Recently in my Modern World Literature class, we have been discussing how our personal life is political. How each little thing we do, each object we buy, the school we attend, silently speaks out on a much larger issue. Of course, this does not limit political to just Democrat vs. Republican, but instead to a more broad spectrum, like class, religion, sexuality, privilege etc. However, this past week, my favorite band released a song that brought personal is political to a more literal sense for me. In my own time, I had never realized that something that was a part of my daily life like music could hold such power. Of course, during Vietnam and the Cold War, music was often used as propaganda for the people to feel empowered and strive for change. Everything has been put into perspective for me as I listen to my favorite band take a stand for their beliefs and become more than just records on a shelf.

Last Monday, October 10 kicked off the last month before the controversial election we have all been keeping tabs on for months. Death Cab for Cutie (no bias, but the best band of all time) shared a link on their page about a new song they released entitled “A Million Dollar Loan.” I clicked the link and before watching the video, I read the description which consisted of a quote from the lead singer and the lyricist of the band:

"Lyrically, ‘Million Dollar Loan’ deals with a particularly tone-deaf moment in Donald Trump's ascent to the Republican nomination. While campaigning in New Hampshire last year, he attempted to cast himself as a self-made man by claiming he built his fortune with just a ‘small loan of a million dollars’ from his father. Not only has this statement been proven to be wildly untrue, he was so flippant about it. It truly disgusted me. Donald Trump has repeatedly demonstrated that he is unworthy of the honor and responsibility of being President of the United States of America, and in no way, shape or form represents what this country truly stands for. He is beneath us." - Ben Gibbard.

This video is one of thirty in a series that is a working force of artists and musicians voicing their opinions and disgust toward Donald Trump’s campaign. I have since listened to the other songs that were released, but coming from a band I have idolized for nine years, this song resonated the most for me. In the video, there is a silhouette of Donald Trump and his distinct mannerisms as a wall slowly builds around him. Simple, but effective and powerful. Gibbard and the gang truly captured what this campaign has been functioning off of: mass funding and hatred. Referring back to the quote, Trump is not what our nation truly stands for and what we were originally founded for. We always pride ourselves in being hard, working class people, and yet we want a man who was handed a loan larger than I can even fathom to represent our nation.

All political thoughts aside, I do believe it is essential to take a look at this video and listen to the lyrics. It is nice to listen to each angle that you can, and not to mention, I think it is so powerful that people have restarted the concept of using their music to take a political stand. Personal is political, always.