Portugal has a long history of expressing social and political commentary and activism in musical forms. Indeed, the near bloodless coup which toppled the dictatorship in the 1974 Carnation Revolution was heralded (quite literally) by Grandola Vila Morena, a song that had been composed and performed by Zeca Afonso, a folk musician and political dissident. Música de Intervenção or ‘musical protest’ is a method of calling attention to problems, whether they be economic, political or more broadly social in nature, that no one is willing or able to address in an open and/or effective manner.
One of the latest installments in this tradition came with the 2011 release of the hit “Parva que Sou”, “Fool that I am”, by the group Deolinda.
My translation:
I am of the generation without remuneration
And this situation does not even bother me.
What a fool I am!
Because this is bad and will continue,
It’s lucky that I might be able to intern.
What a fool I am!
And I keep thinking,
What a very silly world it is
where, in order to be a slave, it is necessary to study.
I am of the ‘house of the parents' generation,
If I already have everything, why want anything more?
What a fool I am!
Children, husband, I am always putting it off
And I still have to pay for the car.
What a fool I am!
And I keep thinking,
What a very silly world it is
where, in order to be a slave, it is necessary to study.
I am of the ‘why should I complain?’ generation,
There is someone much worse than me on television.
What a fool I am!
And I keep thinking,
What a very silly world it is
where, in order to be a slave, it is necessary to study.
I am of the ‘I can’t take it anymore!’ generation,
Because this situation has lasted long enough.
And I am not a fool!
And I keep thinking,
What a very silly world it is
where, in order to be a slave, it is necessary to study.
Yes, the very silly economic situation, both in Portugal and elsewhere, has lasted long enough. It IS silly ... very silly .... because, given the enormous productive capacity (both actual and potential) of the modern, industrialized economy, there is no good reason for poverty (a generation without remuneration), for servility in its various forms including the inane policy of full employment (you have to study in order to be a slave -- it’s lucky that I might be able to intern), for chronic and ever increasing debts (and I still have the car to pay for), or for the social and psychological fallout of a failed economy (I am of the ‘house of the parents' generation -- children, husband, I am always putting it off -- what a fool I am!), etc., etc. And It HAS lasted long enough because both the explanation for the great discrepancy between what a modern economy can do and what it actually does, as well as the correct solution to that particular paradox have been known – not widely known – but known for many decades.
The Anglo-Scottish engineer, C.H. Douglas (1879-1952), correctly identified the core cause behind modern economic dysfunction and also devised apposite remedial measures. The resultant body of thought became known as Social Credit.
Portugal, along with the rest of the world, suffers, not because of a lack of 'competitivity' or a lack of sound management as such, but because the conventional financial system is not properly designed to begin with. It is not designed to facilitate, to the greatest possible extent, the delivery of goods and services as, when, and where required, with the least amount of trouble to everyone. Instead, the physical economy is hemmed in, restricted, and distorted by a financial system that does not adequately reflect reality. If one were to sum up the problem in a single phrase that phrase would be: 'chronic lack of consumer purchasing power.' To make matters worse, recurring financial crises are bound to occur just so long as this underlying gap between prices and incomes is not adequately addressed. The appropriate solution is for the financial system to be suitably modified so as to restore a real (i.e., self-liquidating) balance to the circular flow. A compensatory flow of debt-free money must be created by a National Credit Office and issued directly (via a National Dividend) or indirectly (via a National Discount on retail prices) to the consumer. Once an endogenous financial homeostasis has been achieved, all the other symptoms of economic dysfunction will dissipate. Portugal does not need inhuman austerity measures, nor does it require the intervention of the globalist troika (the unholy trinity of the IMF, the European Commission, and the European Central Bank). What Portugal needs is Social Credit!
Another beautiful composition from Deolinda’s repertoire which likewise touches on a variety of Social Credit themes is “Um Contra O Outro” – “One Against the Other”. This particular song challenges people to opt out of the rat-race – yet another phenomenon which can be traced back to the dysfunctional financial system.
My translation:
Come on, unplug the cable,
which links life to this game.
Play with me a new game
with two lives, one against the other.
It's no longer enough,
this fight against time,
this time that we waste
trying to beat somebody.
At the end of it all,
what is presented as a gain,
goes to waste
without giving anything to anyone.
Come on, take a break,
park the car,
get out of the race,
drop this war,
because your objective
is on this side
of your life.
Change your level,
get out of the invisible state,
adopt a mode compatible
with my condition,
because your life is real and repeated,
give yourself more than the impossible,
if you give me your hand.
Get out of the house and come with me into the street, come,
because this life that you have,
for as many 'lives' that you may earn,
it's yours that has the most to lose if you don't come.
Get out of the house and come with me into the street, come,
because this life that you have,
for as many 'lives' that you may earn,
it's yours that has the most to lose if you don't come.
Come on, show what you're worth,
you, in this game, you're worth so little,
exchange your vice for a new one,
because the challenge is a brawl.
Choose your weapon,
a strategy that never fails,
the strong side of the battle,
maximize your power.
I give you the advantage,
you with everything,
and me without anything, even like this, weaponless,
I'll teach you to lose.
Get out of the house and come with me into the street, come,
because this life that you have,
for as many 'lives' that you'll earn,
it's yours that has the most to lose if you don't come.
Get out of the house and come with me into the street, come,
because this life that you have,
for as many 'lives' that you'll earn,
it's yours that has the most to lose if you don't come.
