Give a moment or two to the angry young man
With his foot in his mouth and his heart in his hand
He's been stabbed in the back, he's been misunderstood
It's a comfort to know his intentions are good
The last couple of weeks have not shown the Internet off to particularly good advantage. Sure, that's something we could say most any day, but I've felt it more keenly this time 'round (for some reason). The witch-hunting and name-calling and self-congratulatory taking-and-reinforcing of sides is not a pleasant thing to see...especially because I do it so easily myself.
Coincidentally, I've recently (re)discovered Billy Joel's "Angry Young Man," And have found myself listening to it nearly non-stop for the past few days. Partially, it's because it's so up-tempo and has helped to keep me alert (and maybe even awake, at times). Partially, it's because of the fun little-long "prelude" he uses as a lead-in to the actual song. Partially, it's because I like the way he uses the bridge to make a lyrical point as well as a musical one, slowing down and simplifying the melody to show us his "maturity," in contrast with the frenetic, complex verses. And partially, it's because of the little organ-y close.
But mostly, it's because it certainly seems relevant to the Internet, and to the (frequently angry and accusatory) way so many of us on its digital pathways react to the world and to those fellow InterWebers we see around us. And because I'm afraid of how easily we might all find ourselves "going to our graves as angry old men," if we continue down this self-righteous and self-destructive path.
Let's not do that.
And there's always a place for the angry young man
With his fist in the air and his head in the sand
He's never been able to learn from mistakes
He can't understand why his heart always breaks
That video jumps to the "Angry Young Man" portion directly, to avoid beating about the bush. If you want to hear the "Prelude," though -- and you do, really -- go HERE.