Fortunate Son

This song means that poor people had to go to the war in Vietnam and the rich people didnt.

The song is great because though it opposes the war, but it also isnt ragging on the troops.

The crooked vietnam war...... damn the man

It tells the frustration of the U.S. citizens forced over seas to fight while politician's sons dodged the draft.

My view, and I think many will agree, the rich had a choice to send their children to war, the poor and middle class did not. 'Some folks are born, made to wave the flag', meaning once a child was born of a poor family, that was it, you were bound to go to war, no dispute. 'Some folks are born, silver spoon in hand', meaning the rich, born with a bit of money in your back pocket and you were safe from the horrors of war. All comes down to how awful the government were and still are. Thanks for reading.

I think this song was a hit just because it treated of a problem regarding of whole north-american society. That would be very different if it spoke about the social discrimination in another parts of the world. That's a great problem of american society: it worry with problems when they reach its country, only. A great nation must be more human and free of prejuices. American people, you have some great artists. Use their words to open your eyes about your leaders!

God damn draft, fuck Nixon!

Johnson didn't start the war. it started with Eisenhower sending "military advisors". the first troops were sent in under Kennedy. Johnson just inherited an already growing conflict and accelerated the nation into war.

As for the song I see how the problem of the discrimination based on econimic and social status but there is also another. the song also shows how the public gets too carried away on patriotism.

"it ain't me, I ain't no military son, son." - i interprit this to be a knock on the military die hards who will degrade you because the don't deem your patriotism to be as high as theirs.

the war was ill planned and the reasons of it were lost in the politics. it parrallels the war in Iraq today. what exactly are we fighing for? Back home we have heinously untrustworthy leaders acting almost like a dictator under the idea that we are fighting against terror and for freedom. the issue with this war, however, isn't how the rich get out of the draft. the issue is that we are fighting another war that is unnessesary. Unfortunatly we have gone to far to pull out of it and now we must put our troops in great harm to try to clean up Bush's mess. what does america stand for anymore?

Purely as a response to the last post, I have an interesting thought for you to consider. I recently saw a lecture by Chalmers Johnson, author of "Sorrows of Empire: Militarism, Secrecy, and the End of the Republic". He suggests that the problem is not the draft but rather the imperialistic way in which America conducts its foreign policy. Johnson refers to World War II, in which many people were drafted. The difference was that it was clearly a just war. People were willing to be sent to the front lines, to truly die for freedom. In the modern day, however, people would be sent to die for principles they may not agree with. He proposes that a volunteer standing army only creates problems, and has led to the creation of the military-industrial complex that plauges our nation's foreign policy and the world. A conscripted army acts as a check against the system; the caveat is that it should never be deployed to an unjust war. Anyway, for the most part I agree with you; Johnson does raise an interesting point, though.

CCR's songs are basically the Vietnam soundtrack... This song was even on Forrest Gump, when he was shipping out to Nam.