God Bless The Pusher

New Delhi: May 26, 2008: 8pm
There is an interesting discussion on at the Lew Rockwell blog about the 60s rock band Steppenwolf, especially about the contradictory message that emanates from their hit single “The Pusher”, which damns the drug dealer and calls for a "total war" against him.

Actually, if you watch the 60s classic film “Easy Rider” starring Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper and a young Jack Nicholson, you will realize that the entire film – which starts with the Steppenwolf song “The Pusher” (and only thereafter progresses to their other great hit, “Born to be Wild”) – is an affirmation of faith in the pusher and a powerful critique of the Steppenwolf song.

Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper start out “scoring” cocaine from Mexico, and then, after selling their haul to a rich dealer, proceed to drive to New Orleans on their motorcycles to enjoy the carnival. They are the good guys.

Jack Nicholson is a lawyer and an alcoholic who spends many a drunken night in the local jail. Peter Fonda smokes grass and offers him a joint. He then realizes that there are better highs.

The poster for the film says “They went looking for America, but could not find her anywhere.” They all get killed by the American equivalent of our Bajrang Dal.

In truth, the pusher is a friend, a pal, a man who risks a lot to get me what I want. I will never damn him, like Steppenwolf foolishly did.

Also, the song “Born to be Wild”, which plays as the titles of “Easy Rider” roll, is an incorrect idea of Liberty.

We all learn the art of gainful exchange from childhood, from our parents, and we are never “wild”. Rather, we are “rule-following animals”. We are civilized, only that we do not know why we do what we do.

Our morality lies “between instinct (which would be to snatch) and reason” – which is an understanding of exchange, of catallaxy.

Just as we follow rules in language without being aware of the rules of grammar, so too do we follow rules in market exchanges – without knowing why.

All this goes to show why the student movements of the 60s failed.

They rebelled alright – but they lacked intellectual clarity.

Perhaps Americans of that generation will think correctly now. At least they are talking of the contradictions in their music.