add someone else to our team of columnists. Thankfully we had to look no further than John Zinkand, the majestic force behind our Astro Jams section (one of my monthly favorites), who agreed to step into the fray. So here is the first installment of "Improvise." Enjoy...]

Working Class Heroes

For my first column, I'm going to get into some lyrics by John Lennon. Sure, Lennon could not be considered a "jammer" per say, but his lyrics and his social consciousness made him one of the first "hippies." He used his pop stardom to try to change things for a common good, and failed miserably by most accounts. But he tried. Not only through activism, but through his lyrics. As Lennon grew older, many of his lyrics got progressively more political in nature. Let's look at the first verse of Lennon's song,"Working Class Hero."

"As soon as you're born they make you feel small by giving you no time instead of it all. 'Til the pain is so big you feel nothing at all. A working class hero is something to be."

Lennon lashes out at the extremely busy society in which he is raised. Sure, his childhood was particularly harsh and these lyrics are sometimes seen as purely biographical, but I think he was commenting on the state of society, too. Although not as bustling and busy as it is now, the western world was certainly a very chaotic place in which to be raised where children were often lost in the shuffle. The push for material success told parents for the first time that they could "have it all." A job, children, a romantic life, material goods and services. The reality is, many children were treated as ghosts or shadows in this burgeoning fast food culture and the result was a feeling of helplessness and insignificance. Sound familiar?

"They hurt you at home and they hit you at school. They hate you if you're clever and they despise a fool. Til you're so fucking crazy you can't follow their rules. A working class here is something to be."

Lennon was not much of a scholar, and his personal dislike of the educational system is strongly represented in this paragraph. It didn't work for him. Unfortunately, it doesn't work for many millions of others, either. The restrictive traditional ways of learning can stifle children and their unlimited creativity. Trying to treat kids as boxes on an assembly line being punched out for use in society is wrong. Especially when combined with the indulgent messages of a consumer culture kids are inundated with on TV, education can seem like a useless waste of time to them. For many kids who don't fit the mold, it is. The damage of this marginalization can be irreparable. Look at some current violent activity in schools today, for instance. Is there a direct link?

"When they've tortured and scared you for twenty odd years, then they expect you to pick a career. When you can't really function you're so full of fear. A working class hero is something to be."

We toil through the educational system all the while being told how hard it is "in the real world." We are told that there are endless possibilities, but that these are strongly opposed by the many perilous pitfalls, dangers, and dark temptations of life. The prospect of finding a job in this world of excess and hustle is incredibly intimidating. It is the most basic expectation of adulthood in western society because a working class hero is something to be.

"Keep you doped with religion, sex, and TV. And you think you're so clever, and classless and free. But you're still fucking peasants as far as I can see. A working class hero is something to be."

Now we're getting into the good stuff. Lennon seems to poke fun at everyone within the system. He hints that we have been brainwashed to assume we are free even though we live in a dreadfully conformist society where individuality is certainly frowned upon on many levels. We teach our children to "say no to peer pressure," but then go to jobs where a certain appearance is required. We participate in activities and purchase items according mostly to what is popular. The thought of "the powers that be" providing us with clever decoys of religion, sex and TV to keep our minds off of a more bitter reality can be scary. Are these things the good stuff which all hours of our non-working life should be spent upon?

"There's room at the top they are telling you still, but first you must learn how to smile as you kill. If you want to be like the folks on the hill. A working class hero is something to be. If you want to be a hero well then just follow me, if you want to be a hero well just follow me."

The folks on the hill are always evil bastards, aren't they? Well, as Lennon points out, that's because they have pushed aside or stepped on anything that stood in their way so that they could enjoy that beautiful view from up there. Again, that's because society has ingrained this into our psyche from all angles since day one. Sadly, Lennon has to admit that, while he sees the error of succumbing to this pattern, he is, in fact, a working class hero. Achieving super-star status is some hard work! He realizes that he has been clawing to achieve on a daily basis, then coming home at the end of the day and watching TV with a joint in his hand like everyone else.

While Lennon seems to be very good at pointing out all of the hypocritical and unfair expectations of society, he doesn't seem very good at offering very many solutions. Would he have us all singing, dancing, and holding hands all day? I don't think so. I think he feels frustration not only at the fact that this is the way things are, but also at the fact that he has no real answers on how things should be.