Political Art and Immigration

Last Tuesday's class discussion immediately put two songs into my head by the band Propagandhi. The first song is the song "Night Letters" which you can hear on myspace (its the only place I could find that could stream the song, also if you wear headphones as the song contains innapropriate language depending on your situation. Which is also why I posted the lyrics). "Night Letters" is a song that declares solidarity with Haitian immigrants who have migrated to their native city of Winnipeg (alluded to in the line "I am adept at cold...your mind returns to a place not so...cold)and expresses sorrow at the situation that led them to leave their home. The second song, appropriately titled "F*** the Border" with lyrics here (again, don't read it a place you would get into trouble or have to answer unsettling questions) and the song here (second one down, wear headphones.). Is much more explicit in attacking the the system that sets up borders and controls movement across nations.
Propagandhi represent about as an extreme a viewpoint as you can get in the immigration debate and do it in a very abrasive way. The band means every word they say, the liner notes in their albums come with recommended books and websites for all the issues they stand behind.
"F*** the Border" attacks the reasoning that immigrants (who sometimes come into the country illegally though the song explicitly questions that notion) break down the civic fabric of a nation and instead question the notion of there being any other reason to migrate but economics. Specifically the economic activity that the US encourages and engages in is what caused the the unbearable economic situation in the first place. It weaves together the economic, social, and political forces behind the debate around immigration and proceeds to tear them all down in favor of free movement. It's an effective burst of an idea perfectly thrown into the swell of ideas that forces people to stop and think about their positions and recommends a paradigm shift in thinking about the movement of people.
"Night Letters" adopts a more personal tone that uses the viewpoint of an individual forced to leave their home country because of war and then expresses the singer's solidarity with the individuals uprooted from their home and their arrival in Winnipeg. Instead of attacking the numerous systems that led to an individuals reason to leave they instead sing about the hardships that someone who is an immigrant often has to deal with. It offers a more sober and compassionate view towards immigration and puts it onto a human sized scale.
Propagandhi show that individuals can use their artistic skills and resources to express how they feel about issues that can seem very politicized and devoid of any way to comment on the issue artistically without using satire. Personally, despite its abrasive aesthetic decisions I find it rather satisfying to listen to a band that tries to artfully deal with political issues on an individual and compassionate scale.