| Neil Young – Rockin' in the Free World Lyrics | 5 years ago |
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@[drewdc:29339] good summary but one to add I've read "people shufflin' their feet" is a reference to the poor mental health treatment/awareness in 1970s/80s US medical paradigm. Specifically, Young is said to be referencing the "Thorazine Shuffle" AKA the slow, slow, shuffling forward, usually while wearing slippers and a hospital gown, of a mental patient. In the ~10 years after it's move into mainstream medicine, >50 million people were on Thorazine worldwide... The drug made it easier to control the symptoms of Schizophrenia etc... and was more humane than both lobotomy (see Rosemary Kennedy) ECT (Electroconvulsive therapy, like in Cuckoo's Nest). However, was far less humane than more modern therapies still gaining traction today. It created "shuffling zombies" among the many homeless who were medicated via social welfare programs/clinics |
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