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If you want to be a hero well just follow me
If you want to be a hero well just follow me John Lennon – Working Class Hero
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At this point in his career, Lennon had grown tired of being idolized and worshipped, so he renounced The Beatles and all things he deemed to be fake or for show. The line is ironic, Lennon does not see himself as a hero, he precisely tells his listeners not to follow him because he is no better than anyone else. There is no other solution than to follow yourself then.

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Ebcf3fc9d10026d406348d9594733e88

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9 years

The entire song satirically undermines the heroism of the working class. Yes, Lennon is primarily challenging the institutions of power over the lower class, but he describes the working class hero as “full of fear,” “tortured and scared,” “doped,” and “peasants.” Of course, all of these descriptions rely on the elite class' abuse.

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They hate you if you're clever, and they despise a fool John Lennon – Working Class Hero
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If you’re clever, you‘re a threat, whether as a “smart-ass” or a smarty-pants, making grown-ups and teachers (and later, bosses and co-workers) feel stupid, or at least not as brilliant as you (very well) might be. So dumb it down.

But don’t dumb it down too far: don’t act silly and don’t be stupid or “inferior” (or non-assimilating). As a kid (student) you must be molded into a grownup (employed underling or worse, unemployed slacker), so don’t be a sucker, sucker? Or will that societal mold suffocate you? (Think “inside the box”, even if told to think “outside the box”, and do not be a jackass in the box, unless you’re the BOSS).

In the Trump era, one could have a field day with Lennon’s two simple lines which deliver pure pithy gravitas in and out of the archetypal box of the song’s context.

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Rob W
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2 years

This line echoes the sentiments that can be found in the book The Classic Slum, which is an autobiographical account of what it was like to be lower class at the start of the 20th century in England. In this book the author states that when somebody was better than the rest (smarter, etc…), those in the working class would tear down those of the same socioeconomic status as them, and would do the same to those who they thought to be intellectually inferior or economically inferior. To give an example, a common phrase was that someone might be “getting ideas above their station”, which gives the rest of the song a more sardonic tone than anything else

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Fvcktheelite
3 years

Under the trump era?
It’s been the same under every president Left Right and Center
YOU are the FOOL Lennon was talking about

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Isaac
6 years

Also if they feel like someone knows too much, thinks for themselves, has a mind of their own, they’re lost on the government’s product. You can’t be a working class hero if you know how redundant it is to be a hero of any kind, never mind a governmental robot who does nothing but what corporate machines want them to do

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08f3b3e0eff1efd1a6d56bf29c5ffa3f

3,617

8 years

I would go on to say that because we are taught by our parents and teachers to fit in with the status quo, we project this onto our peers as well. As children in school, we make fun of our classmates that are smart and perhaps a little bit offbeat; we are taught to value social climbing and conformity over actually learning.

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Feeling two-foot small The Beatles – You've Got to Hide Your Love Away
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The line was supposed to be “two-foot tall” but Lennon messed up and left it in and it became an iconic line.

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10 months

Add, “This line might be foreshadowing to Paul shrinking in the movie.”

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That you may see the meaning of within
It is being, it is being The Beatles – Tomorrow Never Knows
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By giving yourself to the void, by letting go of who you are and your conceptions of the world, you find real truth.

Of course it’s not for everyone.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EO9duFfmKqA

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Peter
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4 years

It’s for everyone.

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home of the World Trade Cam'ron (Ft. JAY-Z & Juelz Santana) – Welcome to New York City
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Although this song is post-9/11, after the World Trade Center had been destroyed, Jay-Z is telling us that spiritually the twin towers (the most famous architecture of the World Trade Center’s building) are still there.

Juelz Santana adds a reference to the lost towers later on in this song.

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Kevin Johnson smash trick, ooh, he's so vintage Iman Shumpert – Dear Kendrick
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Kevin Johnson, like Iman Shumpert, was a professional basketball player (also a point guard) in the NBA. His pure point guard style, saw him often penetrating to the rim, getting he ball at every possession and distributing assists paired with solid shooting accuracy are now considered vintage since point guards have evolved into a more athletic role since then (like Shumpert).

And Kevin Johnson had one of the most famous smashes (dunks) of all-time when he shockingly went at Hakeem the Dream.

A little man dunking on one of the all-time shot blockers at the height of his powers was a lot like a basketball player trying to rap better than the current critically acclaimed emcee of the moment

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Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451 Common Core Standards Initiative – Text Exemplars (Grades 9-10)
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One of the great dystopian novels. It made Ray Bradbury a literary superstar. The themes in this novel are timeless, and perfect for teenagers who are ready to question society.

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Pre-Suspension Statements Alex Rodriguez – Pre-Suspension Statements
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In the crosshairs with suspension day or a lifetime ban forthcoming, after going deep in a Double-A game, A-Rod speaketh.

Via NY Post

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For all respect, you cannot lust
In an invisible man, you place your trust Slayer – Jesus Saves
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Devout religious catholics are supposed to suppress their desires and passions, or at least feel guilty about having them.

The invisible man is God, whom the person being lectured believes in, despite an absence of empirical evidence.

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Excerpt from Sports Illustrated High School Story about young A-Rod Alex Rodriguez – Excerpt from Sports Illustrated High School Story about young A-Rod
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From Sports Illustrated March 22, 1993

As his career is likely coming to a depressing end, a look back at when he was the embodiment of unlimited, legendary potential.

Ironically, Doc Gooden is on the cover.

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