Eye Opener

An 

Opinion

                                by Alex Hutchins

Sucker Born Every Minute

“There is a sucker born every minute,” is a quote that has often been stated as coming from the mouth of P. T. Barnum of Barnum and Bailey Circus fame, but the fact of the matter is that old P. T. never did say that.  Read the real truth here:  

But, regardless of who said it…  unfortunately, the quote is insanely true and accurate at least with those with whom I have had the pleasure of working throughout my career.  And wisdom does not get inherently better with age as been my neutral observations.  However, one can most assuredly bank on the notion that youth are by far the easiest to “sucker,” which brings me to my point.

I am sure all the world has heard of The Rolling Stones Band, the bad boys from the UK that were promoted to be the antithesis of The Beatles back in the 1960’s.  Well, the leader of that band, Mick Jagger (who recently turned 70 years old), happens to be the CEO of a multi-billion dollar corporation and has been smiling every day of the last 50+ years as he deposits money in the bank because of the suckers that buy the band’s music.

Rock & Roll, Rap, Rhythm & Blues, Country, and Folk music lyrics “play off” on the fears, apprehension, concerns, and hate that the middle and lower classes all over the world have for each other, their employers, their leaders, the wealthy, and their perceived enemies.  These lyrics have replaced the concepts of hope and faith first set forth by our 12 major religious foundations.

Each generation gives rise to a new singer (Frank Sinatra) or group of singers (One Direction) that captivates the minds, emotions, and pocket books of frenzied youth who will pay any amount of money to attend concerts or buy records “rock star” idols.  And we as parents, work two jobs if necessary to help them do exactly that because we do not want to deny them what was denied to us by our parents.

These so called super stars are millionaires before they are old enough to vote or buy an alcoholic drink, but certainly old enough to father a child backstage from a disenfranchised female child.  

Or, as Mick Jagger wrote in Honky Tonk Woman:

I met a gin soaked, bar-room queen in memphis,
She tried to take me upstairs for a ride.
She had to heave me right across her shoulder
Cause I just can't seem to drink you off my mind.

Its the honky tonk women
Gimme, gimme, gimme the honky tonk blues.

I laid a divorcee in new york city,
I had to put up some kind of a fight.
The lady then she covered me with roses,
She blew my nose and then she blew my mind.

Its the honky tonk women
Gimme, gimme, gimme the honky tonk blues.

(yeah!) it's the honky tonk women.
Gimme, gimme, gimme the honky tonk blues.

(yeah!) it's the honky tonk women.
Gimme, gimme, gimme the honky tonk blues

As long as these people continue to spend their money on music, they will never be a threat by redirecting their money to education or investments that could potentially take money away from these musical legends and monoliths.

But, isn’t this...  what’s so great about America?