The Inimitable Tiff

Unlike a lot of rappers, Withers doesn’t blame the girl, he blames himself, going so far as to say, “It ain’t too bad the way you using me, because I sure am using you to do that thing we do.” In fact he laughs at the people trying to help him, much as one might picture people laughing at some lefty for telling them “they aren’t voting their interest.” In that respect, I think Bacevich’s critique is a man’s critique of another, very similar, dysfunctional relationship. It easy to think we’ve been conned into this current crisis. But what if this is the world as we want it?

I like thinking of the number of other songs that also fit this critique. All are a stretch for the point, but much more fun than considering the labyrinthine machinations of the financial crisis itself. “Hungry Like the Wolf”? “Material Girl”? “Get Ur Freak On”?